FIFTY-THREE

Friday, 19 December 1944

Once Hermione had been able to pick herself up off the floor, she fled to her dorm. She didn't care that people stopped and stared or that whispers traversed the hall. By the time she flung herself across her bed to stare up at the ceiling, she found that there weren't any sobs left in her. Instead, she just lay there with only her misery to keep her company.

The next morning, the it was clear the rumor mill had worked hard through the night. It seemed they had confirmed everything when their gazes met across the common room and they turned away from each other as if they were strangers passing in the night.

Hermione was only too glad to know that the rumor of why they broke up was still undetermined. Even more glad that Riddle seemed to keep his distance from her as to not confirm it for anyone.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Tuesday had been the last day of normal classes as Friday was the end of term. Those that were not staying in the castle over the winter break would be leaving on Saturday morning. Wednesday and Thursday were their midterm exams for each of their classes. The moment she was done with them, she would leave the classroom. Sad and broken though she may be, she was still Hermione Granger. She was the first one done in each class, affording her more time to be alone.

She spent a vast majority of her time in her room behind the safety of her wards. Wednesday night Agnes had tried to cheer her up, but she had done nothing more than cry on her shoulder without saying a word. By the time she was ready for bed that night, she was thankful for the gesture, no matter how small.

Each night she continued to practice what she could of her Grey magic. She pushed her limits each time. With every session she found more and more success. She could conjure things out of thin air, much like the rose that first night, but on Thursday when she crushed it, it stayed solid instead of bursting into smoke. Same for her appearance. It was getting easier to change what she wanted at will and she was able to adjust up to three features for at least thirty seconds at a time.

She had even successfully conjured a bowl of pumpkin soup from thin air.

Friday there weren't any classes. Instead, students spent the day enjoying the grounds, the ambiance of the castle all decked out for the holiday, or talking about the upcoming feast. There was also mention of Slughorn's party. When Agnes had first asked her to join, she had been assaulted with the memory of the one from Sixth Year. The one where Ron had abandoned her for Lavender. The one where Harry had asked Luna over her; forgetting she was a girl too. The one where Cormac had shoved his tongue so far down her throat she had almost gagged on it.

The one where Draco had been caught sneaking into.

But even after her refusal, Agnes insisted. With a heavy sigh, she had given in and Agnes had informed her that they were going to go together as friends. Mid-afternoon when they began to get ready, Hermione had asked where Gertrude and Kalista had gone. It was unusual for them not to get ready together. Weakly, Agnes had said they were getting ready with friends in other houses.

Deep down, Hermione knew it was because Kalista knew. She was the one who had seen the two of them leave the bathroom that night. She had known Hermione was lying the last Hogsmeade trip. Kalista thought she knew the real reason for Draco breaking up with her and she faulted Hermione for it. As for Gertrude, she had never been one to connect with her anyway so it made sense that she stuck with Kalista on this.

Hermione faulted herself, so she didn't blame her roommate too much.

"It'll just be you and I tonight," Agnes said with a smile as she waved her wand at Hermione's hair. She adjusted it just enough to keep the frizz tamed and then pulled the top layer back, leaving a few wisps behind to frame her face. "No boys."

"No boys," Hermione repeated, wondering if Riddle would allow her to stick to that pact. He had kept his distance from her all week and she wasn't sure if it was because he was focused on midterms or if he hadn't decided what he wanted to do about her yet. Either way, Slughorn was his favorite professor and Riddle his favorite student. There was no way he was going to miss the party.

She stared at herself in the mirror. Her dress was fitted in the waist with a higher, square neckline and long, tapered sleeves. The color was a deep burgundy with gold trim; the only thing in days that had put a smile on her face. It felt good to be in Gryffindor colors again. The dress was a bit fuller than she was used to and fell to about mid shin. She had transfigured her flats into heels and then added stabilizing and cushioning charms to them so that she could walk and stay on her feet.

"Are you going to give it back?" Agnes asked, their gazes meeting in the mirror.

Hermione realized she was fingering the sapphire around her throat. "I don't…" She cleared her throat. "He hasn't asked for it."

"If he does?"

Hermione shrugged and brought her hand away, turning away from the mirror. "Are you ready?" she countered, not wanting to think about Draco.

Agnes was silent for a moment before nodding and then following Hermione out of the dorm. She hooked her arm through Hermione's when they got to the common room and filled the air around them with mindless chatter and gossip, the action bringing a small smile to Hermione's face.

Agnes' gestures were appreciated as the party wore on. She dragged Hermione from group to group, always keeping the conversation up so that her mind was constantly distracted. It reminded her of her Ginny and she took comfort in her presence the way she would of the youngest Weasley. Even when she spotted Draco among a group of Slytherins at the drink station, Hermione kept her focus on Agnes.

But she knew Agnes couldn't babysit her forever. At some point, her conversation took her to Kalista and a group of other pureblood witches. She excused herself and walked to the drink station after checking that it was clear. She filled her cup and took a deep breath.

"Need something a little stronger?"

She turned to see Kerus giving her the faintest of grins. He opened his jacket just enough for her to see the flask hidden there. Her eyes flitted around the room and she shrugged her shoulders, handing over her cup. He took it and added the smallest of splashes before handing it back to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just something to loosen you up," he said with a wink.

She eyed him wearily and looked at the contents of her cup. "If this is some kind of-"

"It's just alcohol," he interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not one to go around drugging witches." He pulled at the lapel on his jacket and smirked. "I typically just need to flash my dazzling smile and casually mention my vault."

Hermione snorted and took a hesitant drink. After a moment of nothing unusual happening, she took another. "Thank you."

"So," he started, getting his own cup. "Do you think they'll fight over you tonight? You know, put on a show before we go home for the holidays?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Enjoy the party, Kerus," she said, stepping away from him.

"Hey, I spiked your drink," he said, hurrying to block her path. "The least you could do is-"

"Kerus, I believe Miss Granger was politely telling you to leave her alone."

Kerus' smile died instantly from his face and he took a step back, inclining his head at Riddle. Hermione's gaze locked onto his as if she was no longer able to see anyone else in the room. Kerus cleared his throat and disappeared into the crowd without another word or glance at either of them.

"I didn't need your help."

Riddle shrugged and the corners of his lips curved into a smile as he took in her appearance. "You look rather exquisite tonight."

Hermione went still as she processed the fact that she had received a compliment from him. A real one. One that didn't have a threat attached to it or any other intention to hurt her.

"Th-thank you," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Her eyes flitted nervously around the room, taking stock of how a majority of the people were sending glances there way and whispering among themselves. Her mind went haywire with a million different thoughts and her chest heaved with inability to catch her breath. If he had tried to get into her mind to calm her as he had always done in the past, it wasn't working. She continued to spiral, losing herself in her panic.

He reached up towards and she flinched back, her hip colliding with the table. His eyes darkened a touch with anger, but he played it off with adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. "Are you planning to throw this drink at me?"

The room was starting to spin and she vaguely wondered if Kerus hadn't been lying. That whatever it was he had spiked her drink with was more than just alcohol. People were still looking at her and she could hear her name carrying through their hushed whispers. She gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white as she struggled to get air into her lungs.

Let me in.

"I can't," she whispered aloud, cursing a tear that fell down her cheek. She was so tired of crying.

You will.

She let her gaze meet his again and begged him to understand. She wasn't shutting him out on purpose. If he was going to quell her panic with the warmth of his mind, she would gladly welcome it. She had no intention of losing it in front of so many people, but her walls had raised on their own accord. When she reached for them herself, her mental fingers just slipped down the surface as they pulled farther away than before.

"There you are!" Agnes said, coming up to them with a smile on her face.

Hermione sucked in a large gulp of air and reveled in the way it burned her lungs as they finally filled. At the same time, Riddle's presence slipped in and the warmth hit her hard enough to make her nearly lose her balance. "Agnes," Riddle greeted, reigning himself in just a bit.

"Sorry, but Harmony and I have a no boys pact tonight," Agnes said with a smile at Riddle. "Harmony, would you like to-"

Hermione set her half-empty cup down on the table beside her and shook her head. "I was just about to get some air," she interrupted, mustering as much of a smile as she could.

Agnes' shoulders slumped in disappointment for a moment as she gave a nod. "Oh." She looked between her and Riddle and her brows shot up. "Oh! Uh, I'll see you before I leave tomorrow?"

Hermione nodded and watched Agnes slip away. When her friend had successfully disappear into the crowd, Hermione's gaze refocused and she found herself staring at Draco. His gaze was intense and sad as he stared back at her. Riddle withdrew from her mind, refocusing her gaze from Draco to him. She cleared her throat and turned to leave without saying another word.

She slipped out of the party and into the silence of the corridor. She rested for a moment against the wall and took a deep breath. She wanted to just head back to the dorm and call it a night, but when she pushed away from the wall, she found herself walking towards the stairs and going up instead of down. It wasn't until she stopped walking that she realized she had made it to the Astronomy Tower as if she had gone on autopilot.

The frigid air burned its way into her lungs despite the wards placed around the barrier. When she exhaled, frost hung in the air before her. She stepped up to the railing and leaned against it, looking down at the grounds, watching the snow fall and shimmer in the faint light of the waning moon.

Her thoughts were still racing a mile a minute, her emotions spinning out of control. When it came to Riddle, she was downright fearful; for her body, her mind, her life. All of it he had proven more than once that he could take from her with little effort. She thought of all of their encounters over the past few months. She knew part of her fear stemmed from her reaction to his touch. It boggled her, how he could do the things he did, say the things he said, and carve her the way he had and her body would still react this way. That she would still want him to some degree. The line between fear and desire was blurred beyond recognition.

She wasn't sure what that said about her.

That despite what he did to her; the threats, the ravaging of her body, the physical harm, she knew he cared for her in his own way. Voldemort as she knew had never cared for anything in his life. If his followers, no matter how devout, stepped a toe out of line, he would maim or kill them without a second thought. She had heard the stories about how his Legilimency brought about the worst pain imaginable, but he had always been gentle with her.

"Why me?" she asked.

She didn't have to turn around to know that Riddle had followed her. He hadn't made a noise or done anything to indicate that he was there, but she knew. She always knew.

"What was it about me that drew you in?"

He came to stand behind her, close enough she could feel the heat of him, but far enough that they weren't touching. "Your mind," he replied, his hands coming to rest on either side of hers on the railing. "Your power." He shifted just a fraction closer. "Your fear."

"You're still drawn to all of those things," she pointed out, eyes fixating on a single spot on the snow below. "My blood status doesn't change any of that."

"I will not apologize," he said, repeating his notions from the week before.

"I don't want your apology."

"Then what is it that you do want, Hermione?"

She let go of the railing and turned in his arms to stare up at him through her lashes. Slowly, she brought her hands up until they could rest flat on his chest. "What I want," she stared, taking a deep breath and maintaining eye contact. "Is to be left alone." With that, she gave a hard shove.

He was quick to react as he closed the distance between them, pressing her against the railing. His eyes were blazing fire; a hurricane over raging grey seas as his hands came away from the railing and dug into her hips. Her lips parted in pain from the amount of pressure his fingers applied, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her. Not this time. He pushed at her hips, trying to turn her, but she fought it.

The resonating sound of skin striking skin surprised them both, as did the sting in her palm. Her eyes dropped to his cheek to see that it was turning pink where she had landed her blow. When her gaze flickered back up to his, rage had blown his pupils wide. Like a snake, he struck, his hand moving from her hip to grab at her forearm, pressing down on the mark he'd left until she cried out in pain.

"Was this lesson not enough for you?" he asked, lowering his face to hers. "Should I carve whore into your other arm? Give you a matching set?"

His lips had brushed against hers as he spoke and at his last word, she latched her teeth around his bottom lip and bit as hard as she could. He hissed and withdrew from her, bringing his hand up to his lip, staring at his thumb in surprise when it came away wet with blood. He turned narrowed eyes on her, watching as her tongue darted out to wipe the drops he had left behind on her lips. The metallic tang was sharp as it hit her tongue, but she didn't react as she swallowed it down.

"Just leave me alone," she said, pulling at her dress.

His smile left her feeling colder than the December snow. "Where should I go?" he asked, wiping away a few more drops of blood from the split in his lip. "Back to the party?" He reached for her just like she knew he would. His fingers wrapped around her throat, squeezing just enough to emphasize the threat. "Perhaps it is time Draco learns the truth. Should I bring him back with me? Make him watch?"

"You've already threatened me with something like that before," she said, throwing caution to the wind. "You're losing your touch."

His fingers tightened, cutting off her air supply. Just like she had expected. Good, she thought to herself. Maybe if I provoke him enough, he'll kill me and it'll all be over.

"I will bring him to death's door. I will paint you with his life's blood. I will make it so the last thing he sees is your face while you come for me. The last thing he hears will be you screaming my name." He squeezed harder, her vision prickling with spots. Defensively, her hands came up to claw at his hand. "And once his life is finally extinguished, I will continue to fuck you over his corpse." He smirked at her as he licked his lips. "Is that different enough for you, Hermione?"

She brought her hand away from his and slashed at his face. She felt her nails rake through the flesh of his cheek. She felt his skin tear away and lodge beneath her nails. His blood welled and dripped down his face just as it coated her fingers. He let go of her and stepped back again, raising a hand to his torn face. His blood stained her throat as she massaged it while she gulped air into her lungs.

"It bothers you, doesn't it, Tom?" she goaded, smirking at the way his eyes darkened at the use of his given name. "How much you still want me and my muddy blood. Tell me," she said, hiking up the sleeve on her left arm to expose the mark. "Was this punishment really meant for me? Or was it to serve as a reminder for your own self-loathing?"

He went to reach for her, his lips parting as if to speak, but she lashed out with her magic. She felt it coil around his vocal cords, pressing enough to keep him silent at the same time it pinned his arms to his sides and brought him to his knees. He stared up at her, red now visible around the edges of his irises.

She stepped forward, keeping his gaze on his as she brought her hands up between them. She pressed her index finger into her right palm and dragged down. Her skin spliced open as though she had a dagger in her hand rather than just her magic. Blood welled and dripped down, splashing on the ground between them. His gaze flickered to her hand and then back up to hers. She could feel his struggle in the restraints of her magic.

She continued to look him in the eye as she brought her hand up and pressed her wound against the still bleeding marks she had left on his cheek. His nostrils flared and she could feel his anger clashing against her magic, seeping into her skin the same way her blood mingled with his.

"Now you're just as filthy as I am."

She saw it the moment he snapped. An eerie calm settled over his features. His eyes dilated and he stopped struggling. Like a lion freezing the second before it pounced at the antelope. His magic slammed against hers and she gasped as he broke her hold. He pushed her against the wall next to the railing, her head bouncing off the stone causing her vision to blur. He grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and yanked them over her head, pinning them there as his leg wedged itself between hers.

His other hand fisted her hair, tugging her head back against the stone. Her lips parted at the roughness of his movements and she squirmed against him which only resulted in his thigh coming up further until it hit her core. A moan tore from her throat at the action, one that he silenced by slanting his mouth over hers. He hissed as the split in his lip reopened, flavoring their kiss with fresh blood. When she bit at his lip again, he growled and tugged her head away from his.

Her victory of being the one to inflict pain was short lived as he moved his lips down the side of her face and to her throat, leaving behind a trail of blood. As his teeth fastened around her flesh, biting down with enough force she was sure broke the skin, she cried out. Her hips rolled on their own volition over his thigh.

He relinquished his hold of her hands and when she brought them down, it was to tug at his clothes, mimicking his movements. His mouth claimed hers again as the sound of fabric ripping filled the space between them. When they were complete bare before the other, he tried to turn her again. She shoved at him, her blood smearing his chest wherever she touched.

She tried to strike him again, but this time, he caught hold of her wrist. She cried out as he twisted her arm, bending it at the elbow. She had no choice but to turn instead of allowing him to break her arm. He shoved her forward, the rough stone wall tearing at her cheek. A grunt passed her lips as he yanked her head back by the hair with one hand, releasing her arm to slide down the curve of her hip until his fingers slipped through her core with the other.

She flattened both of her palms against the wall and shoved back with all her might, throwing them off balance. She turned to face him again and she felt his magic pressing down, trying to force her to her knees. She lashed out with her own, the resulting clash sending them both to the ground. She hissed from the cold at her back and arched her body into his where he had landed on top of her.

He pushed himself up on his forearms, but she wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him from getting up completely. She felt his cock twitch against her and her hips rose again as the primal urge to be filled overwhelmed her. She reached for him, wanting to dig her nails into his skin and tear him open again; to remind him that she wasn't the only one that could be physically harmed.

He leaned back as best he could and quickly reached for her hands. He laced their fingers together and stretched both of her arms over her head. The action brought his body flush against hers and as he leaned in to suckle the curve of her throat, he pushed his way inside her entrance, filling her to the hilt in a single stroke.

Her fingers tightened on his as her body arched and she moaned loud enough she was sure any passerby could hear her from the hall below. He shuddered above her and groaned into her skin, his teeth nipping at her clavicle. With a roll of her hips, he began to move, setting a pace that was hard and fast.

She could feel his hold on her hands slipping in the slick of her bloody palm. She reached out with her magic and he hissed at the way it sliced his palm. He pulled his head up to glare at her as their blood flowed freely between them, mixing together at the source. He tried to let go, but only allowed him to remove his other hand which went straight to her throat.

She met him thrust for thrust, keeping up his brutal pace as her need for release increased. Her free hand rested on his shoulder, digging in until small drops of blood began to spill down his arm, dropping down onto her skin as well. He trembled above her and groaned as her inner walls clutched desperately at his cock.

He leaned in, closing his mouth over hers. She moaned into the heated kiss; their magics forming a connection with a visible spark. As they both lost themselves, she could feel his pleasure and that he was experiencing hers as well. As if it wasn't just their bodies that were connected, but their minds as well, sending them to untold places of pleasure. A place where she floated above the heavens; completely weightless. A place where Riddle's presence wrapped around her own until she couldn't tell where he began and she ended.

When she came back down to reality, Riddle's mouth was still on hers, but the hatred had ebbed. His lips were hungry as they feasted on hers, but the urgency was gone. The anger had given way to pure lust as his tongue caressed hers; tasting every bit of her that she offered. The connection was still there, the magic wrapping around them like the veins of an Unbreakable Vow. Already she could feel him stirring back to life inside of her core, but just as she lifted her hips to initiate another round, the sound of something toppling below followed by a slew of muttered curses had them both going still.

Riddle was on his feet in the time it took her to draw a breath. She shuddered as his heat was quickly replaced by the frigid temperature of the night. By the time she let out her breath, Riddle had stepped into his trousers. No sooner had he pulled them around his hips, only zipping them, he disappeared down the stairs.

At the first sound of a struggle below, Hermine reached for the ruins of her dress. She had barely tugged it down her body when Riddle reappeared at the top of the stairs, no longer alone. She froze at the sight of Kerus being dropped unceremoniously to the ground at her feet. His eyes were fluttering rapidly from behind closed lids and he was moaning and writhing in pain. There was a large gash on his temple, his blood flowing in spurts down his forehead.

"He was watching us."

Hermione stared down at him, wondering what in the world he could have been thinking. She sank to her knees beside him, placing her hand on his chest, watching as saliva frothed at the corners of his mouth. "He's having a seizure."

"Then I suggest you act quickly if you do not want him to suffer."

She snatched her hand away and looked up at Riddle. "I can't heal him. I nearly died after-"

"I want you to put him out of his misery, Hermione, not heal him."

The room spun and where there had been one Riddle, there was now two. She closed her eyes against the vertigo and swallowed hard. When she reopened her eyes, Riddle had crouched down on the other side of Kerus, facing her.

"I can't…"

"You will," he countered. "You told me you wanted to make a Horcrux." He gestured to Kerus between them. "The opportunity has presented itself."

Her throat went dry and her eyes misted with tears at the thought of taking someone's life. Each breath she took became more shallow until she was bordering on hyperventilation. "I don't… I can't… Please don't-"

"Anything I wanted," he said, his voice stern. "Those were your terms. I want this. I want to see you give in to the Dark, Hermione." He extended his hand to her over Kerus; the one she had sliced open with her magic. A few drops of blood dripped down, staining Kerus' shirt. "You were the one to choose this above all other forms of Dark magic. You can pretend for everyone else that you read everything you could about the practice for educational purposes, but I know better. You wanted to mix your blood with mine to show me we are not so different? Prove it. Show me how similar we are."

Their magics were still connected. She could feel his presence coiled around her core; feel his excitement teasing at her fear. Slowly she lifted her hand to his, their blood mixing once more. He held tight as she focused on Kerus' face. Where there should have been fear sending her running for the hills, she only found curiosity. Where she should have hated the idea of taking a life, she found compassion. He was suffering. He was going to die whether it was by her hand or not.

She brought her other hand between them, surprised to find how steady she was as she lowered it to Kerus' chest. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes to remain open and on him as she pushed forward with her magic. She felt it penetrate his skin, sinking down until it could reach his own magical core. Her fingers tingled as she grasped it. She gasped as Riddle urged her on with a squeeze to her hand in his. With another sharp intake of breath, she tugged until Kerus' core snapped. His body seized once before falling flat against the floor, never to move again.

She hissed in pain as there was a tug at the seam of Riddle's wound. She could feel her magic surging forward through him, reaching for something. She closed her eyes and saw a shard of his soul. A little sphere of black and red, much like the one she had seen in his memory. Her magic pulled it back until it hovered in the space between their touch.

She could feel her own soul splintering as his entered her psyche. Hers was silver and gold, twisting and glittering like a diamond made of smoke. The two shards clashed together, leaving her breathless. Hers wrapped around his, engulfing it as if to hide the darkness from poking through. She cried out as the married fragments left her body, hovering before her for a moment, casting an ethereal glow between them.

Without warning it moved towards her, settling into the sapphire hanging at her throat. The force of it knocked her backwards. Her hand tore from Riddle's in order to catch herself before landing on her back. The necklace warmed considerably and she bit back a scream as it scorched her skin. Just as she thought she might pass out, the burning stopped and she closed her eyes, body sagging in relief.

She felt herself being lifted to her feet followed by the heat of Riddle as he wrapped himself around her. His lips tugged at hers as his hands smeared blood across her jaw on its way back to her hair. The realization that their connection had severed the moment the Horcrux had been made hit her hard, twisting her gut as if she missed it.

She pulled her lips from his as another thought crossed her mind. Did he know she had taken a part of his soul? That it was tightly wrapped up in hers, trapped together in the sapphire at her throat? As she turned her head up to meet his gaze, it was clear that he didn't. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. She sealed the memory up tight, locking it away with her Grey magic so that he would remain ignorant of their mixed creation.

"Go back to the dorm."

"But-"

"Let me worry about Kerus," he stated, slowly letting go and stepping away from her. "Now, Hermione. Go."

Without another moment of hesitation, she fled.