Here is the next chapter. For future reference Tom Senior is Tom Riddle and Tom Junior is Harry Potter. Please read and review thanks, love Angel x
Tom had plans for Hermione too and he decided to put them into action right now. He knew she was behind him and turned to Ron. "Ron can I speak with you privately here in this alcove?" he asked knowing she'd follow them because she couldn't resist it.
"What's up Tom?" he asked. Actually they'd planned this all beforehand as another way to get Hermione into trouble.
"I'm worried Ron I kept getting the feeling like someone was following me and I was worried I'd accidentally hurt whoever it was. I read a book the other day in the library and it spoke about a spell which could reveal someone if they were following me and so I used it. The creepy thing though was that I discovered a house elf was following me but not only that she looked very nervous. It was like she was the house elf of someone mean and evil who had forced the poor dear to follow me when she could be doing better things with her time. I wanted so much to save her from her totally vile owner!" he said sounding extra desperate as Hermione who became too outraged at what she was hearing made her presence known.
"I did not! How dare you? I will have you know I am not one bit evil. Who do you think I am? I am far from vile I assure you!" she snapped as Ron rounded on her again as planned.
"So you admit you had your house elf trailing Tom like a creep. What's the deal with that? I was also in the headmaster's office and I refused to do as he asked because I am a good person. Can you honestly say the same?" he challenged as she turned glaring at him seeming to only notice he was even there because he had spoken loudly.
"But why would you ever matter? You're not Tom so go away and butt out. Jeez you're just as annoying as that pompous Percy fellow. Now run along to class before you get into trouble like a good little boy!" she said condescendingly patting his head. Tom gave Ron a signal they'd agreed upon and Ron re-joined the line of students waiting to enter the classroom. This was so he could have plausible deniability later on. He'd not put it past someone to use legilimency on Ron if they thought they could get away with it aka Dumbledore.
"Thank goodness he's gone away now. He's such a pain in the arse whoever he is. You need help with your studies Tom but you won't let me help you there so I had no choice but to ask Dotty to follow you around. I needed to know how your studies were going because I couldn't stand to see you failing your classes. It's ok I'm here now and I'm never leaving your side!" she said patting his arm condescendingly as he wrenched it forcefully from her grasp. She turned away from him momentarily to see if anyone had seen what he'd done.
"Miss Granger ask your elf to follow me ever again and I will end you permanently. Stay the fuck away from me!" he snapped lashing out and knocking her out. He popped into the third floor corridor for a moment and looked around finding nothing out of the ordinary and frowned deeply. Was this a scam Dumbledore had invented to scare not only the students but the staff too? Would he truly say there was something deadly here when it really did look like there wasn't? Severus had told him about the Philosophers Stone but had he been pranked too? He then noticed the door at the end of the hall which he opened removing the shoddy detection charm on it first. I mean seriously a first year could remove it so easily what was he thinking? In fact he wasn't thinking and this had been his plan. He found a sleeping Cerberus or hell hound here guarding something and he moved the hound into the main corridor of the school before waking it up and depositing Hermione nearby after which he revived her. He then popped back to Ron and they entered the classroom sitting beside one another. He'd not even been remotely missed.
"Welcome everyone and good morning. Where is Miss Granger this morning? Did she need to visit the infirmary or something?" he asked but before anyone could actually answer him a Gryffindor burst into the room looking hysterical.
"Professor Snape sir I'm so sorry but I didn't know what to do and you were closest. Hermione Granger a first year in my house is up on the ground floor corridor with a hell hound. I know I sound ridiculous but I swear to Merlin I'm not joking. She's screaming and shouting at it and throwing curses around like they're nothing. I'm scared she'll hurt herself or someone else. She can't even do some of the spells correctly. Please help me!" he said sounding horrified. Severus went to laugh but then realised it was no joke. Albus hadn't told him what other protections were protecting the stone and this must have been one of them.
"Ok please calm down. Ten points to Gryffindor for quick thinking in a high pressure situation well done. Everyone please read chapter two of your books for now. I will return in a moment and apprise you of the situation!" he said leaving and entering the main hall where Hermione was screaming and firing spell after spell at the animal. She was so hysterical and afraid that she couldn't see how much she was lacerating the hell hound.
"Miss Granger what are you doing and where in Merlin's name did you get a hell hound?" he asked as she screamed when it lunged for her weakly.
"I was talking with Tom Potter and his insignificant ginger friend of whom I can't remember the name. He's not important anyway only Tom is but then Tom insulted my house elf Dotty and I confronted him about it. I don't know how I ended up here and with a hell hound no less but that ginger idiot took me from Tom and put me here with the bloody thing. I am scared sir how did it get here, the Cerberus obviously?" she asked as he immobilised it just as Professor Dumbledore was coming down the stairs.
"I would much like to know the answer to that as well as where in the hell you learned those spells? This Cerberus will die soon because of all the lacerations you have given him. Headmaster why is this here and why does Miss Granger have it?" he asked knowing full well it was Hagrids. Hagrid could be such a reckless and dangerous idiot at times. If Albus didn't pander to his every whim over misplaced guilt about what had happened fifty years ago they might all be safer. Hagrid rushed over screaming himself.
"FLUFFY! YOU ANIMAL YOU'VE KILLED MY DOG! WHAT DID YOU DO!" he shouted at Hermione who jumped at his tone.
"Well if you weren't so big and ridiculous you may not need a big and ridiculous dog. I mean seriously. This thing nearly killed me and all you care about is that it is nearly dead or whatever. I'M TRAUMATISED!" Hermione snapped as she burst into tears. She was literally shaking from head to toe.
"Hagrid enough now. We need to figure out how in the hell it got here in the first place. Miss Granger is a lot of things but someone who can summon a hell hound she is not" Severus said seriously.
"I told you that ginger idiot whose friends with Tom put me here with it I'm sure of it! He was jealous and got furious with me when I told him that only Tom will ever matter when compared with him or anyone else for that matter. In his rage he put me here with a damn hell hound. I don't know how he got it but that's not important right now. I want him expelled!" she snapped feeling highly sure of herself.
"Miss Granger we cannot expel him just like that. Will you allow me to check your memories of what happened just now?" Dumbledore asked as she nodded yes. The issue was her memories were hazy. She had fought with Tom and Ron but Ron had gone away. Then she was here with the hell hound. It would seem there was a gap in her memory she herself had accidentally created in her terror. Minerva had arrived on the scene at that point and had been apprised of what had happened.
"Miss Granger I have checked your memories and it was not Ronald. He left after the confrontation. Mr Potter did not but after that point it goes blank until you see the Cerberus. I cannot explain it but I cannot tell what happened to you or how the hell hound got here I am sorry. There will be no expelling of students today! Besides which Mr Potter may be good but even he cannot summon a Cerberus so think again" he said calmly as her face went red just as the Cerberus stopped breathing making Hagrid scream in agony as he fell to floor clutching at his chest and bawling.
"If anyone should be expelled girly it should be you. How could ya kill him? He's an innocent pet! He was just doing his job although I don't know why he was here in the hallway for anyone to find as that isn't safe at all!" Hagrid said looking to Dumbledore with a devastated expression on his face.
"Because you're so damn dangerous this silly little girl almost died Hagrid! Do you ever own a normal pet at any point of your life? I am stunned she even managed to kill it but the real question is how did it get here? Did anyone check the third floor corridor?" Minerva asked as Hagrid looked at her betrayed.
"I don't have many friends Minerva and so he was one of me only ones. I have fang who is a normal hound but he's not nearly as exciting and is a bit useless. He doesn't give me the rush of adrenaline Fluffy did. I would like justice or at least a good funeral for him. He didn't deserve this. I'm so sorry boy!" he cried out clutching at one of the dead hell hounds heads. Everyone who looked at it did feel slightly for Hagrid but none the less he was dangerous and needed to see that.
"We can but come to one conclusion as to how it got here and I think you all know to what I am referring. Miss Granger you will serve a week's detention with Professor Snape for messing around and missing his lesson. If you spent less time fighting with Misters Weasley and Potter you'd know to make better choices!" Minerva snapped as Hermione cried once more.
"I told you Weasley will never matter and I am exceptionally shaken. Why is nothing happening to the brute who owned this stupid dumb animal? I'd kill it again and again to save my own life or that of Tom Potter. I swear I'll kill every dangerous animal you own if it keeps Tom Potter safe you…you…you VILE MAN!" Hermione screamed at Hagrid. She was escorted to the hospital wing where she was put to sleep for a few days to calm down. She probably needed it. Severus returned to his lesson where they were waiting to hear what had happened and sighed deeply.
"I know you will want to know what happened so I shall tell you. There is no point in sugar coating it either as I wouldn't want misinformation to come about because of it. Basically Miss Granger is in the hospital wing where she will remain a few days. A dangerous creature was released into the main hall of the school and in her terror she killed it accidentally. She accused someone wrongly of putting it there which we all know he did not. I tell you now if any of you hear a silly rumour that either Tom Potter or Ronald Weasley is responsible for what happened it will be a lie and not one bit true. As you saw they were both here in class anyway but I did feel I needed to point that out because we all know that the rumour mill here can be silly!" he said as everyone looked thoroughly stunned. After class Tom was called into the office of Severus.
"Sit down please. Now are you responsible for what happened to Miss Granger?" he asked carefully.
"As you saw I was in class sir so no I am not!" he responded. He allowed Severus to see his memories after he'd erased the part where he got the Cerberus and put both it and Hermione in the main hall. So his memories ended after he threatened her and re-joined Ron in the line and entered the classroom. It was done so seamlessly that Severus could find no fault in it and he was the best legillimens in the castle right now. Even Dumbledore wasn't as good as Severus and it was for this reason that he liked having Severus nearby not that he knew Severus realised that of course. He thought he was always subtle but he was actually as subtle as a damn brick. He emerged from viewing the memories with a smile.
"Yes I can see you weren't responsible for what happened. I just needed to satisfy my own curiosity. She accused Ronald Weasley of all people of being the one behind it. Between you me and the wall she's been put under sedation for a while as we fear for her mental stability. Ronald couldn't do that if I paid him to anyhow!" he sneered slightly. At least the next few days would be hassle free for him. Elsewhere Quirinous sat cradling the Philosophers stone and thinking about ways to revive Voldemort so he could be immortal once more. Little did he know how close Voldemort really was! He missed his old master.