After ransacking the Unspeakable's sexual magic archives for hours, Hermione was still just as clueless as she was before. Hermione closed yet another useless tome with a thud, fighting the urge to tear out clumps of her disheveled hair.
Hogwarts, traditional as it was, had banned sex education from the moment of its founding. Hermione's mother had covered the Muggle basics the summer before her fourth year, and naturally, Hermione had spent a few hours in the restricted section learning anti-contraceptive spells before she lost her virginity to Ron.
Beyond that, Hermione was fairly unfamiliar with sexual magic- and the scant Unspeakable research on the topic, which mostly centered on reproductive and prenatal magic, had done little to expand her knowledge.
The Cassandra Farley case had clearly shown there was some link between coitus and the soul. But doing that with Riddle- the mere thought of it was enough to make her retch- was clearly not an option. Somehow, Hermione would find another way.
Hermione gathered her things and left the library for the second time that day. As the research high tapered off, her thoughts returned quickly to the earlier exchange with Harry.
Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek with dread. It felt so wrong to lie to her closest friend, but Hermione was hesitant to entrust Harry with such sensitive information. Despite his newfound maturity as a husband and father, the wizard hadn't changed a bit since their Hogwarts days. His impulsivity and idealism had been a liability throughout the War and had gotten him in trouble a number of times as a trainee Auror. The idea of her hot-headed friend confronting Malfoy- or worse, Riddle- made her blood run cold.
Hermione considered the possibility that Malfoy had no idea who Riddle was, and vice versa; the two had simply crossed paths by chance. But her cynicism wouldn't allow her to be so innocent. She had to accept the fact that Riddle may have retained the memories of his former embodiment and had been manipulating her the entire time.
Hermione's panicked train of thought was interrupted as she entered Atrium and was accosted by a dark-haired witch with piercing, catlike eyes.
"Hermione Granger?"
"Er, yes?" Hermione replied, jarred by the sudden interruption of her frantic musings.
"I'm so sorry to bother you at work," said the witch. "I'm Astoria Greengrass. You were in the same Hogwarts class as my older sister, Daphne."
Hermione's heart thudded. She hadn't recognized Astoria from her Hogwarts days, but she was well aware of her relationship with Draco Malfoy.
Was the younger Greengrass was also doing Riddle's bidding?
"Yes, I remember you and your sister," Hermione said, scrutinizing Astoria's countenance for signs of treachery.
"Hermione, I wanted to thank you in person for your testimony at Narcissa's trial. It couldn't have been easy. Draco is so grateful as well, but he's been rather distraught lately, as you can imagine."
Hermione nodded solemnly.
"Of course. I was sorry to see the verdict."
"If you've got time, may I buy you a coffee or tea?" said Astoria, motioning towards the Ministry cafe. "There's a matter I was hoping to discuss with you."
"O-okay, I suppose I have some time," Hermione stammered.
She followed Astoria to a table in the corner, cursing the constant run-ins that seemed to be an inevitable part of a Ministry career.
The witches tapped their wands on the table to place drink orders. Their coffees floated over the table, and Astoria cast a subtle silencing charm as they landed.
"So, the reason I was hoping to speak to you is that Draco's request to appeal the Wizengamot decision was granted International Wizarding Court earlier today."
Hermione nearly choked on her coffee.
"Merlin!" Hermione said. "The Court hasn't heard a case in, what, twenty years?"
"That's right, the last case was heard in 1983. We are incredibly lucky," said Astoria.
"Absolutely," said Hermione. "On what grounds are you appealing the decision?"
"Our barrister wants to argue that Lucius had placed Narcissa under the Imperius Curse throughout the majority of the War."
Hermione furrowed her brow as she took another sip.
"Well, that'll be quite difficult, won't it?" She said. "Wizarding courts across the world have begun to turn against the Imperius defense. Too many were using it to escape Azkaban after the First Wizarding War."
"Right, that's exactly the issue. To get around it, our barrister has raised the possibility of developing some sort of spell. It would be similar to the Reversal Spell, only it could be used on humans to reveal the after-effects of an Unforgivable.
"Are you saying your barrister is attempting spell development?" Hermione said.
"Yes, he is."
"Wow, that's quite ambitious. I can't say I'm not intrigued," said Hermione, almost forgetting her suspicions. "The legal implications of a spell like this… they would be incredible."
Astoria nodded with a knowing smile.
"They would. Well, the reason I'm telling you this is that were hoping you could help us."
"You…want my help?" asked Hermione.
"Draco and I both do. I know it's a massive ask, and I'm sure you're quite busy, but having the expertise of someone like you would be incredibly valuable."
"Wow. I… I'm flattered," said Hermione. "I suppose I've invented some minor charms before, but certainly nothing close to something like this. It's incredibly dangerous."
"We would never ask you to put yourself at risk, Hermione," Astoria said. "All we're hoping is that you might share your knowledge and perhaps guide us through the process however you can."
Hermione took a moment to consider the proposition.
The risk Hermione would face by getting involved with Draco Malfoy was far more ominous than that of a botched spell. But this way, she had an opportunity to suss out what Riddle was really up to.
Hermione's intuition- which she had ignored for so long- told her that it was a risk worth taking.
"All right, I suppose I'll do it."
Astoria beamed.
"Thank you, Hermione, truly. Draco will be so pleased."
After the two witches parted ways, Hermione left the Ministry building wondering whether she was besting Riddle at his own game, or walking straight into the lion's den.
Late on Wednesday evening, Hermione found herself standing outside the entrance of The Echelon. She had never approached the exclusive property before, and the high, gilded gates surrounding it seemed fashioned to deter lowly commoners like her.
The gates swung open, and Hermione adjusted her dress robes self-consciously before entering the lobby. A willowy, cocoa-skinned witch at the receptionist's desk offered her a key which transported her straight into the Malfoy's spacious foyer.
Astoria greeted her with a smile.
"Hermione, lovely to see you. Please come in!" Astoria said, inviting her into the kitchen.
The brunette witch had laid out a decadent spread of hors d'oeuvres, canapés, and desserts served on ornate French china. Hermione suddenly found her appetite stronger than it had been in weeks. She nibbled on a miniature cucumber sandwich which was surprisingly delicious.
After a few moments, Malfoy entered the kitchen, looking pale and drawn.
"Hermione," he said with a respectful nod. "Thank you for being here."
"I'm happy to help," she said, quickly swallowing a mouthful of pumpkin pasty.
As the two stood across from one another, the weight of the past made the space between them feel like an ocean. Hermione thought she detected an expression on Draco's face she had never seen before. It almost looked like shame.
"I- If you'd like to get started, I've prepared a write-up of the research I've done so far," she said, averting her eyes.
"Yes, of course. Let's have a look," said Draco, motioning towards an ornate wooden dining table that looked like it cost more than a year of Hermione's rent.
Hermione had just begun to explain her research when there was a ring on the magical doorbell.
"Sorry, that'll be the barrister. One moment."
Draco tapped the magical intercom, and moments later, someone landed in the foyer. Astoria scurried to greet the guest.
"Barrister Volos, how do you?" She heard Astoria say.
Hermione froze.
"Please, Astoria, I insist you call me Tom," said a smooth voice in reply.
The pastries Hermione had eaten turned into lead in her stomach.
Hermione's instincts screamed at her to run, but her body refused to comply. All she could do was squeeze her clammy hands into fists under the table.
"Don't worry," Draco said, misunderstanding her tension. "He's quite a charismatic fellow. You'll like him."
When Tom walked in, he didn't seem at all surprised to see Hermione. He looked pleased.
"Tom, I'd like to introduce you to Junior Unspeakable Hermione Granger," said Astoria.
"Hermione," Tom said.
His onyx eyes burned into her soul as he extended his hand. "Lovely to meet you."
Hermione gripped the edges of the sink in Malfoy's powder room, taking deep, shaky breaths.
After her meeting with Astoria, Hermione had considered the possibility of running into Riddle. But she certainly hadn't expected it tonight. She had excused herself to the bathroom in order to collect herself, cursing her lack of foresight.
There was something about Riddle's presence that deeply unsettled Hermione. Darkness seemed to radiate from him in waves, so powerfully that she could taste it. But at the same time, she felt an intense magnetic pull to him.
From the casual way that Draco and Astoria had introduced Riddle, Hermione was fairly certain that they had no idea who he really was.
If he wasn't using Malfoy for his Death Eater connections- why was he here?
"So, Hermione, you were explaining the research you found in the Unspeakable's library," Draco said when she returned to the table.
She could feel Riddle's gaze burning into her flesh, but she kept her eyes steadily on the parchment in front of her.
"Right. As I was saying, in 1924, an Unspeakable attempted to develop a spell which could detect traces of Dark Magic- her name was Levina Monkstanley," she said. "Dark Detectors were fairly rudimentary in that time, but even today they are still only able to reveal active curses. Her experiment had tested spells that worked at a far greater level of precision."
"Was she successful?" Draco said.
"I don't know. She may have been, but her record ends rather abruptly."
"Have you analyzed any of her subsequent research?" Tom asked. "Perhaps she may have alluded to this experiment in other cases."
Hermione swallowed thickly before she could answer, still refusing to look at him.
"Well, there is no subsequent research. She died shortly after the end of the experiment."
"She died?" Said Malfoy. "Did it have anything to do with the spell?"
"The autopsy was inconclusive. And, rather strangely, several sections in Healer's report were redacted."
The trio fell quiet for several moments.
"There may be quite a bit more risk involved with this undertaking than we had anticipated," Tom said, breaking the silence.
"If either of you wants to back out, I completely understand," said Draco.
Hermione finally found the courage to look at Riddle. She stared into his impossibly dark eyes, daring him to back down.
"I'm in," said Hermione.
"As am I," said Riddle.