Hermione spat out the chewing tobacco into her cauldron, allowing it to sink before raising the heat to medium high in order to let it boil. She risked a glance at Tom, finding herself doing it far too often but she shook off the thought. She had an odd sense of competition against him, even more so knowing he was one of the brightest students to walk the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Tom had already begun preparing the ingredients for his next step, though it would be a while til he needed to mix them in. His eyebrows were knit tightly together as he concentrated on grounding his fabricata.
Huffing silently, Hermione did the same, grabbing her jar of fabricata as well as placing the coffee grounds in sight. Though she insists she did not follow his lead and would have done the same regardless.
Hermione cast a sideways glance into her cauldron, content at the black colour of her potion. She collected the ground rosetta clay, with the petals from the dictionarius flower mixed in, and added it to her potion slowly. She could not help but smirk at the unchanged inky black colour the potion took and grabbed several vials from her bag.
She turned off the heat on the potion and filled up the vials generously with her ladle. A brief look to her side and she found Tom Riddle already clearing out his equipment, 11 vials of the Canis Oranis potion sitting neatly atop his workstation ready to be handed over. Hermione hastened, filling 10 vials of her own before waving her wand at her station to clear it out almost immediately. If she had extra ingredients set on the table she would have done so with greater care, but Hermione's calculations had been perfect. Slughorn seemed to notice the movement at their table and approached the pair.
"Tom m'boy!" He grinned. Tom nodded curtly, offering the Professor a tight-lipped smile. Hermione didn't bother to look up, instead working on cleaning her things. "I see you've finished the potion! As expect of you, such a fine talent!" He boomed with laughter, clutching at his stomach.
Hermione rolled her eyes secretively before raising her head. She cleared her throat to gain the Professor's attention, which she failed at accomplishing. "Excuse me, Professor. I've completed my potion, where should I place the vials?" She asked curtly. Slughorn looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Have you labelled them?" He asked, lacking the previously held pride in his eyes. Hermione nodded. "Very well, you may put them on my desk. You may leave." Hermione nodded, more than happy to leave the classroom. Slughorn seemed to be on edge near Hermione, which she could not tell if she were grateful for or not.
She was exhausted. It had been a while since she worked on a potion with immediate preparation. The longer ones which required many days to complete were much easier to do. Hermione walked towards the dungeons, wanting very badly to take a nap before lunch.
She massaged her neck, sighing before a noise behind her caught her attention. She could not help her jumpy behavior, so Hermione turned look back at whoever was running through the hallway. Likely towards her direction. To her surprise, pleasant or not, Tom was half-running towards her. Tall, handsome and incredibly out of breath. Hermione stopped, watching him with well hidden amusement. She raised an eyebrow.
Tom held up his hand before looking around, "call the knights. We meet at 11." He whispered, his voice harsh and his eyes wide. Hermione swallowed thickly, nodding. So concerned of what may have caused the Dark Lord to become so dishevelled, Hermione did not stop to remember that she did not know the names of all the Knights, currently. "Hermione," he caught her attention once more, "prepare what you know about Grindelwald." Hermione nodded, despite her confusion.
As soon as Tom finished, he turned on his heel and walked off, his long strides indicating he had somewhere to go. Hermione watched him, staring at his retreating back with discomfort forming in her stomach. Was there an important event in the past, around this time? Hermione did not know. She had little knowledge on Grindelwald's attacks based on dates as he had waged war for a long time. Yet she did her best to match timelines, but in her state of being all knowing as of late, the fact that she could not even guess what events were transpiring distressed her greatly.
While Hermione made her way to the dungeon, she listed the names of all the Knights.
All the Knights... shit. Hermione groaned as she came to her realisation. Hitting her own head with a fist, Hermione scowled angrily. She scurried off to the dungeons, where she might be able to find someone to ask. Perhaps Rosier. He would know. Except Rosier was... not friendly. But he was loyal to Tom. Either him of Dolohov, who she was to be assessing. They were the only two Hermione knew by name anyway. Hermione preferred to omit Alice Carrow from her memory entirely. Dolohov might be of help, as he did not seem to be outright hostile towards Hermione.
"Minotaur," Hermione mumbled dejectedly. The portrait swung open, displaying a hole in the wall. Hermione climbed through miserably. There was time before the meeting. Time. Hermione remembered Tom telling her how the Knights usually rendezvoused at 12, that her first meeting had been a special case. Though today was just an hour off, Hermione could not shake off the feeling that this particular event would be extremely important.
The common room was fairly empty, especially lacking sixth years as most Slytherin's took potions class, perhaps for the sake of favouritism that would bump their grade. A group of boys were huddled in the corner, chatting amicably. Hermione took a seat by the fireplace, eyeing the silver chair that the Dark Lord seemed to have claimed ownership to. Ugh whatever Hermione, you have more important issues to think of.
Hermione leaned back against the chair and shut her eyes, trying to recall the series of events that transpired around this time. And what could lead the future Dark Lord into a frenzy such as this.
Tom murdered his father before coming back to Hogwarts this year. He was never caught and I was not present to have changed the past in any way...
I doubt he will be going back to the orphanage.
On the beginning of the school year, in 1945 Dumbledore will defeat Grindelwald but there is still time left for that.
Hermione could not erase this sense of unease, the feeling that this was not a natural occurrence and something had led to it. Which Hermione had come to understand was something she would not be able to stop. Not since she decided she would rather live her life than die knowing she might have played a bigger role. In between everything, was Hermione. The one who had been tampering with the past. At least my worth as a time traveller is decreasing, Hermione laughed humourlessly.
The portrait hole swung open and in walked a sea of sixth year Slytherins. Hermione watched them steadily, searching for Dolohov. She noticed Abraxas' head of pale blond hair and felt a tinge of happiness. As the crowd dispersed, Hermione locked gazes with Theodore who grinned at her lazily. "Hey," Theodore greeted lazily, dropping onto the floor by Hermione's feet and placing his head onto her lap. Hermione felt a surge of affection for the boy.
"Hi, 'Mione," Abraxas said, dropping onto the other side of Hermione's feet and attempting to place his head on her lap as well. Theodore smacked Abraxas' head, making the blond pick his head up indignantly to glare at his friend. In that time Theodore took the chance to monopolise the space on Hermione's legs.
Hermione laughed at the oddly childish interaction, "come on, Theo. You've got to feel bad for the guy," she sniggered. Abraxas nodded with a huff.
"I know 'Mione's mockin' me, but I agree," he pouted playing with his best friend's hair. Theodore grinned lazily, shutting his eyes instead of responding.
Wordlessly, Abraxas climbed onto the couch instead and placed his head onto her thighs. Hermione blushed a little.
She patted the boys' hair down distractedly, wishing the room would be a little less crowded so she could approach Dolohov, who seemed to be socialising with a large group of Slytherins. Some which were in the Knights of Walpurgis, some who were not. Loud feminine scoffing came from Hermione's left. Lazily, she looked up without much interest. "May I help you, Alice?" She asked innocently.
Alice contorted her face into one of disgust, glaring at the two boys who seemed to be half asleep on Hermione's lap. "Do you guys want a girl so bad you'd shag a mudblood?" She spat scathingly. Hermione rolled her eyes, deciding she would not participate in this conversation. Both Theodore and Abraxas remained unmoving. "I'm talking to you two!" Alice stomped her foot, "you are both embarassments in the name of Malfoy and Nott." She raised her wand with a shaking hand, as if she were shaking with anger.
Students circled by to watch the interaction, some laughing alongside Alice but some seemed to recognise the stupidity in her actions.
Hermione watched the movement with vexed eyes. "Bomba-" before Hermione could whip out her own wand, Nott got off the floor and grabbed her outstretched arm, with commedable force. Even watching from a distance, Hermione could see Theodore's knuckles whiten and Carrow's hand redden at the cut off blood flow. Carrow dropped her wand in fear.
"Alice, need you be this pathetic? Surely you have better things to do?" He asked, face impressively passive. In this moment, at this position. From Hermione's view, she could now see the Death Eater in him. What felt like a foreign idea finally cemented its vision in her head. Hermione blinked furiously.
Alice whimpered, "let go of me, freak!" She screamed, voice cracking. "I'll tell your father!" She cried.
Theodore twisted her arm, pulling it down. From her peripheral vision, Hermione could see people laughing. In her stupor, she hadn't even registered Abraxas standing beside her, towering over her now.
"Alice, tell my dad or the entire world, I do not care. But do it where I don't see your distasteful face." Theodore dropped her hand with force, making it hit her side. Alice did not budge from her spot, though now her bottom lip seemed to be quivering.
"Carrow." Abraxas' voice came, making Hermione whip her head to face him. "Do not forget who is funding your family's pathetic excuse for a business. Do not piss me off." He snarled. His usually bright eyes, a beautiful grey, were now dark and brooding. Hermione felt a bit lightheaded, a but nauseated even. She watched as tears welled up in Carrow's eyes, threatening to spill. She turned around incessantly and stomped back towards the girls dormitories. Hermione looked at her friends in a daze.
The two boys scowled at the crowd, glaring coldly until the crowd dispersed nervously. Hermione got up from her chair, feeling a dull ache form in her heart. Dolohov was climbing out of the portrait hole in Hermione's peripheral vision. "I'll catch up with you boys later." Hermione quickly bade the two boys goodbye, not allowing them a chance to pipe in and voice their own opinions. She felt... queasy.
Hermione staggered out of the common room, her haste clear in her strut. She ran down the corridor in a frenzy, searching for Dolohov.
Just as she was about to give up, she caught sight of the boy, walking into a classroom Hermione assumed was empty. "Dolohov!" Hermione hissed, trying to catch the boys attention. But to no avail, as the door was shut leaving Hermione behind. She grabbed the handle and turned it, just wanting to pass on the message and go to bed until the meeting had begun.
When she pulled the door, much to her chagrin alongside Dolohov was Rosier, who looked down on her. "Dolohov, Rosier," Hermione addressed the pair, "tonight in the Room of Requirement, at 11." She conveyed the message stoicly. The pair nodded and continued their conversation, so Hermione turned to Dolohov instead, "could you let the others know?" She felt a bit embarassed but she did not even know the names of half the Slytherin sixth years, much less the ones in different years. Hermione did not bother to give the boy a reason.
Dolohov turned to look at Hermione and just gave her a nod, pleasantly enough. Hermione accepted that as her cue and made her way out the door. He can mess with me and not do it, but he should know better than to displease his Lord.
Hermione dreaded the walk back to the Slytherin common room. She had known what the pair would ultimately become, yet she had gone ahead of herself once again. Whatever they are, they are your friends now. Hermione balled her fists, feeling tears prick her eyes, things will be different this time.
And Hermione would ensure her words came true. Though she had begun to fear it, she would die ensuring it.
•••
The atmosphere in the Room of Requirement was thick. The silence felt deafening, yet the anger Tom emanated seemed to be loud enough. It would be harder to miss it, honestly.
"Knights," Tom began, his voice raspy. Hermione turned her head to look at him. The perfect boy was standing disheveled upon his podium with his shirt crumpled and his hair pulled towards various directions. If he were an ordinary teenager Hermione would assume he had been indulging in scandalous things. Yet, he was not quite the poster boy for ordinary, was he?
The Knights remained quiet, all watching Tom with bated breath. "Something quite interesting reached my ears tonight," Tom's eyes flashed red. Hermione watched on, mesmerised by the way his jaw clenched as he spoke despite his completely stoic face. "Dolohov, would you share with the rest?" He leaned against his seat, arms crossed looking down on them.
Dolohov rose from his seat, swallowing. "We have been trying to spy on Grindelwald for quite some time. As well as turn one of his most loyal to our own side. We managed to turn Druella Rosier." He shot a look to Rosier who squirmed in his seat, "but she has turned against us. Word is letting loose that there is an-"
"That is enough, you may sit Dolohov." Tom shut his eyes, massaging his temples. "Hermione, please come up here." He signalled. Hermione rose and walked to his side, uneasy but confident. "Tell us what you know about this incident." He emphasised, Hermione figured she ought to keep shut about any prior conversations regarding Grindelwald.
Hermione, ever the compliant follower, spoke, "Druella Rosier is one of Grindelwald's most loyal followers," I practiced this, I can do this, "they are moving towards the direction of Scotland. I assume they are doing their best to overpower us. They want insiders." Tom looked at her.