A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this one out! RL has just been insanely busy lately. I still hope to get the last chapter out next week. You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-five and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-six soon!
If Hermione's parents were perturbed by the fact that Theo joined them for breakfast the following morning, their wounds were quickly soothed when Hermione asked to see Tom Riddle as she'd shoveled her eggs into her mouth.
"Can you set something up?" she asked, looking up at them with pleading eyes. "I'd like to do this sooner rather than later."
"Of course, I can sweetheart," her mum said, clearly wanting more details of what Hermione's plans were, but also unwilling to push her daughter too far, should it possibly lead Hermione to change her mind.
Her father did not share Bellatrix's worries. "Have you decided to take Tom's offer?" he asked point blank.
Hermione, knowing that she was not going to give up the little bit of leverage that she did have, didn't give anything away. "I am sure that he and I will be able to come to a mutual agreement."
After breakfast was finished, she walked Theo to the front door so that he could return to the relative safety of his own home, giving him a sound kiss for his trouble. Their relationship felt much more serious , especially after sharing such a magical evening of mutual exploration the day before.
Her father had something to say as soon as the door was closed, letting her know of his disapproval of her having her boyfriend stay the night.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I know what you and Mum were up to at my age," she said, accusatorily. "I've seen the pictures. So you don't get to tell me what to do." Then, she spun on her heel and began walking up the stairs to her room, only to hear her father hiss furiously at her mum about showing her those old pictures.
Smirking to herself, Hermione stopped at the top step and called back down at that. "Oh, and tell me when I can meet with Mr. Riddle."
When she was alone, she slipped into the shower, where the hot rivulets of water running down her skin reminded her of the way that Theo had touched her the day before. After she'd spent more than enough time in the steamy bathroom, she retreated to her bedroom to stare at her closet. She needed to put together an outfit that would telegraph that she wanted to be taken seriously. She wasn't just a flighty teenager. Eventually, she landed on a pair of black jeans and a smart blouse.
Satisfied with her appearance for the day, she spent the rest of the morning catching up on her homework. Even though she'd been through a lot that year, she wasn't going to let her marks slip. Of course, a scholarship wasn't strictly necessary anymore, but she still wanted to get one on a matter of personal pride.
It was well into the afternoon when her father finally climbed up the stairs to take her to meet with Tom. He drove her to a bar that she had not been to yet, preferring Fenrir's Half Moon. The bar was just as seedy as anywhere and Hermione wasn't surprised to learn that Tom preferred to conduct his business there.
Her father grabbed her by the arm before she could go marching in, her head held high. "Want me to come with you?" He asked, concern on his face, obviously wanting to protect his little girl if he could.
But Hermione knew that this was something that she had to do on her own. "No it's fine, Dad . I'll meet you back out here in a little while," she said, hoping to project confidence that she no longer felt.
Not giving herself a chance to second guess her decision , Hermione strode into the bar, only to find Tom sitting at the bar watching football on the dusty television behind the counter, a pint and a shot in front of him. The team in black and white scored and he swore under his breath, before taking the shot in one go and signaling the bartender for another.
"I wouldn't have taken you for a football fan," Hermione said, amused. "I think you'd have more important things to spend your time on."
Her amused voice startled him, because he jumped a bit, before turning to face her, his blue eyes intense. "I think every boy has a bit of a football fan deep in his heart," he answered, pleased when his drink was refilled.
Awkwardly, Hermione found the seat next to him. "Is this your club?" She asked, unsure of what to do with herself. She had not expected to have such a banal conversation with a man like Tom Riddle.
He smirked. "No, my boyhood club is not televised. They're nearly Sunday league at this point," he explained. "And, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my watching football on this fine afternoon is — unfortunately — business. Let's just say that I've been known to do a bit of match fixing."
Hermione wanted to gape at him, but didn't. "Are you sure that's wise to tell me? How do you know that I won't run off and report you?" She demanded, her chin in the air.
Tom ignored her bravado, instead ordering her a pint of the sour cider that she preferred at Fenrir's. The traitor must have reported back to his boss. "Quite frankly, if you were going to do that, you wouldn't dream of meeting me here. I understand that you know what I am capable of," he said, seeming to enjoy twisting the knife. "Besides, I hear you've already been too eager to play solicitor for me."
She also wasn't surprised that he'd heard about that. But, if he thought that she'd done it for him he was sorely mistaken. "That was a special case," she insisted. "For Theo."
"Ah," he said, clearly amused with her. "So you aren't here to take me up on my generous offer?"
Hermione took a drink of the pint in front of her, momentarily distracted by the action on the screen. All the players were surrounding the referee, eager to argue about the yellow card he held up in the air. "I didn't say that," she said, turning to face the man who was pulling all the strings. "But I do have some…conditions."
"Conditions?" He asked, sounding affronted.
"You want me to represent you as your lawyer and you don't expect me to negotiate?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to one side, trying to telegraph how silly she found the notion, though in her chest her heart was hammering away. "How do you know I'll be any good if I don't take care of myself?"
She watched as a smirk came over his face. It seemed as if her argument had impressed Tom Riddle. "Go ahead then. Tell me your conditions," he ordered. "And then we will negotiate."
"I want Theo to be free to pursue whatever career he wants, with no interference from you," she said after fortifying herself.
"I thought that you needed to take care of yourself?" he asked, pointedly.
Hermione flushed, unsure if she should try to explain herself to a man like Riddle, who was decidedly not romantically attached to anyone. "Keeping the relationship between Theo and I will keep me happy," Hermione said, not offering up any more than that.
"Done," Tom agreed. "Though young Mr. Nott has already spoken up for himself."
She felt her cheeks go even redder, hearing that. Unsure of how to proceed, she took a drink of her cider.
"Anything else?" Tom prodded.
That snapped her into action. "As a matter of fact, yes," Hermione said, finding her resolve again. "I think it makes sense for us to come up with a separation agreement now, rather than waiting until one of us finds ourselves unhappy with the arrangement."
"Are you so certain that one of us will become unhappy?" he quipped, still wearing a smirk on his face.
"I do not plan on being unhappy, no," Hermione said, truthfully. "But, I think that it's easier to prepare for it now, when there is no animosity between us. I propose that we revisit our arrangement in ten years, to see if it is still working for each of us. If we are happy, we could extend it. But if either of us is unhappy, we can walk away with no hard feelings."
She watched as his nostrils flared and his lips pursed, as he attempted to moderate his response. "Twenty," he countered.
"Fifteen," Hermione answered back, hoping that he wouldn't mind.
"Fifteen," he agreed after a moment of silence.
"And you won't interfere in the work I chose to do when I am not busy with your interests," she said quickly, needing to be certain that he would live up to his side of the bargain.
"Acceptable," he said. "But, I can't promise that I won't keep you exceptionally busy, Miss Lestrange."
"Of course," Hermione said, feeling a bit silly to know that that particular offer wouldn't have come with strings attached. It wasn't as though he would give her absolutely nothing to do with her time and bank roll her the whole time.
"Anything else?" he questioned, obviously ready to get this hammered out.
Hermione bit at her lower lip. "Just one other thing," she said, knowing that it was best to just get this over and done with. "Give up Peter Pettigrew for murdering the Potters."
That immediately brought a scowl to Tom's handsome face. "And just what makes you think that I would have the power to do that?" he asked, his voice dangerous and low.
"I know what Charlus Potter did — snubbing you after you'd helped him so much," she said. "I am smart. I can put two and two together. I also know what Charlus did to Pettigrew's father. And I'll bet that Pettigrew didn't come up with his idea all on his own."
"That is a very dangerous accusation, Miss Lestrange," he said, his voice icy and calm. "Remember who you are talking to."
Hermione stood her ground, unwilling to be deterred. "I don't mean it as a matter of offense," she promised. "If I'm to be your solicitor, you need to be prepared to trust me with this sort of information."
He was unmoved by her insistence.
"Listen, I know that you run this whole neighborhood and your influence is probably even further than I can imagine," she said, hoping to flatter him with pretty words to stroke his ego. "There is no way that Pettigrew could have avoided capture on his own. The only person who could completely hide him is someone with your level of influence."
Tom was silent for a few minutes, until the television blared raucous cheers from the final whistle of the game. "Perhaps the police need to give Pettigrew a bit more consideration," he said, finally, tacitly agreeing. "After all, we can't have a murderer on the loose for nearly two decades."
Hermione sighed in relief to know that he would handle it. She was glad that she could navigate such a delicate situation with him and still come out with what she wanted in the end. Pleased, she raised her glass to him. "I think we are in agreement then," she said, clinking his pint, before taking a drink. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her after so much time.
"We are," he said, before giving her a grin. "I must say, you don't drive a very hard bargain."
She was a bit dismayed to hear that, knowing that it meant that she would have been able to extract much more out of him had she cared to test the waters further. But, still, she'd gotten everything that she wanted and there was no point in running the what ifs through her mind now. "I think that our deal is more than reasonable," she said, hoping that he couldn't tell he'd gotten to her.
"I must say, I am most intrigued by your last request," he said, taking his shot of whiskey now that the game was over. "I fail to see how Pettigrew being arrested could benefit you at all. In fact, it seems to benefit someone who doesn't see you as more than dirt any more."
Biting her lip, she thought over his words. She knew that he was trying to make her upset by reminding her of the way that Harry and Sirius had been treating her, but she didn't need him to make the relationship seem more broken than it was. She fully knew that there was no going back to the old ways now. And, even if there was a way back, Hermione didn't want to take it, not knowing what they were capable of.
"I needed a clean break," she said, finally. "I know that Harry and Sirius will never understand the decision I made..working with you. They see you as too much of a villain and they'll never forgive me for working with you. But, I hope that doing this for them can...I don't know. Give them closure?"
"You are hoping to show them that I am not as bad as they think. Showing them the real villain behind the curtain, who is responsible for the deaths of James and Lily Potter," he said, seeing clearly what she could not. "Don't forget what you told me earlier — Pettigrew never would have come up with his plan on his own. Just, don't fool yourself into thinking I am some sort of saint."
His words were a hard dose of reality, but something that she needed to hear. If she didn't know him better, she would wonder why he was trying to make her feel awful after she'd already agreed to work with him. But she knew him now — he didn't want her to have any illusions about who she was working with.
"Of course," Hermione agreed, wanting him to know that she'd gone into this with open eyes.
They sat together for a few minutes, watching the lead up to the day's next match, while Hermione finished her cider. When her glass was empty, Tom offered to drive her home and return her to her parents.
"Thank you for the offer, Sir, but my father is waiting for me," she replied, wondering if Rodolphus was sweating away in the car, wondering what was taking her so long. "I'm sure you have more important things to do than to chauffeur a teenage girl."
"Too right, Miss Lestrange," he said. "I expect great things out of you. Don't disappoint me."
With that final update, Hermione was only too pleased to slip out of the bar and return to the relative safety of the family car.
"Well?" her father asked, expectantly. "What did you decide?"
"We better start looking for flats," Hermione said, with a smirk. "I'm going to University in the autumn and since Mr. Riddle is paying, I think we can splurge a bit on the accommodations."
Her father was so pleased, talking about how they would have to celebrate that evening — by going out for dinner as a family. Hermione was stunned, but pleased that she had made her father proud. He didn't even bat an eye when she mentioned the possibility of Theo moving in with her, too.