Hermione's room was bathed in sunlight coming through the window. She lay awake on the bed with her eyes closed and her face had an expression of anguish. She wished to sleep for another hour or two but her body hurting all over was making that impossible. After a moment she snapped her eyes open and as she made herself sit up she gasped. God, the pain was awful. She didn't think she could take it anymore, she had to get to the hospital wing fast.
Tears leaked down her cheeks as she left her room and when she stepped out of the common room door her vision began to swim. Persephone shouted something from the painting but she was in too much pain to care. While moving along the corridor she began to feel dizzier and dizzier, and she suddenly felt grateful she wouldn't have to attend classes since it was a Saturday. As her knees became weak she thought she was going to collapse but she managed to make it to the hospital wing door before crashing to the floor.
"Let me in" Hermione cried out, finding herself too frail to knock or draw her wand and soon the door opened to reveal Madam Whittaker.
"Merlin, Maya" she said drawing her magical stick with an alarmed expression before levitating the bushy haired witch onto a bed. "What happened?" Madam Whittaker said bending down and she was about to give her wand a wave when Hermione grabbed her wrist.
"Pain" she croaked. "The potion"
"Let me do a check up spell then I'll-"
"I need the potion" She shouted. For a second Madam Whittaker looked taken aback and then she rushed into her office. Hermione closed her eyes and breathing deeply she put her hands on the sides of her head. A couple of seconds passed before she heard advancing footsteps and then the sound of something being placed on her bedside table. She turned her head towards it and opened her eyes to find a familiar red bottle with the words, potion for pain relief. She took out the cork with shaky hands and noisily gulped all the liquid inside. As she set the bottle back on the bedside table she realised the metallic aftertaste was missing, come to think of it the whole potion had tasted different. Hermione turned her head to ask why that was and froze with a frightened expression. Tom was standing near her bed and Madam Whittaker was nowhere to be seen. Merlin's beard, that meant he'd put the bottle there. Suddenly something started to constrict her airways and she made to draw her wand when he summoned it.
"Anapneo won't work" Tom said twirling her wand. "Relax, it'll be over soon" God in heaven, he'd poisoned her. She tried to shout for Madam Whittaker but her voice was barely above a whisper.
"What did you feed me?" Hermione wheezed out and trying to get up she knocked the bottle of the bedside table. Meeting the floor it shattered loudly and Tom glanced at it with an annoyed expression. All of a sudden Hermione's airways opened and to her surprise all trace of pain was gone from her body.
"What did you break?" Madam Whittaker said running out the office door.
"Nothing to worry about madam" the dark lord said magically repairing the bottle. "She accidentally dropped it"
"Has she drunk the potion?"
"Yes"
"Are you still in pain?" the Hogwarts healer said addressing Hermione and the bushy haired witch nodded to say no. As Madam Whittaker cast several spells on her she stared at Tom questioningly and he stared back expressionlessly. "There's nothing seriously wrong with you" the female healer said lowering her wand. "Just muscle soreness all over" she continued creasing her brows. "Did you engage in muggle combat?" Madam Whittaker asked with a disapproving tone.
"I-err-yes" Hermione said thinking it was a great excuse. "Last night I said to one of my friends muggles are stupid, I meant it in reference to their desperate attempt to deny all things magical to the point of ridiculousness" she said wildly inventing from the denial stories she'd heard from Mr Weasley. "Someone who didn't like what I said decided to beat me to death" she said emphasising the last two words and Tom looked away from her.
"You should immediately report this to Dippet" Madam Whittaker said jumping to her feet.
"There's no need" Hermione said with a worried expression, fearing she'd call Dumbledore. "It's been resolved, Professor-err-I can't remember the name I haven't been here very long-" She said creasing her forehead to make it look like she was thinking hard. "-said they would get a month's detention" she added after pausing for a second.
"Why didn't you come to me right away?" Madam Whittaker said sounding angry but in a protective way.
"I was so sleepy and it honestly wasn't hurting so bad at the time" she said looking apologetic.
"That explains why your dress is so creased" the Hogwarts healer said with a friendlier tone. "And the awful hair" she added with a chuckle.
"Couldn't be bothered to change" Hermione said sheepishly. "Can you get rid of these?" she said showing her palms with a mock afraid expression.
"How did you-" Madam Whittaker started sternly.
"Broke a mirror in the fight" she said hurriedly and Whittaker mumbled something about girls these days before healing the cuts.
"Did the dreamless sleep potion work?" the Hogwarts healer suddenly asked and Hermione instantly thought of last night's nightmares. The expression on her face must have answered her question as Madam Whittaker proceeded to tell her not to worry and from the corner of her eye she noticed Tom disappear into the office. "Riddle helped me make a batch this morning that's even concentrated" Madam Whittaker said with fond expression.
"I see" the head girl said icily and noticing the puzzled look on Whittaker's she forced a smile.
"Something this potent would be hazardous if he hadn't found a way to neutralise the by products" the healer continued sounding proud. "Can you get, Miss Granger-" Whittaker started as she turned around. "-where did he go?" she finished putting her hands on hips. In seconds the office door opened and Tom came out holding a purple bottle. "Ah, you've already got it" Madam Whittaker said pointing her finger. "Did you read my mind, Mr Riddle" she added jokingly and Hermione couldn't help but think maybe he did.
"No madam" the dark lord said with a smile. "A logical conclusion from Granger's look of distress when you mentioned the previous potion" he added sounding like a professor giving a lecture.
"You'd make an excellent healer" Madam Whittaker said summoning the bottle from his hand. "Have you considered it?"
"Yes, amongst other things" Tom said carefully. "I'm not really sure but you're doing an excellent job of persuading me" he continued with a charming smile and when Whittaker giggled like a school girl Hermione rolled her eyes. Like countless others the healer had fallen victim to Tom's fake charismatic personality, he only volunteered for his own personal gain not because he was interested in healing.
Speaking of volunteering, he had to have anticipated her arrival in the morning and knowing she'd want the pain killing potion he'd switched the liquid in the bottle with his own potion. She was sure of it, the normal pain reliever didn't have the power to erase all pain from an after crucio in minutes, and it certainly didn't have the minor drawback of mild strangulation for the first 30 to 40 seconds. What had he given her? Even with all the advancements in the future she'd never come across such a potion, therefore it had to be his own invention but why had he cared to trick her into drinking it in the first place? Care, what was she thinking? The dark lord did not care about her so why would he-? Of course, he didn't want to take the risk of someone realising she'd been subjected to an unforgivable, because he'd obviously crossed the crucio intensity limit last night since she'd lost total awareness.
"Here you go dear" Whittaker said placing the bottle of dreamless sleep potion on her lap and Hermione eyed it suspiciously before putting in her pocket. Riddle had made it and who knows what else he'd put in there when he'd gone to get it, there was no way she was drinking it.
The hospital wing door suddenly opened and a house elf walked in before bowing.
"Come in master, Turner" it said turning towards a shadowed figure behind it and a boy with both of his hands bandaged walked in. Hermione recognised him as the person she'd injured to get Tom on the quidditch team and even though it'd been for the greater good she couldn't help but feel guilty.
"You're just in time" Madam Whittaker said walking towards a shelf. "The ointment's ready"
"N-no" Turner stuttered as he took a step back. "I'll-I'll come ba-back later" he said with a fearful expression and his eyes darted back and forth between Tom and the door.
"It has to be put on now" the healer said lifting a dish filled with white paste. "Sit him there, Polly" she said pointing at the bed next to her, and as the house elf levitated Turner onto the mattress with wave of its hand Hermione watched in fascination and the dark lord's eyes lit up with greed.
"No I want to go" Turner said shakily as he got back on his feet.
"You is not well master, Turner" house elf Polly said tugging at his robes. "Please stay"
"Stop being so difficult boy" Whittaker said placing her hands on Turner's shoulders. "I promise it won't hurt" She said pushing him backwards and he reluctantly sat down. "If you need anything else, Maya, ask Riddle" she said glancing over her shoulder.
"No, I've got everything" Hermione said standing up and after she'd walked a past the dark lord she realised that wasn't true. Trying not to look angry she turned towards Tom and held out her hand. He narrowed his eyes but he didn't move. "My wand" she whispered after a few seconds and he walked closer to her. He suddenly touched her neck with his magical stick and dropping her hand she jumped back.
"Stay still" Tom ordered taking a step forward.
"Is everything alright back there?" Madam Whittaker called out.
"Just healing something Granger missed" he said touching her with his wand again and she remembered the bruise on her neck that she'd made shades lighter. She wanted to smack his stick away and tell him to go to hell but that'd make him angry so she resisted. This whole act of patience and submissiveness was getting to her, the Gryffindor in her wanted to strike him dead now but her newly acquired Ravenclaw and Slytherin traits held her back. Suddenly a patch of icy coolness touched her neck and Hermione took in a sharp intake of breath. As the sensation disappeared Tom took a step back and held out her wand. Resisting the urge to snatch it she took it from him as gracefully as she could and held onto the rod tightly.
"What was that for, Riddle?" she said lowering her voice. "Trying to convince Whittaker you'd make a caring healer" she finished venomously.
"No, I had her convinced three years ago" Tom said with a smug expression. "That mark on you was an eyesore" he continued with all emotion disappearing from his face. "I didn't want to look at it again and again since I don't have a choice but to frequently see you everyday" he said coldly.
"Did you-" she started glaring at him. "-forget you put it there?" she finished whispering as she noticed the house elf looking at them.
"I never forget anything learnt, heard, seen or experienced" Tom said sounding angry for the first time this morning and when he balled one of his hands into a fist she took that as a sign to cool it down.
"What did you put in the pain reliever?" she said calmly, intending to change the subject and half hoping he'd slip information in his state of anger. He immediately transformed into an emotionless picture perfect individual and then he raised an eyebrow that seemed to be saying, I know what you tried to do.
"Nothing, I gave you the normal pain relief potion" he said putting on a flawless confused expression.
"No you didn't" Hermione said in an angry low voice. "It tasted different and strangulation isn't one of the side effects"
"Why don't you prove it?" Tom whispered with his eyes on the house elf and then he looked back at her with half a smile on his face. Hermione gave him a dirty look before speeding towards the door but with his long legs he managed to beat her to it and held it wide open. Knowing he was doing this to get back at her she halted with a livid expression and a full smile almost blossomed on his face. "Good day, Miss Granger" he said prompting her to walk forward and the friendly words sounded like an insult to her ears.
"Riddle, always the gentleman" Madam Whittaker's voice suddenly sounded and keeping various swear words from escaping her lips she reluctantly walked through the door.
After Hermione had washed, changed and brushed her hair she fetched the silver bell flower and the Solanum nicrum from her trunk and then she put them in her bag. She was about to leave her room when she noticed the chrysanthemums Tom had given her. Why the hell did she still have them? Those flowers were so dead. She raised her wand towards the vase and was about to make them vanish when a knock sounded on her door. Lowering her stick she opened it and almost had a heart attack when she found Professor Dumbledore.
"Good morning, Miss Granger" he said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're wide awake, I had feared disrupting your decision to sleep in since you weren't at breakfast" he said looking over her shoulders and into her room.
"I'm a morning person" she said quickly stepping out and shutting the door behind. Crap, did he see those bloody flowers?
"Those chrysanthemums are magnificent" Dumbledore said with his eyes twinkling. Damn it, she should have destroyed them last night.
"They're replacement for Xavian Potter's flowers" She said knowing the professor would be able to sense she was telling the truth.
"I see" he said looking thoughtful. Well, at least he wouldn't think Tom had given her the flowers directly and start assuming things. "That's unusual for Mr Riddle" the professor added and she didn't confirm or deny it'd been Tom. She didn't have to, the uncanny perfection and glow of the petals said it all. "I was wondering if you know anything about the entrance painting being torn last night" Dumbledore said sounding serious.
"No professor" Hermione said lowering her gaze and when he stayed silent she looked up to find a stern expression on his face. Worry pooled in her stomach and she resisted the urge to tighten the grip on her bag. Slightest movement and he would notice, she couldn't afford that when the potion ingredients were in there.
"Are you in good health, Miss Granger?" he suddenly asked and the topic change unsettled her.
"Yes" she said in a voice more higher pitched than she'd intended and the professor bore his eyes into her. Thank God Tom had given her that potion otherwise she was sure Dumbledore would have found something wrong with her.
"I don't think the chrysanthemums are harmful" he said and she concealed her reaction of confusion. "I advise you to be wary of beautiful things, Miss Granger, often they are a disguise to lure you in" he continued with a grave tone and she knew he was referring to Tom. "There is no benefit in keeping something attractive if it does you serious harm" Dumbledore said dully and a sad expression momentarily showed on his face.
"In the future I will be cautious" Hermione said carefully and the professor's eyes shone with disappointment.
"If you ever need to speak to someone, no matter how grave the situation" Dumbledore said with a kind expression. "You can always come to me" he finished with a warm smile and she was suddenly reminded of the Albus Dumbledore of her time.
"Thank you, sir" Hermione said beaming back at him.
"Have a good day, Miss Granger" he said tipping his purple pointed hat with golden spirals.
"You too, professor" she said as he turned to leave and once he'd left the heads quarters she took a couple of deep breaths in relief.
Hermione sat on the stairs for awhile and when she thought it was safe she walked out the common room door. As she moved down the corridor she kept expecting Dumbledore to appear and to put her paranoia to rest she went to the library instead of the seventh floor. For fifteen minutes she read a book and after checking to make sure she wasn't being followed she made her way to the room of requirements as planned. Once inside she unpacked all the ingredients and alphabetically put them in a row. As she positioned the cauldron she suddenly felt knots in her stomach and when she lit the fire her hands shook. She took a step back and then a few deep breaths. Tom Riddle's death, Voldemort's downfall and her revenge, it all depended on this broom cursing potion. It had to be brewed correctly and she would make sure of that.
When Hermione felt confident she started to read the instructions. Then she worked away on the potion for hours, cutting ingredients carefully in the specified way and reading the information more than once to avoid mistakes. It was four in the afternoon when she finished and after wiping her forehead with her sleeves she sat on a stool. This had to be another one of the hardest potions she'd ever made in her life and so far there was only three on the list. After about a minute she got back on her feet and stared at the surface of the cauldron feeling anxious. The potion suddenly turned brown and she started to laugh loudly with happiness. It only turned that colour within two minutes if it had been made correctly and she'd done it.
Now it was required to shimmer for two days under low heat. After the first day it should turn lilac and then silver on the second. As it was Saturday afternoon she estimated it'd be done by Monday around the same time, so that meant she'd have three days and a half afterwards to sort everything else out since the quidditch match was on Friday. Hermione was so tired she didn't want to think about it anymore, deciding those days should be enough to plan the next part she opted to take a break from it all while she waited for the potion to be finished. She gave the hot contents in the cauldron another proud look and then she left the room of requirements with a smile on her face.
Hermione got into her bed feeling starved. She'd missed breakfast and lunch. Dinner was hours away and trying to pass time she tried to catch up on homework but she couldn't concentrate. Slowly tiredness took over and soon she fell fast asleep with her quill in hand. A loud tapping sound awakened her and she blinked in confusion before remembering why her bed was littered with parchment and what a long feather was doing between her fingers. She glanced at the clock to find an hour had passed and she was thankful the sleep had been naturally dreamless. The tap suddenly sounded again and she realised it was a school owl at the window. With a sigh she got out of bed and after letting it in she took the letter. The owl hooted and ruffled its feathers but it didn't go away. She set the envelope down and opened the window wider but the feathered creature still stayed.
"No food, shoo" she said motioning with her hands and after the third time the bird seemed to get the point and flew away hooting harshly. She closed the window and then she cleared all the stuff from the bed onto the table before going to the bathroom. After awhile she came out feeling refreshed and even though she hadn't eaten the short sleep had somehow managed to energise her.
Hermione suddenly remembered the letter, she tore open the envelope and as she read the note inside her eyes widened. It was from Tom and he wanted to meet up in the library in ten minutes to work on their potion's project. What the-crap, she was late-that was beside the point. What the fuck? Of all the times he could've seen her or could see her he thought now was the best time. It hadn't even been a day after his severe crucioing, how could he ask her to-of course- un-empathic behaviour was to be expected of the dark lord. Although the nap had made her vibrant her mind still felt overworked, she didn't feel like going but saying no to Tom wasn't a good idea. Swearing she grabbed her bag and walked out the door with an unhappy expression.
In the library she found the dark lord by himself at a table in the back and he appeared to be reading with his head bent down.
"You're late" he said without looking up.
"I read the message a minute ago" she said trying not to sound hostile. "So I'm not" He stayed silent for a few seconds then he looked up at her, as usual his face was expressionless and she wondered what kind of mood he was in.
"Sit" he said making a chair furthest from him pull out. Calm Hermione decided as she sat down since he hadn't reacted to what she'd said. "Search for Viktamax salvatum" Tom said pushing a pile of books towards her. "Make a list of all its properties and known reactions with other substances" He went back to his reading and an angry expression slowly worked its way onto her face.
So he expected her to mindlessly follow instructions without any explanation of what he was doing or why he was doing it, she wasn't here to be an unwanted assistant that he had to somehow keep busy. This was meant to be their project on preventing werewolf transformation but he'd obviously decided to make it exclusively his. Well, if he thought she wasn't going to protest he was wrong. Perhaps that's why he'd asked her to come so soon after the crucioing, he must've thought she'd easily give up all control if she was feeling weak. "Why aren't you searching, Granger?" the dark lord suddenly questioned with his eyes still cast down.
"Riddle, in case you forgot we're meant to be working together" Hermione said crossing her arms and he slammed down the book he was reading.
"You're the one that's forgetful" Tom said in a loudest voice that was permitted in a library and when he looked at up at her his expression made her almost wish she hadn't said that. "I told you in the morning and I'll tell you again, I never forget anything learnt, heard, seen or experienced" he said curling his left hand into a fist and he momentarily closed his eyes.
"I just meant to point out we're not working together" she said softly, holding back her anger.
"We are" he snapped.
"If we were then I'd know what-" Hermione started hotly.
"Let me make it easier for you to understand" Tom interrupted raising his voice. "I'm sitting here-" he said pointing at himself. "-and your sitting there" he said pointing towards her. "We're both here to work on the project so you see we are working together" the dark lord continued slowly, like she was complete retard and to add insult to injury he added a 'everything's going to be okay' smile.
"I'm not stupid, Riddle" she said in a low angry voice. "If we were actually working together you would have explained what you were doing and why. We're meant to share theories and ideas so we can solve the problem, not you on your own" Hermione finished emphasising the last two words and he glared daggers at her.
"I can manage on my own" Tom said clenching his hands into fists. "You're rubbish at potions" he continued nastily and she almost flinched at the words. "You'd create more problems instead of solving anything" he added with a sneer and her cheeks reddened from rage. "Listening to your useless theories and ideas would be a waste of time. I know what I'm doing, I can probably finish this project by the end of November instead of December" Hermione stopped herself from shouting, you're going to be dead on Friday and suddenly the knowledge made her feel loads better. "You'll effortlessly get the same mark as me so make yourself useful and search for Viktamax salvatum" the dark lord finished with a note of finality.
"No" Hermione said bravely, ignoring the voice in her head that advised against it.
"Now" Tom ordered pointing his wand with a furious expression. Instincts urged her to draw her magical stick but her mind seeing sense held her back. Merlin, what had she done. She was supposed to keep him happy and relaxed till Friday. Oh God, would he crucio her later for that. Maybe if she managed to calm him down and showed him how sorry she was he'd let it all go.
"I didn't mean to disobey you" she said in her best apologetic voice and his angry expression slowly disappeared. "I know you're miles better than me at potions" she continued lowering her voice, the truth of her words stung but just because he was more intelligent she refused to believe she was completely worthless and stupid. "It's not fair to say I'm completely rubbish without giving me a chance" Hermione immediately bit the inside of her cheeks. She shouldn't have said that, she was letting her emotions get the best of her again. Crap, this whole submissive act was driving her nuts. Well, the dark lord seemed unchanged so no harm done. Hermione hesitantly took a book from her pile and as Tom lowered his wand she strangely felt freed and oppressed at the same time.
"I can be unfair if I wish to" he suddenly said, making her freeze. "Life isn't fair, Granger" he almost hissed and he bent the quill in his hand.
"I know" she said worriedly eyeing the twisted feather. "It's just-I- I've never come across someone like you" she said uncertainly and she instantly regretted it, that statement was too unguarded for her comfort level but the dark lord remained unfazed. "I was curious to know what you've come up with" Hermione continued carefully choosing her words. "I thought I could help if I had more information, but if you won't allow me to work with you then that's fine" she said hurriedly before her anger took over and she opened the book in her hand with a little more force than necessary.
"Am I to understand you believe yourself to be capable of performing in the subject better outside of class" Tom said magically repairing his damaged quill. "Since you thought you could help" he added mockingly and a hint of smile touched his lips. Hermione wanted to kill him right now and she kept repeating the word Friday to calm herself.
"I consider myself to be good at potions, not the most excellent but good" she said in a low controlled voice. "That's the reason why I thought I could've helped, the key word being could, Riddle" she said trying to sound like she was stating a fact instead of taunting him and then she quickly looked down at the book with a fearful expression. That last bit didn't have to be said, would that be the thing that finally pushed him over the edge? Maybe if she engrossed herself in searching for Viktamax salvatum he'd be more inclined to let it slide.
Hermione's book suddenly closed with a snap and she jumped in her seat before looking up with a racing heart. Taking in the expression on his face her eyes widened, not in fear but in surprise. He didn't look angry at all, he looked-she wasn't sure if that was the right word but he looked livelier or maybe even thrilled. For the life of her she couldn't understand why and the uncertainness suddenly made her feel afraid again.
"I'm curious" Tom said tilting his head a little to the left. "How would you do outside the classroom environment on a project like this?" he said narrowing his eyes and she stopped herself from swearing out aloud. "Worse or unexpectedly better" he added un-tilting his head and irritation flashed on her face. Great, Voldemort the psycho genius was viewing her as some kind of an interesting experiment. If he had free reign he'd probably be like those Nazi scientists that'd experimented to satisfy wonderment and curiosity without any care for human life. Oh God, wasn't world war two happening-best not to think about it- it wasn't her fault. She couldn't eliminate every single evil person-actually it was 1945 so it was over, she felt relieved and saddened that she wouldn't have to personally do something about Hitler. "Worried what the result might be" Tom asked, breaking the silence that'd fallen between them and her attention snapped back to him.
"No, I don't think where I am affects my intelligence" Hermione said believing what she was saying. "The idea that it could is absurd" she said creasing her forehead.
"Perhaps" he said raising an eyebrow. "Just to satisfy my curiosity I'll allow your desperate need to feel more involved" the dark lord said emphasising the word desperate and she gave him an angry look. "On condition, that you give me a theory or an idea that isn't utter nonsense and has actual value" he said crossing his arms. "If you fail you will allow me to complete the project on my own and not inform Slughorn" Tom continued with a commanding tone. "Do you accept?" he questioned raising his wand. "Or would you prefer continuing the task best suited to you?" he said magically opening her book and one side of his lips stretched into half a smile.
Urgh, she wanted to claw his face out. She was capable of much more than searching for something in a book, she'd prove it. On second thought, that seemed like a bad idea. Wasn't the whole point of her act to make Voldemort believe himself to be superior so he never saw her as a threat? If she showed she was intelligent that would be the opposite of all she'd worked for. Proving herself to the Tom wasn't important, he'd be dead soon anyway. "Very disappointing" Tom said snapping her out of her thoughts. "But not unexpected" he added with a smug expression as he lowered his wand. "Now do as you were told" the dark lord said with a sudden cold voice. "And don't disturb me" he ended with a threatening tone.
Fuck this Hermione thought as she felt the surge of energy that always came whenever she was challenged, only this moment it seemed to have grown in potency. No, she wouldn't be Tom Riddle's willing doormat this time. Could one God damn potions theory really make her a danger in his eyes? Hell no, the dark lord was too bloody sure of himself. He was way high up there and just on one occasion she wanted the satisfaction of bringing him down a few pegs, even if he was dying on Friday. After all, such mental torture would not be possible on a corpse.
"Apology for the delayed response" Hermione said shutting her book with a loud snap. "I accept" she said raising her voice and she looked right into his eyes with a determined expression.
"My curiosity shall be satisfied after all" Tom said looking momentarily excited "If you wish to humiliate yourself do continue" he said leaning back in his chair and he gave her a cold smile.
Merlin's balls, she didn't actually have an answer. Had half of her brain gone into a fucking coma? That should have bloody occurred to her before she opened her mouth. Oh God, what could she say? She'd been so occupied with the broom cursing potion she hadn't read anything related to the project, but there must to be something she already knew that she could use. What though? "I didn't say you could take forever" the dark lord said icily as he resumed his less relaxed position and she swallowed. Okay, she just needed to calm herself. Using Occlumency she shut out all distractions and in seconds she had her answer, the Wolfsbane potion. It allowed the werewolf to keep its human mind so the ingredients used to make it had to be credible to apply in a theory for stopping transformation.
Oh Merlin, Wolfsbane didn't exist in the 1940s. Wait, wasn't that knowledge all the better for her to use since she could claim it as her own without anyone suspecting? Yes but revealing future information could have bad consequences. "Speak" Tom commanded with an angry expression and she opened and closed her mouth feeling unsure. "Leave" he said slamming his left palm down on the table and she almost jumped before coming to a decision. To hell with the consequences, the world owed her a favour. She was removing Voldemort and in return the use of information was a small price to pay. Besides, what she revealed would die with him soon so the chance of something going wrong was very slim. "Now" Tom hissed pointing his wand and she raised her hands in a sign of surrender.
"Sorry" Hermione said meekly. "I have many theories, just wondering which one's the best" she continued in a rushed voice and he slightly lowered his stick but his expression remained the same. "I think Monks-hood with liquid sliver has the most chance of retaining-" Hermione started bravely before deciding to omit the part about it only being the mind as it could look suspicious when she turned out to be 100% accurate.. "-the human side" she added after a seconds pause and it suddenly came to her attention that the dark lord's face had become emotionless. "The problem is the combination is most likely to prove so toxic that it could result in the death of the werewolf" she continued unsurely, reciting one of the many difficulties the inventor of Wolfsbane had faced and Tom slowly lowered his wand. "So we need an anti-poison that will keep the compound lethal enough to disable but not kill" she said lowering her hands. "Maybe Mandrake root and-" Hermione trailed off feeling she'd said too much. "I'm not sure" she lied and as she awaited the unreadable Slytherin's response she began to feel strangely nervous.
Suddenly an expression flashed across his face and the best she could interpret it as was a mixture between shock and disbelief. It was definitely a positive indicator but until she had verbal confirmation she couldn't get herself to relax.
"Monks-hood" Tom said in a low voice. "I've noted it down as one of the potential ingredients" he continued slightly creasing his forehead. "Combining it with liquid silver, that's a very interesting idea" he said casting his eyes down and she suddenly felt relieved and pleased at the same time. "Mandrake root as an anti-poison" the heir of Slytherin said slowly. "Unheard of" he added in a louder voice. "Not impossible but it will be difficult indeed" Tom said suddenly looking at her. "Unexpectedly better" he said tilting his head to the left and then he stared to stare at her, a few seconds later Hermione blinked on purpose.
Did he-was that-yes, it definitely was. The look of respect that he only reserved for his favourite Professors, he'd given her that look just now. The dark lord's emotionless face was back on again but she was wise enough to recognise anything seen on his face was never imagined. Joy bubbled up in her stomach knowing that he didn't see her as entirely stupid anymore and approved of her in some way. Suddenly guilt started to creep into her mind, why did the fact that Tom Riddle thought she was intelligent and almost on the same level as him make her feel so happy?
Well, future dark lord or not he was still a genius and it must be natural to react to a genius's appreciation like this. Except, she wasn't that intelligent because she'd cheated, Hermione allowed herself to feel a twinge of shame before pushing that information to the back of her mind and choosing to forget about it.
"I'll allow you to actually work with me" Tom said emphasising the word actually before moving his head back to the centre. "Because I'm choosing to be fair" he added with an arrogant expression. "There's nothing you could've done if I didn't want to honour our agreement" he continued with a cold smile and she felt like slapping him. Psycho, control freak, couldn't he be bloody normal for once in his-well, he was lord Voldemort after all.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity" Hermione said mechanically and his smile turned into a smirk.
"We should research on liquid silver" the dark lord said with a sudden serious expression. "I'll look up on the way it reacts with other substances, you can look up its properties" he said levitating a book towards her.
"Okay" she said catching the hardback.
"Write down what you find" he ordered before placing a large parchment in the centre of the table and she nodded in response.
Soon silence filled the air except the sounds of pages being turned and the scratching of quills as they took turns to write on the parchment. While noting something down Hermione looked at his side of the sheet and couldn't help marvel at his handwriting. How the hell did he learn to write like that? Someone at the orphanage or self taught, most likely self taught.
As more time went by she found herself occasionally looking at him but each time was only for a few seconds. Hermione turned a page of her book and then her eyes locked onto the Slytherin once again. This time he was lightly tapping his fingers on the table and his eyes were glued to his book. She'd noticed he often did that with his fingers when he appeared to be deeply engrossed in reading but if he seemed to be skimming his fingers stayed still. Strange habit she thought as she looked away. As dinner time approached the dark lord snapped his hardback shut and drew his wand. "That's enough for today" he said flicking his stick at the parchment and it rolled itself up. Then he muttered incantations she didn't recognise and another roll of parchment appeared. "It's your copy" he said making it fly towards her and she caught it before it could settle. "Don't bring it with you next time, everything written on mine will instantly appear on yours" the dark lord said as he got on his feet, and as she gathered her things she made a mental note to look up the spell in her spare time.
As she left the library with Tom her eyes caught a painting of a woman looking at them and when they arrived at the heads quarters Hermione caught a flash of that woman next to Persephone. In the blink of an eye she couldn't see anyone but Hades and Persephone looking at them with smiles on their faces. Okay, she was just being paranoid. The portraits weren't spying on her, were they? Of course not, she shouldn't worry herself with stupid things when she had bigger things to think of. "Medusa" the head boy said making the door open and then he disappeared inside. She was about to follow him but after a glance at her wristwatch she turned around and ran.
As the doors of the great hall met her sight she speed forward with renewed vigour and only when she reached the Ravenclaw table did she allow her feet to pause. Not bothering to sit she grabbed a plate before summoning a roast chicken leg and bit into it hungrily. God, it so tasted good. She felt like she hadn't eaten in years and she just wanted to eat and eat forever.
"Maya" a female voice said loudly. Hermione turned towards it with her mouth full and found Susan's face greeting her. "Sit down" she said with a disapproving tone and only then did Hermione realise most people at the Ravenclaw table were looking at her. She quickly sat down and resumed eating. "Where the hell have you been all day?" Susan questioned and Hermione held up a hand before drinking some water.
"Slept late so I missed breakfast" she said wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Then I got carried away with reading" she continued. "And other stuff" she added as Susan's expression turned disbelieving.
"Stuff" the Ravenclaw said raising an eyebrow.
"Essays and project work" the busy haired witch said without thinking and as Susan's eyes shot towards the Slytherin table Hermione felt like crying out in frustration.
"Project work" Susan said slowly. "With your partner, Tom Riddle" she continued with a teasing tone.
"He's not my-" Hermione started hotly. "We're just working together" she continued in a forced calm voice. "In a purely professional way" she added whilst giving the Ravenclaw a stern look.
"I didn't say you weren't" Susan said feigning ignorance.
"Right" she hissed as she looked back straight and then she resumed eating. A few seconds later her eyes unconsciously wandered to the Slytherin table before settling on the young dark lord. Tom suddenly locked eyes with her and it jolted her into realising she was looking at him. She slowly dropped her gaze and grabbed another chicken leg.
"I saw that" Susan whispered and Hermione bit into the roasted flesh with an uneasy feeling.
Half an hour later the bushy haired witch walked towards the heads quarters feeling sluggish from all the food she'd eaten. Suddenly a scream echoed through the corridor and she drew her wand before running towards the source. A boy in Gryffindor robes lying on the floor came in view and she halted.
"Mudblood" a male voice said making her jaws clench and the hold on her stick tighten. "Someone's luck just ran out" he added before stepping out of the shadows and Lestrange's face became visible.
"I agree" Hermione said pointing her wand. "Yours" she added venomously.
"Bitch" Lestrange hissed before firing a spell at her.
"Partying alone" she said effortlessly blocking it. "Did you get thrown out of we all love Malfoy club?"
"Shut up, mudblood" he roared as he began to throw dark spells at her.
"Hit a nerve, did I" she hissed as she deflected them all back at him. Lestrange blocked them all and her further attacks, proving he wasn't just some curious wizard dabbling in black magic. A sinister smile suddenly lit his face as he moved his wand in a complex motion and soon a stream of arrows began to shot out of it at an inhuman speed. "Levicorpus" Hermione roared, while barely managing to escape one of them and another one stuck into her bag. As the spell lifted Lestrange into the air and turned him upside down the new arrows from his stick crashed into the ground. But for some reason he wasn't making any effort to direct his wand at her or struggle. The production of arrows suddenly ceased and he appeared to have fixed his eyes over her shoulder.
"Die mudblood" Lestrange said with a hate filled voice.
"Don't fucking call me-" she started pointing her wand threateningly. An animalistic roar suddenly sounded behind her and Hermione froze. A female scream rang through the corridor and as she turned around the sight made her heart skip a beat. A three headed lion was advancing its way towards her and a frightened girl was still screaming at the sight of it. Hermione tried to make it vanish or shrink but it didn't work. Dark spells mildly injured it but it kept moving. "Crucio" she hissed and suddenly the golden coloured beast fell to its knees. The roars from the three heads were deafening and its thrashing seemed to shake the foundations of the corridor. The girl at the other end of the corridor stood quiet for a few seconds before running off and Lestrange seemed to be saying something but his voice was drowned out. Hermione lifted her spell and as the mutated lion lay panting she heard approaching footsteps. In a few seconds the beast sprang back in action and she subdued it again with the cruciatus. It was magically made of dark magic so it wasn't affected as an organic animal would be, a few more rounds of crucio should do it but with someone coming she'd surely get noticed. That must be what Lestrange intended since he knew she was skilled enough to hold it back and unless she wanted to get seriously injured or expelled slaying it was the only option. She lifted the cruciatus and took a step back. "Avada Kedavra" she said with an icy expression but before her spell could touch the animal it magically reappeared at a spot further away. Merlin's balls, that was impossi-, Fuck, Lestrange still had his wand and was obviously using it to-. Without looking behind her she summoned his stick and his taunting laughter filled the air. The distraction had cost her the advantage of distance and the three headed lion's paw almost touched her. "Sectumsempra" she yelled instinctively. As the spell sliced deep into its body part blood flew on her hand and the lion drew back with a roar.
"Avada Kedavra" a new male voice shouted and the three headed animal dropped dead before vanishing.
"Let me down" Lestrange demanded with a sudden terror filled voice.
Ignoring him Hermione turned her head to find it was Tom Riddle and the girl that'd screamed earlier was with him. She appeared as white as a sheet and her hands were clutching her dark hair. The dark lord whispered something to her, she nodded before walking away and as she left the corridor the Slytherin crest on her robe caught Hermione's eyes.
Tom made to raise his wand at a pleading Lestrange when Dumbledore and Dippet appeared.
"What is the meaning of this" Dippet screeched.
"Armando, let us not jump to conclusions" Dumbledore said calmly and he waved his wand over the unconscious Gryffindor that'd miraculously remained unscathed. The dark lord moved closer to her and she noticed a handkerchief in his left hand being held only by his finger and thumb. He did not offer it to her but she got the hint and took it discreetly.
"She did this to me" Lestrange said motioning towards Hermione.
"He attacked me when I found him hurting a student" She said defensively with her hands behind her back as she cleaned blood of her hand with Tom's cloth.
"Is this true, Tom?" Dippet questioned.
"Yes, sir" the dark lord said automatically even though he hadn't been there to witness it.
"The evidence is here" Dumbledore said drawing attention to the reawakened and confused appearing Gryffindor.
"Well, yes I know" Dippet mumbled with an annoyed expression. "Did Lestrange hurt you boy?" the headmaster asked the Gryffindor.
"Yes" the boy said with a frightened look.
"Go to the hospital wing" Dumbledore told the boy. "His actions will not go unpunished" he added with a reassuring look and after a nod the Gryffindor started to walk away with his hands wrapped around himself. "A lovely but a bothersome spell" the transfiguration professor said making the strewn arrows on the floor vanish. "Plethora of sharp weapons followed by an illusion of the lion of kazama almost never fails to unsettle ones opponent" he said shifting his gaze towards her.
Illusion, damn it. Of course it was, an actually kazama lion was too powerful to merely construct with magic. She should have remembered that instead of being so panicked, all creatures of dark illusion spells could display realistic actions of being harmed but could not actually harm anything. Hermione caught the young dark lord's eyes as he slowly distanced himself from her and he gave her look that said, 'you should have known that'. She sharply looked away almost feeling embarrassed. A question at the back of her mind asked why she wasn't feeling anger like the previous times she'd failed in front of him and she didn't have an answer. "The spell to reverse dark illusions is a good choice to undo it, Miss Granger" Dumbledore said raising his voice and she suspected from the expression on his face he somehow knew Avada Kedavra had been used.
"Yes, sir" she said avoiding his eyes and she saw Tom's pupils move towards the ceiling in the fashion of being an alternative to rolling your eyes that clearly said he strongly disagreed with Dumbledore.
Dippet suddenly released Lestrange and he cried out in pain as he crashed to the floor. The transfiguration professor gave him a look that said he could've done it gently and Dippet scowled.
"Mr Lestrange, bullying and abuse is not acceptable at Hogwarts" the headmaster said raising his voice in an attempt to look intimidating. "You will serve a month's detention under-" Dippet paused with an unsure expression "Under-"
"Merrythought" Dumbledore interjected and Lestrange's expression darkened. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir" Lestrange forced out as he got on his feet. "I deeply regret my actions, it will not happen again" he added with a voice that sounded more robotic than apologetic. "What I did was wrong but what the honourable head girl did to me was also wrong" he continued with a rushed voice and he glanced at Tom with an unsure expression. What the hell did she do wrong? He'd attacked her and she'd defended herself. "The protocol does not allow her power to punish me like that" What fucking protocol? "If people in prominent positions,-" he added with an oily tone and Dippet's face turned red while Dumbledore gave him a disapproving look. "-like my father were to learn that regulations within Hogwarts-"
"Yes, you are right" Dippet said cutting in loudly. "Miss Granger will be punished" Bloody Merlin, there was a head's protocol saying she couldn't hang misbehaving students upside down. 1940s were so crap, at her time anyone attacking with dark magic could be restrained in whatever way as long as they weren't seriously hurt or killed. Umbridge had even extended that power under her dictatorship of Hogwarts to allow students to be harmed if they did something out of line, but then again she was sadistic and it'd clearly been illegal under ministry law.
"I advise you to read the head's handbook cover to cover" Dumbledore said solemnly.
"I will, sir" she forced out as she pocketed the handkerchief by hiding it inside a fist. The heir of Slytherin caught her eyes once more and gave her a look that seemed amused. Yeah, he definitely thought she'd entirely read it. The joke would be on her if he knew the truth and also her life in danger. The reason why she hadn't bothered to read everything was because she'd thought the rules from the future she was from was the same in the past, and here he was thinking she'd slipped up in hiding her intent to break the rules.
"100 points from Ravenclaw" Dippet suddenly said and she stopped blinking.
"100" she repeated slowly, everyone in her house was going to hate her once they found out.
Yes, Miss Granger" the headmaster said. "You are not setting a good example as head girl, you must understand the seriousness of your actions" A faint smile appeared on Lestrange's face and a pleased look flashed on the dark lord's visage. "Tom, 40 points to Slytherin for your assistance" Dippet added.
"Thank you, sir" the heir of Slytherin said raising an eyebrow at her and she gave him a dirty look. The slimy snake, of course he'd be pleased with Slytherin being ahead with the house points.
"Mr Lestrange, although your spell is part illusion" Dumbledore said walking towards her. "It is dark, forbidden at Hogwarts -" he said coming to a pause and he raised his hand "-and also presents a danger" the professor added whilst pulling out an arrow stuck to her bag. "50 points from Slytherin" Dumbledore said with a sudden cheerful voice as he made the harmful stick vanish and an expression of displeasure plastered on Lestrange's face. Then the professor and the dark lord locked eyes. Tom's face didn't betray any emotion and nor did he look away. Seeming to be the only person unaware of the silent battle Dippet looked at his wristwatch and mumbled something to himself.
"Albus, I have an appointment in 10 minutes" the headmaster said out aloud. "Take care of this" he tried to say in a commanding tone but it ended up sounding like a request. Without waiting for a reply Dippet turned around and started to walk away. Dumbledore suddenly looked away from Tom and with a quick flick of his stick he summoned Lestrange's wand.
"I would advise bed rest, Miss Granger" the professor said warmly. A smile formed on her face and quickly disappeared when she saw the dark lord giving her with a cold look. "Try to have a goodnight" he added with a serious expression.
"You too professor" she said feigning a confused appearance. Merlin, his suspicion of her involvement with the dark lord was getting worse.
"Goodnight, Mr Riddle" Dumbledore said turning his gaze towards the dark lord.
"Goodnight, sir" Tom said with an expressionless face.
"Mr Lestrange, my office" Dumbledore said motioning at him before starting to walk towards the nearest exit and Lestrange glanced at Tom before following the professor.
Soon Hermione found herself alone with the dark lord, his eyes were on her and his face displayed no emotion. She stared back at him with an urge to fidget but she didn't give in. He suddenly started to walk towards the heads quarters and as she followed she wondered if Tom was angry. She'd told Dumbledore nothing, even acted her best to make him believe everything was okay so it couldn't be that, it had to be Lestrange then. Wait, that didn't make sense. If he'd wanted to keep Lestrange safe he could've blamed the whole thing on her and Dippet would've fallen for it. But he'd sided with her, why? Was it to piss of Dumbledore or not to appear particularly favouring his fellow Slytherins? Most likely the latter, or maybe he'd intended this to punish Lestrange for something. Malfoy and co hadn't been with him, was there truly discord amongst Voldemort's followers? Was Lestrange Tom's death eater in training or was he just afraid of Tom? His behaviour could indicate either reason, if only she had solid evidence but at least she knew who Voldemort was. Kill the root and the weed should no longer present a problem.
As the painting of Persephone and Hades came in view she saw the occupants were surrounded by a group of people and they seemed to be in some sort of a meeting. Noticing her and the dark lord approaching the painted people began to flee except Hades.
"Password" Persephone's husband said trying to appear fearless and the second Tom answered Hades fled.
With a feeling of dread she followed him inside the heads quarters and as her eyes fell on Longbottom and Bones she breathed out in relief. Young Voldemort wouldn't hurt her in front of them and once she got to her room she'd be 100% safe.
"Hey, Granger" Bones said with a huge smile on her face. "We were just talking about you" she added glancing at her boyfriend.
"Don't worry, only good things" Longbottom said cheerfully.
"Nothing evil" Bones said with a high pitched voice. "Because you're not evil, you're good so only good things" she continued before ending the sentence with nervous laughter and Hermione gave her an awkward smile. She had more important things to do in life then spread damaging gossip about them being in a bedroom together. She certainly wasn't good but she wasn't evil either. Was there a word to describe someone in between?
"Cynthia, has told me of the huge favour you did" Longbottom said pulling her out of her thoughts. "If you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask me"
"Or me" Bones added with another huge smile that was clearly fake. Tom turned towards Hermione with an amused expression and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Err-thank you" Hermione said whilst giving the dark lord a blank look.
"Well, that's settled then" Longbottom said looking relieved. "Goodnight, Granger" He said giving her a warm smile. "Riddle" he added acknowledging the dark lord with a slight bow of his head.
"Goodnight" Tom said curtly, bowing his head in return.
"Sweet dreams everyone" Bones said appearing calmer than before.
"Same to you" Tom said politely. Soon the pair in love started to climb the stairs to their rooms and Hermione started to rush towards hers, intending to get inside at the same time or before them. "Granger" the dark lord said loudly and she froze with a racing pulse. As much as she wanted to ignoring his direct call would have deadly consequences and so she made herself turn back towards him. For a couple of seconds he stared at her blankly and she stared back almost unblinking.
"They fear you enough to fall at your feet in service" Tom suddenly said and she blinked. "You've learnt something they don't want made public" he added with a thoughtful expression. She did nothing to confirm or deny it and silence from him again said he didn't care to learn more.
The sudden appearance of his wand made her eyes widen in fear but he didn't aim it at her. He flicked it to his left and made the red armchair move itself next to her.
"Sit down" the dark lord said gesturing at it and taking a deep breath she did as she was told.
He moved to stand in front of her at an arm's length and his piercing eyes made her palms sweat. She didn't like sitting down while he remained standing. It made him appear more tall and intimidating. "Prince, told me something interesting" Tom said softly stroking his wand and she wondered who he was talking about. "The levicorpus spell, all sources state the spell only allows you to pick up the intended object and manipulate its direction in air" Wait, wasn't that spell Snape's invention because it was written in the half blood prince's book. Prince, Eileen prince, Snape's mother. The Slytherin girl that'd seen her in the corridor with Lestrange must have been Eileen prince. "But your spell kept the intended levitating in air upside down" he continued narrowing his eyes and she swallowed. Crap, think clearly. 1940s, the spell couldn't have purely been Snape's invention and must exist in this time; otherwise Tom wouldn't have known the incantation Levicorpus. Merlin, he'd used the spell many times in front of her before, why the hell hadn't she noticed it was different than the one she was used to? Focus, Hermione. He didn't think it could hang you upside down which meant a different version of the spell was introduced in the future, most likely during James Potter's time since Lupin had said it was quite popular all over Hogwarts then. Since it'd been written in half blood prince's potion's book Snape must have invented the altered version to use on James and friends and unintentionally taught them another spell to use against him, therefore James and co's promotion might have led to it becoming a trendy spell to use at that time.
"Explain" Tom ordered in a loud voice and her jaws clenched. Merlin's balls, she couldn't say her future potions master had invented a variant. Well, she'd just have to be the inventor then wouldn't she. Was that right? Offering future information once again and drawing so much atten-. "Speak" the dark lord hissed interrupting her thought and she flinched as he poked his wand under her chin. It was minor information compared to wolfsbane and he'd be dead on Friday so there couldn't be any harm.
"I modified the spell" Hermione said confidently. "It makes it hard for them to attack upside down if they still have their wand" she continued, stating a fact she'd found when battling less skilled death eaters. She suddenly felt his wand almost slip of her skin, that meant she must have unsettled him but his expression revealed nothing. Seconds past in uncomfortable silence before he withdrew his wand and took a step back. Then with a wave of his wand he summoned the green armchair and sat down facing her. Soon she found her eyes getting drawn to his pale left hand and the stick being twirled by it.
"The spell you used to injure the beast was no doubt dark" the heir of Slytherin said tilting his head a little to the left and she bit the inside of her cheeks. "I've read extensive volumes on black magic and I don't recall Sectumsempra" the dark lord finished silkily and she felt a chill go down her spin as the letter S in the incantation made it almost sound like parseltongue. Oh, God, he'd heard her use Snape's invented spell. "Where did you learn it from, Granger?" he said moving his head back to the centre and the excitement in his voice made her involuntarily shiver. Hermione pressed her lips into a thin line as something clicked in her head, there was the answer to why he'd sided with her in the corridor. As expected he was selfish and hungry for knowledge. He wouldn't have been able to question her this soon if Dumbledore or Dippet had taken her away, same reason why he must've given her the handkerchief because blood on her would've definitely made the transfiguration professor suspicious. "Tell me" he commanded in a low dangerous voice and as his fingers curled she bit her lips.
Holy mother Mary, he was getting angry. What should she say? That she'd read it somewhere, no that wasn't a good idea. He'd definitely want to know more, his thirst for knowledge was like an addiction to some powerful drug. If she couldn't supply the information and he thought it was buried in her mind he'd most likely rip it from her head. That is if he knew legilimency with a wand but she couldn't take that risk as it would expose all her secrets and forever destroy her chance to kill him. An answer that would eliminate a reason to invade her mind, there was only one she could think of right now. "Do you need help loosening you tongue?" the dark lord said raising his voice as he clenched his hands into fists and she fearfully shook her to say no before taking a deep breath.
"I invented the spell" Hermione said proudly whilst looking him in the eye. Tom's hands immediately uncoiled, his expression went blank and for a moment he looked taken aback. She didn't dare blink, was that a positive reaction?
"You invented the spell" he suddenly said and he started to look at her with such interest that she felt knots in her stomach.
"Yes" the head girl whispered trying to get rid of the weird feeling.
"Do you have the counter spell?" he asked softly.
"N-no, n-not yet" she stuttered. Was that the right response? Well, something might seem off if she didn't want to invent the counter spell.
"What other spells have you invented" Tom tried to keep his voice calm but she didn't miss the hint of controlled excitement. She stared at him unmoving, trying to keep a troubled expression off her face. "A witch with your level of intelligence can obviously manage to invent more than one spell." he continued persuasively, encouraging her to speak.
Hermione could see his logic, if she capable of inventing spells then she must've invented more than one. After the way she'd falsely convinced him of her abilities in potion theories and spell invention he obviously now thought she was highly intelligent. Her chest suddenly swelled with a feeling she didn't like, she was pleased that he found her very intelligent even if it wasn't 100% true. Well, it all had to be down to the appreciation of a genius thing even if the person was a psycho mass murderer. It couldn't and it didn't mean anything else, there was no other reason. Now, how to wrap everything up without getting tortured?
"I-" she started, hoping her answer wouldn't make him violent. "-I-err-" Hermione trailed of finding the way he was looking at her incredibly disturbing. He didn't seem to notice she wasn't talking and he continued to stare at her like she was some goddess that'd descended upon earth. Merlin, that was very similar to the look he reserved for Merrythought. She didn't know why but the knowledge suddenly made her feel incredibly happy and very uneasy at the same time.
"Are there so many that you need time to select the one worthy of mentioning?" Tom suddenly said with half a smile and she remembered saying something similar about the potion's theory earlier. So this was what was getting him all excited, she'd have to burst his bubble soon. Hopefully he wouldn't get too upset and curse her.
"Spell invention is a recent venture for me" she forced out. "Sectumsempra is my first, I'm working on countering it" To her relief he didn't look angry but if he was disappointed he concealed it well. After a few seconds the dark lord calmly stood up and magically put his chair back in its place.
After he'd disappeared into his room Hermione rubbed her temples feeling relieved before making her way up to her chamber. She quickly changed and slipped into her bed feeling exhausted. Today hadn't been a bad day. The broom cursing potion was well on its way to being complete and she'd kind of unintentionally proven to Tom she was more intelligent than he thought. Everything was going perfectly, hopefully it would all work out in the end.
She turned off the light with a wave of her wand and then turned her head towards the purple glowing chrysanthemums with an annoyed expression. Fuck, why did she still have them? Sleep pulled heavily on her eyelids and she didn't feel like moving anymore. The flowers are very pretty she thought sleepily. No they're from Voldemort, must destroy them, she suddenly thought struggling to open her eyes. One more night couldn't do any harm another part of her mind whispered and soon she fell fast asleep.