Tom invited her to join him for lunch in the study room that was situated in the Slytherin common room. Hermione did not even need to ask. She knew that he intended to discuss something in private, so she just smiled as friendly as possible and agreed. After all, she was his girlfriend, and it was better if the other students did not suspect that something other than romantic feelings were dominating their relationship.
"I'm happy you've settled in so well."
Surprised, Hermione nearly dropped her fork. After Tom silently devoted the first few minutes to his meal, she expected all sorts of things he wanted to talk about - and now he just wanted to make a little small talk? Suspicious, she raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Carefully, Tom put his cutlery aside before leaning his elbows on the table and looking at her over his folded hands. "Exactly what I said: I'm glad you've made friends."
Confused, Hermione reached for her glass of water to take a moment while she pondered his strange statement. She was friends with Abraxas for some time now, after all, so what was he getting at? After she took a sip and put the glass back, she replied, "I have no idea what you want from me."
A grin played around Tom's lips as he stroked her cheek with one hand. "Oh, I want so many things from you, dear, but now is not the time."
Hermione blushed involuntarily. Her nocturnal adventure was still all too present in her thoughts, however hard she tried to forget and repress Friday night, how excited she had been by Tom's actions and words. The confidence with which he expressed his desire for her sent heat through her body, no matter how loudly her mind screamed at her.
She took a deep breath and concentrated on looking directly at Tom without batting an eye. "Oh, you know what I wanted to say. It wasn't yesterday that I started to be friends with Abraxas and I don't have any other friends. How would I if, thanks to your actions, all the girls in Slytherin hate me and the boys don't dare speak to me alone anymore?"
The grin on his face widened. "And that's why I'm so happy that you've made friends outside of our house. Many others are too proud to associate with anyone but a Slytherin, but you set a good example by winning over students from Gryffindor of all places. It's really wise to think outside the box when you can't make friends among the people around you."
His hand still rested on her cheek and his thumb still stroked the corner of her mouth, but Hermione barely noticed. She was too shocked that Tom noticed so quickly that she was more than just acquainted with Ignatius Prewett and Augusta Bargeworthy. Or did he even get word of her conversation with Augusta? A tremor gripped her body.
"But why are you getting pale, dear?" Tom asked immediately, "Is it so unpleasant for you as a snake to be friends with the lions? There is no reason to be ashamed of it, really, I more than welcome any action that can contribute to the peace of the houses!"
Determined, Hermione reached out for the hand that was still stroking her and pulled it away from her face. "I am certainly not friends with anyone from Gryffindor. I don't know where you get that idea."
"Hermione," Tom now returned just as earnestly, without letting go of her hand. "I thought our relationship was characterised above all by sincerity. From the beginning I presented myself to you without lie, without a mask. No one else knows me as well as you do. I have never kept anything from you, as much as I would like to. So why are you lying to me now?"
It almost made Hermione laugh out loud. Sure, he had always been honest with her, he had never hidden anything from her. She was sure he had. She was determined not to give in, not to back down.
With a gentle smile, she reflected his gesture and put a hand on his cheek. "But I am not lying, dearest. I am dismayed that you have so little faith in me, your girlfriend, that you do not even believe me when I am full of sincerity. There is only you for me, Tom, and you know that as well as I do. Where you are, there's no room for anyone else."
Tom grabbed her hard by her wrist and Hermione thought his eyes flashed red for the blink of an eye, but his usual smile was back so quickly that she was not sure if she had imagined it.
With gentle force, he pulled her from her armchair onto his lap. "Oh, dearest Hermione, you still have so much to learn. I am flattered that you give me such a large place in your heart, and yet the facts speak against you."
Unmoving, Hermione sat on his thighs and tried to ignore the physical closeness as best she could. She was sure that his intimate contact with her was totally inappropriate for the time, but she knew she could not complain about it. Instead, she asked as innocently as possible, "The facts?"
With one arm Tom held her close to his chest, while the free hand tenderly but relentlessly stroked the naked skin under her skirt. "By chance, yesterday in Hogsmeade I met Mr Prewett, the young man from Gryffindor, with whom you have already exchanged a few words. He was accompanied by Mr Longbottom and Miss Bargeworthy, and all three seemed very concerned about you. Young Miss Bargeworthy, in particular, emphasised several times how much she enjoyed the friendship with you. So why do you deny your new friends? You do them wrong!"
Hermione's heartbeat quickened. How on earth did the three of them come to be talking to Tom? Had she not made it clear to Augusta that they were to keep out of this? Of course, if she had been in the situation herself, at least Harry would have insisted on interfering, but surely it could not be that all Gryffindors were so reckless?
She swallowed. Despite all her efforts, she seemed to have pulled three good souls into the abyss after all. And the fact that she had denied being friends with them for so long would only make things seem even more dubious. Obviously, Tom was already suspicious. She had to find a way to smooth over things as best she could.
"Oh," Hermione said lightly, as if it was a completely uninteresting matter, "I had no idea you were talking about Miss Bargeworthy. Indeed, Mr Prewett introduced us to each other and I know too how much she would like to be my friend, she said so several times. But, frankly, all she wanted to do was talk about you, Tom. I don't think she's interested in me or my friendship, she's just one of many girls in love. I'm sure she thought the acquaintance between Mr Prewett and me was enough to make me tell her all kinds of things about you, but that's not my style. I'm not a great one for gossip. Accordingly, I don't consider Miss Bargeworthy a friend, no matter what she told you."
Happy with her excuse, which was, after all, very close to the Gryffindors' original plan, she looked down at Tom. She was surprised to find the expressionless mask he always wore when he did not want to show his feelings but was too upset to show a friendly smile.
Uncertain, she slid back and forth on his lap - and suddenly noticed that his hand no longer moved between her legs, but simply rested with a firm grip on the inside of her thigh. What was he thinking so hard about? He had no reason to doubt her lie!
"So, she's only interested in me, you mean?" he finally followed up.
Relieved that he obviously swallowed the lie after all, Hermione nodded affirmatively. "Yes, like I said, she is no different from the other girls. I'm completely uninteresting to her, and accordingly, she's completely uninteresting in me."
Slowly, Tom pulled his hand out from under her skirt, then clasped both arms around her, pressing her tighter against his chest. Tenderly, he stroked her hair. "Poor Hermione. I really hoped you'd find a female friend. Believe me, I only want your best, I want you to be happy. But if you tell me that Miss Bargeworthy is not a suitable friend for you, then, of course, I'll believe you."
Relieved, Hermione closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. For the moment, danger was averted. Now all she had to do was to make sure that Tom never saw her anywhere with Augusta. She had to make sure he never suspected a friendship between them.
oOoOoOo
"My dear Orion, I believe your friendship with Miss Bargeworthy may prove valuable."
Surprised, the young Slytherin looked up at his new friend and leader. He had wondered why Tom sat down next to him on the sofa in the common room that evening, but remained silent. Hesitant, he closed the novel he was reading and turned to Tom. "I'm surprised at this. I didn't get the impression that you were particularly pleased..."
An indulgent smile appeared on Tom's lips. "It was more the content of your conversation that disturbed me. But in the light of my latest findings, a second such conversation would be quite helpful."
Now Orion was really curious. "Findings?"
"I can hardly go into detail here," Tom replied with a meaningful look at the other students present, "but let me put it this way: Our friends from Gryffindor are interested in the wrong aspects of me."
Orion understood immediately. Worried, he lowered his voice. "Is it my fault, Tom? Has my conversation with Miss Bargeworthy caused so much damage?"
Tom was still smiling. "You're a good boy, Orion. Don't worry, it seems her interest has its source elsewhere. No, don't ask me about it," he stopped him directly as Orion tried to follow up, "I know that source but it doesn't matter to you. For now, the best way you can help me is to talk to Miss Bargeworthy again and ask more precisely how deep her romantic feelings for me really are. If you have the slightest suspicion that her interest does not stem from love, I will allow you to speak negatively about me in general. I would be very interested in her reaction to that."
Excited nervousness gripped Orion. He understood instantly that Tom wanted to use him as a spy for their secret cause, giving him the opportunity to make up for his previous mistake. It was the first time since his admission that he felt useful and saw how Tom was moving his plans forward. This made him unspeakably proud, because he had got the impression that Tom did not trust anyone enough to delegate important tasks. The fact that he, the youngest of the group, was to go spying was as unexpected as it was gratifying.
"I'll do my best to give the impression that people can talk badly about you with me," he whispered to Tom with a grin.
In reply, Tom grabbed him by the shoulder and nodded contentedly. It was amazing how easy it was for him to accept praise and recognition from Tom not as condescending arrogance but as a valuable expression of respect. After all, he was a Black and as such he knew his importance in the wizarding world only too well. He would have considered any behaviour like Tom's as an insult if it came from anybody else, but there was something about him, an aura of power, something intangible that naturally lifted him above the others.
And it was this aura that made Orion never doubt for a second that Tom would put his plan into action. With any other wizard, especially one who was still in school, Orion would probably have just laughed and dismissed the ideas as megalomania, but not with Tom. With him, it was not a question of if, but when he would carry out the plan.
"May one join you or am I interrupting a secret conversation?"
Surprised, Orion glanced reluctantly at Avery. He enjoyed the brief moment alone with Tom, and the fact that he of all people interrupted their togetherness disturbed him enormously. If he had been Avery, he probably would not have spoken to Tom so quickly. At least not without being asked.
"Of course, you are always welcome," Tom replied with a nod, pointing to the armchair next to himself.
It was a mystery to Orion where Tom got the good will to remain friendly with Avery. Even if the girl had not been his girlfriend, Orion could not have easily tolerated a man like Avery as company. Just the thought of what he had been up to made him nauseous. Why did Tom still tolerate him in the ranks of his closest confidants?
"Have you recovered well?" Tom inquired so casually, as if Avery had only had a harmless cold.
But to Orion's astonishment, he was equally composed. "When you understand why you're being punished, it's much easier to bear pain."
"I'm glad you're understanding," came the sympathetic reply, "So I can trust you to have learned?"
A grim expression came over Avery's face. "I'm not Rufus, Tom, but you knew that before. I'm not a man for intrigue or machination, I'm just not into it. But in the future, I will always ask when I want to do something that might affect you."
Orion could not suppress a snort of disbelief. Avery had the audacity of a lifetime. On the other hand, he supposed one had to give him credit for at least knowing himself how stupid he was. Men like him were probably always needed, executive henchmen who simply did what was asked of them without asking.
It was in that moment, as he looked at Tom, looking down on Avery with disdain and pity, that Orion vowed to himself that he would never be a mere footman. He would carry out the task Tom had set him and impress him with all he could extract from Augusta Bargeworthy, and in so doing he would show Tom what a valuable companion he was.
He might not be as cunning as Rufus Lestrange, but he had one thing in front of him: He knew that Tom was superior to them all and he would never dare to doubt his words. Orion was sure that his absolute trust would be returned with equal trust by Tom if he would only prove himself over and over again.
He would stand by Tom's side when they finally subdued the Muggles, he would be his right hand when they reorganized the wizard world. The Black family would outdo the Malfoys in importance and power, and he would go down in history as the ancestor who made it possible. No one would ever speak of anyone like Lestrange or Avery again.
