FIFTEEN
Saturday, 13 September 1944
On their way back to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione thought Malfoy almost unrecognizable. There was no way the boy who just let her cry on his shoulder was the same one that spent the last seven years tormenting her. He had gone from calling her the vilest things and mocking her appearance at every turn to causing a tornado of butterflies in her stomach just by being at her side.
It was downright maddening to think that nearly two weeks ago she had been in the middle of battle to taking a casual stroll along the same grounds with her enemy. She blamed it on the loss of chaos. The urgency to get home was lessening as each day passed. There was something to be said about looking at the current unrest as a bystander instead of being in the thick of things.
Even her fear for Riddle had dwindled. She had been too preoccupied with her change in perspectives of Malfoy to even notice him. When they sat together in Astronomy they hardly ever spoke. Their first meeting in the library and their time together in the tower had been about their project and nothing else. His presence was still overwhelming, but she was starting to get used to it.
She stopped outside the entrance of the Great Hall and turned towards Malfoy. Her lips parted to thank him for letting her cry on his shoulder, but they were interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Professor," she greeted with a smile, hoping that if he noticed that she'd been crying he didn't say anything.
"Mister Malory, Miss Granger," he replied. "I received a response from one of my queries. They would like to set up an audience with the two of you next Saturday."
Hermione nodded eagerly. "Thank you, Professor," she beamed.
"I will make the arrangements and let you know the details. Enjoy your lunch," he said as he strode into the Great Hall whistling an unfamiliar tune.
The plan had been to sit at their spot at the edge of the table, but Kerus gestured for Malfoy to join them. "Come with."
"No thank you."
"It's either you listen to them drone on about politics or sit with your roommates. They'll take one look at you and know that you were crying and then you'll have to spend your lunch making me look bad."
"That's supposed to convince me to eat with you?" she asked, lips quirking into a smile. "I could bad mouth you in my sleep at this point."
He narrowed his eyes at her and she sighed.
"Fine, let's go."
She took the seat Kerus had cleared for Malfoy; one that was directly across from Riddle. Malfoy then gestured for Kerus to move down another one and Hermione ignored the scowl she received. "Pleasure to have you join us, Miss Granger," Riddle said before shooting Kerus a warning look.
"Thanks," she said, reaching for the sandwiches stacked in front of her.
"Will you be joining us tonight?" he asked, looking at her and Malfoy. "Or will you be taking another lone trip to Hogsmeade?"
"No Hogsmeade for us I'm afraid," she replied, taking a sip from her goblet. "And that depends. What is that you all find so fascinating that it led you to start your little boys club?"
"Just a friendly place to discuss the political unrest of the wizarding world."
"Not something the ladies usually find interesting," said Renatus Lestrange. Malfoy had educated her on who was who. It was easy to recognize them now that she knew their names; they all looked similar enough to their descendants. All of which she had had the misfortune of meeting.
"I assure you, I find many things interesting, but I find it in poor taste to discuss politics with people I don't know," she said. "You never know what ideals might be taken the wrong way."
"Perhaps some ideals are taken the wrong way because people are too scared to challenge the current ones."
Hermione stared at Riddle from across the table, vaguely aware that everyone in his group was staring intently at the two of them. She gave a tight-lipped smile. "So I take it you don't agree with Grindelwald and his ideals?"
Riddle rose to the challenge, leaning in a little. That amused smirk tipped his lips and there was a spark in his eye. "Grindelwald is a fool. He wants to out the Wizarding World to the masses. He's too hungry for power. He's more interested in getting results quickly instead of being strategic."
"And you think you could do better?"
She regretted the question the moment it left her lips. For a fleeting second, the surprise left her guard down and she felt him slip into her mind. Screams ricocheted off the walls of her mind as the start of battle danced behind her eyes. She could feel him sifting through her thoughts, searching...
Hermione's hands slammed onto the table, causing all eyes in the Great Hall to turn their way. She forced her walls up, the strength of it making her entire body tremble. She glared at Riddle a moment before she got to her feet and stormed off towards the Room of Requirement without saying a word.
Instead of entering the Room of Lost Things as she anticipated, she found herself in a small room with a semi-circle of dueling dummies. The door hadn't yet closed, allowing Malfoy to slip in at the last moment, before she had her wand out and spells flying at the dummies. When they all had been reduced to bits of debris, she let the wand fall from her shaking hands and rolled her shoulders.
"What the hell was that?"
"He was inside my head," she answered. "I trigged his curiosity and when he was searching my mind, he was suspicious." She let out a sigh of frustration and bent down for her wand, stashing it away. "Well if that's any indication of how his meetings go, count me out."
She did a double take at the look Malfoy was giving her.
"He values intellect as much as power. Maybe even more so. That little display of banter was more of a turn on to him. I saw the way his interest peaked when you two started."
Her nose wrinkled, but her stomach flipped as she realized it was true. His invasion of her mind hadn't been the only reason she'd up and left her spot at the table. For a moment she felt as though what little she had eaten of her lunch was going to make a second appearance.
"We need to practice more."
"Tomorrow," he said, rushing on to stop her protests. "You just burned a lot of energy. You need to calm down or you could hurt yourself."
"We should practice now because I'm burnt out. I can do it when I'm calm, but-"
"True, but we can work our way up to that," he said. "Maybe you should work on reigning in your temper."
She snorted. "That's rich coming from you."
"Granger-"
"Fine. After breakfast. You and I will come back here and spend the whole day here."
The corners of his lips quirked. "You know, you might be the only girl to say something like that and have nothing of a sexual nature in mind."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "On that note, I'm going back to my dorm."
"I'll walk you," he said and they made their way to the dungeons.
The common room was filled with chatter. All anyone could talk about was who had made the Quidditch team that day at try outs and that they were excited for the first match in a few weeks. Hermione didn't miss the way Draco sighed longingly at the conversation. However, the mere thought of ever getting on a broom again made her cringe.
She slipped away before dinner to use the loo and check on her wards as per usual. When everything checked out, she returned to the common room to find Malfoy was no longer there. She debated on whether or not she should go back to her dorm until dinner, but scowled at the cowardly thought and summoned her inner Gryffindor. She scanned the crowd for her roommates, but didn't search for long before Kerus filled her vision.
She gave him a small smile and inclined her head politely. "You look strange without your bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?" she asked, cursing herself for taking the bait.
He gave a short laugh and then quirked a brow at her. "What else would you call it?" he asked, reaching up to trail a finger down her arm. She flinched back in surprise, hitting the wall. "You should really loosen up. The poor bloke can only go so long before he blows a gasket. If you don't give him what he wants, he'll be forced to go elsewhere."
Her jaw dropped at his words, but she surprised them both when her fist smashed into his nose. He covered his face with both hands and screamed as blood ran through his fingers and onto his clothes. All conversation had ceased and everyone was staring at them with wide eyes and dropped jaws.
She shook out her hand a few times before rubbing at her knuckles. "Quentin, escort Kerus to the infirmary," Riddle said, slipping out of the crowd. Avery gave a curt not and dragged a fuming Kerus with him. Before she could protest, Riddle's hand found the small of her back and was propelling her away from prying eyes. When she realized they were heading down the boy's corridor, she stopped short and pulled away from him.
He peered down at her, eyes dropping further to her hand. "Would you like me to escort you to the infirmary as well?"
She shook her head immediately. "Not the first time I've broken someone's nose," she admitted, smirking as she thought of Malfoy.
He inclined his head. "Regardless, I am sure it hurts."
"A little."
He gestured down the hall. "I have a salve that will help. I would be happy to share it with you if you will allow my assistance."
Her hand pulsed and ached. This was nothing like when she had punched Malfoy. Those felt like slaps in compared to this. She snorted at her thoughts. Maybe Malfoy had never really made her as angry as she thought. She swallowed hard and nodded. "Is Draco in there?" she asked.
"I believe Clarence and Phileas stole his attention when you left the room. I will fetch him myself after we tend to your hand," he said, saying what he knew would get her to move.
She nodded and followed him down the hall. It was only when he held a door open for her that she realized he must have disabled the opposite sex charms. She hesitated at the threshold and then stepped in. She let out a small breath of relief when he left the door open. She lingered near the door as he moved about to a cabinet near the bed to the right. That meant the bed to the left was Malfoy's. She looked away, not sure where to turn her attention to until it settled on the floor.
"You're welcome to sit, Miss Granger."
"No thank you," she said, her mouth dry.
He shrugged and went back to his search. A few moments later, he pulled out a little bronze jar from his things and made his way back to her. He opened the lid and angled the jar towards her. She dipped her fingers into the salve with her left hand and then began massaging it into her right hand. At first, the cold shocked her, but the more she rubbed, the more it warmed to her touch.
"Thanks," she said as he put the lid on the jar.
"Keep it. Return it when you are done with it," he said, holding it out to her until she pocketed it. "At this rate, it seems I may have to buy another jar soon. That is a bloke a week if I am not mistaken."
She smiled despite herself and flexed her hand. It still ached, but the magic soaked into her skin and settled in her bones, relieving her of the worst effects. "Get inside my head again and I'll make sure you're next week's jab."
The intensity of his gaze made every hair on her body stand up as a slow shiver crept up her spine. "I will take that into consideration," he assured her, his voice a velvety purr. "What was it that Kerus said to you?"
She cleared her throat as heat crept up her neck. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, but try as she might, she couldn't avert her gaze from him. "Something about how if I don't put out, Draco will find a witch that will." Her jaw ticked and her chin lifted slightly. "He barely knows us. He had no right to make assumptions."
Hermione found herself wondering why he would even say something about that to her. Unless Malfoy said something to him, she thought. That made her stomach flip a little. She wasn't keen on the idea of him talking about what they did or didn't have with anyone; least of all these people.
Riddle's face had gone cold at her words. "I assure you; he will not be making that mistake twice." The conviction in his voice did something to Hermione. She wasn't sure what to make of the effect it had on her.
She shrugged, attempting to shake it off. "And if he does, I'll aim lower."
Riddle's lips quirked into a smirk, but it was gone a moment later, making her wonder if she hadn't imagined it. "Unfortunately, Kerus is very much a boy; focused on getting off instead of getting ahead in life." He inhaled sharply and spread his hands in invitation. "You may stay here. I will send Draco in for you," he said, taking his leave of the room before she could protest.
The moment he was gone, she let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and stared at the door, waiting for Malfoy to appear. When he did, he paused in the doorway and raked his eyes over her, assessing her for signs of injury. "I'm fine," she told him, holding up her right hand. "Just a little sore."
"What the fuck happened?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"What did Riddle tell you?"
"That you punched Kerus and you were in our room waiting for me," he replied with a sour look. "Neither of those things were good news."
She canted her head to the side. "So the thought of me in your room doesn't strike your fancy," she said. "Noted."
"Not when Riddle's the one that brought you here," he said darkly, making her instantly regret her comment. "What happened?" he asked again.
His anger sparked her own. It was almost comical how fast her mood swung from good to bad around him. Almost. She placed her left hand on her hip and waved gently at the air with her right. "I don't know, Malfoy, you tell me? Kerus was under the impression that if I didn't fuck you and soon that you would be forced to fulfill your needs elsewhere," she snapped. "Why would he seem to think that was the case?"
Malfoy scowled and he uncrossed his arms so that his hands could ball into fists at his side. His eyes were raging storm clouds as he drew a deep, labored breath. "Before you get your knickers in more a twist than they already are, Granger, I did not talk about you like that with him," he informed her. "He made a lewd comment and I shut him down. I guess I wasn't clear enough."
Hermione felt her anger dissipate a little and then a familiar heat stained her cheeks at her accusations.
"You really think that low of me? That I would speak to someone I hardly know; someone I have no intentions of ever getting to know, about that?"
She swallowed hard and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she answered. She almost missed the hurt that flashed in his eyes before they narrowed at her. "No," she corrected herself with a shake of her head. "You wouldn't."
He stared at her hand for a moment and then sighed. "Do you need to see Madam Perth?"
She shook her head briefly. "No, the stuff Riddle gave me is enough."
He nodded and shifted his feet before gesturing for her to follow him out of the room. When she reached his side, he laid a gentle hand on her forearm and cocked his head to the side. "For the record, I'm not a wizard who brags about his conquests."
She smirked as she looked up at him through his lashes. "I wouldn't either if my conquest was Pansy," she teased.
His glare was smoldering as he pointed to the hallway. "Out, Granger."