Hermione sat up with a gasp, the shocking cold of the fjord still penetrating deep into her bones.

But she was not in her bed, or in the hospital wing, or anywhere else that she had expected. She was in a long room, lit by brackets of green fire. Everything was wet - the floor, the hospital gown that hung over her starved frame, the ceiling dripped in rivulets that ran down to long pools of water that bordered the middle of the corridor like it was a raised walkway. Deep in shadow, almost lost, were the carved pillars that suspended the roof. They arched up over her head, curved over the vaulted ceiling and then finished in a decorative serpent heads that dripped water from their fangs like venom.

She stood unsteadily, noticing a discarded set of Slytherin robes nearby. She pulled them on over the hospital gown, then noticed the distinctive scabbard of the sword that had been gifted to her by the goblins. The blade itself was missing.

Confused, she padded out to the large lake at the end. A massive carving of a bearded man took up the end wall, his mouth open like Boreas blowing the north wind on an ancient map.

Her magic answered her call as soon as she made it, but it was weak and weary from weeks of abuse in Russia. She sent it out regardless, and a moment later she found another presence.

'Tom Riddle.' She said cooly.

'Lady Grindelwald.' Riddle purred, stepping out from the shadows of the bust's mouth and stepping delicately along a set of concealed stepping stones just below the surface of the lake. 'I must thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so close to ultimate victory.'

'What?' Hermione asked. Perhaps, if she hadn't just escaped a hanging in Russia after a six month imprisonment, she might have phrased her question better. As it was she just wanted to know why on Earth she'd woken up in a miserable, mouldy room.

'When you created that temporary body for me out of your magic, you left a faint magical bond between us. Of course, it took me several weeks to figure out how to reverse it but imagine my surprise when I found you unconscious and defenceless - ripe for the taking. It was a simple matter of bringing you down here where I could really work uninterrupted.' Riddle gloated, 'you're much more powerful than Ginny Weasley - I was going to use her originally, but with your magic creating my body, I will be much, much stronger.'

Hermione hissed in displeasure, feeling for her bonds. Three golden strands - one growing brighter by the day, the other just sparking to life and the other dormant and the thick bundle of cords that bound her to her sect, with Mordred particularly prominent. Then, like a leech stuck to her skin, another insidious bond fastened to her magic. It was strong - Riddle must have been working on it almost the entire time she was trapped in Russia.

'Then, who came to rescue you but the brave Harry Potter and the traitorous Nott boy. Even now, my basilisk hunts them down through the pipes. Soon, I will rise, greater and more powerful that ever before and Harry Potter, the only one who can defeat me, will be dead.'

Hermione was not in the mood for this. She wanted to rest, she wanted to eat, she wanted to go outside and lie down by the lake.

'You know...' She started, but she was interrupted by an echoing crash in the pipes behind them. There was a wordless cry, followed by a long, sibilant hiss. Theo scrambled out of the pipe, splashing through the water and lunging for the dryer walkway just as a colossus of a snake erupted from the pipe next door, landing in the lake with a crash that sent water sheeting across the room.

'Oi!' Harry yelled, driving Hermione's sword into the snake's tail as if it were bigger than a toothpick. The snake hissed and spat, lunging at the pipe again. Harry dove out just before fangs closed over the air where he'd just been. The sword clattered sideways.

'Hey. Fang-face!' Theo chucked a rock with surprising accuracy, nailing it in a massively swollen, yellow eye. She could only assume that one of the boys had performed a conjunctivitis curse at some point. Again, the snake hissed in pain.

'The thing is, Riddle.' Hermione continued, storming forwards as her boys continued their war of attrition against the snake. 'Bonds go both ways. Ginny might not know how, but I can cut you off.'

She severed the bond as viciously as she could, battering away the flailing tendrils with her magic as Riddle desperately tried to latch back on. As the memory of Voldemort faded away, she made sure to drive her knee into his groin for good measure. He howled silently, dropping the wand he had been holding. It was Harry's.

She he'd it up in the air and it made a bang like a firecracker. It wasn't the fireworks that she'd aimed for, but it effectively drew the attention of the snake and the two boys.

The fight froze.

'Harry... tell this basilisk that I have a lovely forest outside my island castle and a great number of unoccupied caves. Should it wish to have considerably better accomodation and diet, I will arrange for it's transportation in exchange for a vow of fealty.'

She looked over at Harry, who gaped at her. She made a quick motion for him to hurry up. The snake hissed something.

'She says that she understands you, but she grew up in this hole and is not sure that she fits out anymore. She also says that her master's last order was to eat us.'

'Well...' Hermione said slowly, turning to the basilisk directly, 'your last master was a self serving bastard, if I'm quite honest, leaving you down here for fifty years to live off rats. I can get you out of here and to my island, where you can live the rest of your days on sunny rocks and swimming in real fresh water. All you have to do is ignore that last order and swear fealty to me instead.'

The serpent dithered for a moment, it's head swinging back and forth in agitation. Hermione figured that despite it's ability to understand English, it was probably not overly intelligent. It did have a chicken for a parent, she supposed.

'She says she will do it.' Harry translated after a moment.

'Good. My sword, if you would, Harry.'

Harry pulled the sword out of the water, limping across the room to pass it to her. He was covered in basilisk blood and green slime, and his shoes squelched as he walked.

'Right. Does the snake have a name?' She asked after a moment of dithering.

'She says that her first master called her Apophis.'

'Right - chaos god. Very well, Do you, Apophis, Serpent of Slytherin, swear before magic and on your soul that you will in the future be faithful to me, The High Priestess Hermione Granger of Gorlois, Ward of House Grindelwald and all who succeed me, to never cause me harm and to observe your homage to me completely and against all other persons, in good faith and without deceit.'

It occurred to her briefly that she was taking her first oath of fealty from a giant snake, dressed in a hospital gown and borrowed robe in a slimy room that looked and awful lot like a sewer. It was hardly the stuff of legends. She shrugged it off as the snake hissed a long passage, dipping its head down so that it lay flat along the floor and Hermione could reach up to tap her sword against it's forehead.

Harry nodded at her over the snake's neck to signal that the basilisk had indeed repeated the oath.

'In the sight of all present, I accept your oath and I swear to protect and provide for you to the best of my ability, until I am no longer able.'

Her magic ran along the bone in the centre of her blade as she reached up on her tiptoes to touch it to the basilisk's crown. The blue-green magic of the basilisk ran up the blade at the moment of contact and the two melded. Washing the room with a warm wave of briny air, like stepping out onto a beach in summer. The bond settled at the back of her awareness - weak, gossamer thin and unnoticeable unless she specifically focused on it.

As Hermione lowered her sword back down, the serpent's tongue flickered out, coating the blade in a thick layer of gleaming saliva.

'She says that now your tooth... er I think she means sword... will kill as well as her teeth.'

'Thank you, Aphopis. I'll see if I can do anything about your eyes, then we'll head up to the castle. I'll organise moving you to the island as quickly as possible, but I suspect it will be the end of term before I can get someone into the castle to do it.'

'She says that she's been here for almost a thousand years. She can manage a little while longer.'

'Thank you. I'll make sure an elf delivers food to you.' Hermione said, allowing Theo to give her a leg up so that she sat on the basilisk's snout. The conjunctivitis curse had a simple counter curse, but performing it with her eyes shut so that she didn't get petrified as soon as she managed it was another matter.

Ten minutes later, they left a giant serpent bathing in a lake as they headed back up through the plumbing.

'You are mental, Hermione.' Theo informed her as they clambered over to a wall of fallen rocks. 'You spend six weeks unconscious, get kidnapped by the Dark Lord and wake up just in time to swear a basilisk into your eternal service.'

'I wasn't going to let you keep trying to kill it. Basilisk venom is incredibly deadly - without phoenix tears, you would die.' She shrugged. 'Besides, what better to feed my enemies to.'

The two boys gave her a look that clearly expressed that they weren't entirely certain whether she was being serious or not.

'So what happened? I'm not sure that I trust Voldemort's account.'

'Daphne found you six weeks ago, unconscious in your bed. The teachers said that you hadn't been petrified, but then it got out that myrtle was actually killed last time. Everyone assumed that the monster had almost killed you, but you survived. Dumbledore was kicked out of the school and Hagrid went to Azkaban. Then, one day you just disappeared and the writing appeared on the wall saying that your skeleton would lie in the camber forever. So Theo grabbed your sword and we tried to make Lockhart come and help us.'

'Why in Circe's name would you bother with him?' Hermione asked.

'We needed someone to poke around the corners first - Ginny figured out that it was a basilisk because she had rooster feathers on her robes. Anyway, it turns out that Lockhart is really, really good at memory charms, but not so good at duelling. He tried to obliviate us, but Theo managed as really good shield charm and now... well...' Harry squirmed through a small hole in the rocks, then helped Hermione through after him.

Lockhart looked up at them with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

'Hello.' He said jovially. 'Who are you? Funny place, this, isn't it?'

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

'Ascendio.' Theo said, tapping a seemingly random pipe with his wand. He frowned. 'Gradibus.'

'Let me try.' Harry pushed forwards, leaving Hermione to drag Lockhart behind them. The teacher was unresisting but easily distracted and he scampered forwards up the staircase that appeared when Harry hissed something. Hermione peered up in dismay.

'We have got to be well below the lake.'

'Slytherin carries a sword in all of his portraits. I recon he would have been as much of a fitness nut as you.' Theo pointed out, starting up the slippery steps.

They emerged, red in the face and wheezing, several hours later. Whilst the dark wizard in the castle had made her do a little bit of exercise, Hermione had lost a significant amount of fitness over the last couple of weeks and the climb was huge.

'We should go and see McGonagall; tell her you're back.' Harry suggested, pulling Lockhart away from the mirror roughly. Hermione nodded, taking Theo's arm and allowing herself to be led down the corridors, surreptitiously leaning on him for support. The halls were deserted, which was a good thing because the three students were a sight for sore eyes. They went up to the headmaster's office, stepping onto the gargoyle's staircase and allowing it to carry them upwards.

The office was considerably busier that they had expected. Dumbledore sat in the headmaster's chair, apparently back from his sojourn. McGonagall hovered at his shoulder and Snape haunted the shadows in the corner. In front of the desk was Anneken, dressed in mourning black and cold as an ice queen. Minister Fudge, recognisable by his lime green hat and Madam Bones also sat at the desk with two aurors standing guard at the windows. Fudge was in the process of huffing some nervous reply to whatever Anneken had said and Dumbledore wore the grave expression of someone watching a tragedy unfold on stage.

'Hermione!' Anneken breathed, springing out of her chair and crossing the room to envelop her in a hug, mindless of the grime that covered her from head to foot. Then she turned to Harry and Theo, hugging them as well. 'Oh, I'm so glad that you found her.'

'Lady Grindelwald.' Fudge huffed, his face pale. 'Please, allow me to draw you up a seat.'

'Thank you, Minister. We have had somewhat of a trying day.' She let Theo and Anneken accompany her across the room to the chairs that the minister conjured up for them. She sat, grateful for the opportunity to rest her legs but determined not to show weakness in front of so many of her political opponents.

'Well, Minister. As you can see, Miss Granger is back safe and sound. You can rest assured that Gellert Grindelwald will not be using some archaic law to exact revenge. If we could have a moment, I'm sure the students and I have much to discuss.' Dumbledore turned twinkling eyes on the minister for magic who looked uncertain and began to stand up.

'Actually, Minister.' Hermione interrupted, sending a dark glare Dumbledore's way, 'I would ask that you remain; I have some issues to discuss that concern you.'

'Really, Miss Granger. The minister is a very busy man. I'm sure I can pass on anything of significance.' Dumbledore's expression darkened. He didn't want anyone except for him knowing what had happened, which was a good enough reason for Hermione to make sure everyone knew.

'I'm sure he is very busy.' The young witch raised her chin, ' but Lady Krum will, as my Locum Matriarch, be reporting on events to my brother; Gellert. I thought the minister might appreciate the opportunity to resolve some issues before Lord Grindelwald takes it upon himself, as is his right when the life of his ward is threatened, to force the matter.'

'Yes, Yes. Lady Grindelwald is quite right.' Fudge puffed, retaking his seat and signalling to the two auror guards that he intended to stay. 'The safety of Lord Grindelwald's ward is of utmost importance and far more worthy of my time than cauldron thickness regulations.'

Dumbledore glowered and Hermione smirked. She'd won the first round.

'I must admit, I don't remember much of events. I woke up in a long, damp chamber which from the decor, I assumed to be the chamber of secrets. The only other person in the room with me was a man called Tom Riddle; he claimed to be a memory and that he was draining my magic to create a new body for himself.'

'Tom Riddle?' Madam Bones interrupted. 'Was that not the boy who caught the beast last time?'

'Yeah.' Harry answered, 'Riddle is the heir of Slytherin, he opened the chamber fifty years ago. Then he possessed Ginny Weasley to make her open it this time.'

'He was a very promising student.' McGonagall mourned.

'Well, promising student, until he became Voldemort.' Hermione scoffed. The minister squeaked and the auror near the window dropped his wand.

'Are you claiming, Miss Gorlois, that you were possessed by the Dark Lord?' Snape drawled from the corner.

'Absolutely.' Hermione confirmed. 'He took advantage of my lower occulumency shields in my unconsciousness to create a bond and used it to possess me. He told me as much in the chamber. When I awoke in the chamber, he bragged about it and I used the opportunity to sever the bond. Without my power to maintain him, Riddle disappeared.'

'A mind healer, certainly, then.' Fudge announced, looking at Madam Bones for reassurance. 'Ministry funded, of course. We should make sure that there is no possible bond remaining between them.'

The minister knotted his fingers together uncertainly and Hermione smiled at him in an attempt to set him at ease. She was trying to fight Dumbledore and she didn't want to antagonise the minister any more than necessary, particularly as she was fairly certain that she was about to ask something rather significant.

'Thank you, minister. There is just one small issue left. Slytherin's monster.' Hermione continued.

'If you give my aurors the location of the chamber, it will be dealt with immediately.' Fudge assured her and Hermione bit her lip, pretending to be uncertain.

'Well, I'm in a bit of a tricky situation, Minister Fudge. You see, I made a deal with it - a vow of sorts, that I would make certain that it is cared for in exchange for it not harming anyone again. I've got a good, isolated property that it can live on so it won't be able to hurt anyone and the muggles won't be able to find it.'

'What kind of vow?' Madam Bones demanded sharply and Hermione did her best to look sheepish.

'An oath of fealty. It was the first to come to mind and the basilisk was rather frightening.'

'You took an oath of fealty from a giant snake. Gellert is going to kill you.' Anneken said faintly, but there was a mischievous smile curling at her lips. Hermione wished she could see Gellert's reaction. She'd always known that her first oath of fealty would be a point of contention between all of her friends; it was a great honour to be the first to swear. Gellert had almost certainly wanted it as had Berg and Lord Nott, although they would never say it. Theo definitely wanted it, and Harry deserved it as well. Giving her first to a monster out snake solved the issue rather nicely - none of them got it.

The minister seemed frozen, Madam Bones seemed to find the situation amusing and Dumbledore had gone very white.

'I suppose, in the circumstances...'

'She didn't breed it...' Madam Bones pointed out.

'So there's no breach of the experimental breeding ban.' Fudge seemed a little happier at that.

'And she didn't buy it, so there is no breach of the five-x trading ban. Beyond that, I don't believe there is any law regarding the capturing of basilisks, perhaps because it's never been an issue before.' Madam Bones continued. 'They are not included under the large beast domestication act in either appendix.'

'Well, I suppose there isn't an issue then. We should, perhaps, make a record of it somewhere.' Fudge sounded relieved.

'Lord Nott has flagged several properties belonging to Lady Gorlois that will need to be registered as wizarding residences. I can add the presence of the basilisk to the relevant form.' Madam Bones suggested. Hermione sent her a grateful smile.

'I believe that concludes matters, unless there is anything else to add?' Dumbledore asked. He'd schooled his expression back to joviality.

'Er... Lockhart?' Theo asked. 'He got hit by his own memory charm.'

'It was rather inevitable that something would happen. I can floo him to St. Munro's, headmaster.' McGonagall suggested with a weary sigh. 'And I'm certain that Mr. Nott can provide the appropriate memory to the courts for the record, should it ever be required.'

Theo nodded, using his wand to pull the appropriate memory from his head in a twirl of silver mist. One of the aurors hastily provided a small vial and the memory was stoppered, labelling itself in crisp calligraphy a moment later.

There was a moment of silence as Theo got up, leading McGonagall out of the office to where they'd left Lockhart looking into the mirror.

'Just one more matter, Headmaster.' Anneken broke the silence. 'I have here... ah yes, a legal request for the return of the Grindelwald seal to me and another here on behalf of Heir Potter for his family rings.'

'Pardon me, Mrs Krum. I believe the Grindelwald seal was surrendered to me, along with the castle of Nurmengard and I am Mr. Potter's guardian.'

'It is all explained in these letters, Dumbledore.' Anneken slid two thick parchment envelopes over the desk. 'If you wish to dispute either matter, we will see you in court. Come, children. Let's get you cleaned up, then I'm sure the headmaster won't protest a calming draught and a picnic by that rather charming lake.'

'Excellent idea, Lady Krum. Well, Headmaster, we must be off. Have you got everything you need to finalise this matter, Madam Bones?'

'Yes, Yes. I do believe everything is in order. I'll see you at the wizengamot on Friday, Albus.'

They all stood with a great scraping of chairs. The minister and his party left first, by merit of being closest to the door, followed by Professor Snape who had offered to escort them out. Hermione ended up being one of the last out of the room and the headmaster called out to her just before the door could close behind her.

'Miss Granger... before you leave. I must ask if there is anything else pertinent that you might want to tell me?' He looked every minute of his age. She briefly considered telling him about the diary hidden beneath the roots of the tree, then decided that she would probably be able to destroy it with Mordred's assistance. Dumbledore really didn't need to know.

'Only that the correct form of address is Lady Grindelwald or Lady Gorlois.' She smirked at him, making sure to shut the door a touch too hard behind her.

A shower, followed by a picnic, sounded glorious.

JK Rowling created a bit of a dilemma for me here.

She says that Merlin attended Hogwarts, and that Hogwarts was founded in 990AD.

However, historical evidence points to a dude called Medraut battling a guy called Arthur in the year 535 at a place called Camlann... sounds like this is a pretty convincing candidate for the real Arthur and Mordred, even if the wizards and witches didn't exist. I decided to place this as the age of my Gorlois family.

If I work backwards - Mordred was 20 when he fought Arthur at Camlann and was the fifth child of Morgause and the miscarriage And child mortality rate was high then, so she would certainly have lost at least 2. So, if Morgause was 15 for the first, 17 for the second, 19 for the third, 21 for the fourth, lose 4 years to stillbirths and miscarriages, she would have been at 26 when Mordred was born. So, Mordred was born in 515, Morgause was born in 489.

Morgause was the oldest daughter of Igraine and both daughters were already married before the siege in Tintagel. So, Igraine had Morgause at 15, Elaine at 17 and Morgana at 19 and all three witches would have been married at 15. So, if the siege of Tintagel happened the year after the Morgana married, it would have happened in 508. Say the siege lasted for a year, that means Merlin disguised Uther as Gorlois to get Igraine to sleep with him in the year 509. (Which puts Arthur as 25 and and Mordred as 20 when they fight. That's doable, as Mordred has already had 2 kids and Arthur does die young.)

So, for Merlin to have been of age, a dark wizard with a nasty staff and able to brew polyjuice potion to disguise Uther, he must have been at least 20 in the year 509. So Merlin is 11 in 500 at the latest. Ergo, Merlin didn't go to Hogwarts. He was school age 490 years before Hogwarts was even founded.