DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!
Memoirs
Chapter 13
"Harry!" Remus exclaimed, getting the picture. "It means Hermione's alive!"
Everyone leapt up and cheered in joy, hugging the nearest person, and failed to notice that Snape rolled his eyes and left. And also that Ron had fainted.
"That's our girl!" Sirius roared, smacking Harry on the back in joy.
"She did it! She did it!" everyone cried, Ron regained conscious on the floor.
"Wait - Hermione did what?"
"Hermione's helping us defeat Him and she doesn't even know it!"
"She was always clever." Molly agreed, wiping away happy tears.
"Right - we need to get into that castle."
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Lucius had gone back to bed with his wife and then awoken a few hours later. Climbing out of bed none-too-gently, not caring about waking his now-not-sleeping wife he began to dress. "Lucius?" Nars asked groggily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"What is it, Narcissa?" he asked, pulling his cloak on.
"Where are you going?" she looked at the small clock on the side-table - 6:27. "And at this hour?"
"I have to check in with Hermione, make sure she isn't doing anything she shouldn't be -"
"Like what?" Narcissa asked, interrupting her husband and annoying him a little.
"Don't interrupt me, Cissy, and I believe she's trying to sabotage our attempts to bring our Lord back." Lucius paused for a moment. "Cissy...What are you doing today?"
"Umm...Nothing, why?"
"I'd like you and Bellatrix," he spat the lat name, "to keep Hermione busy."
"Lucius, are you so sure -"
"I'm positive!" he barked, knowing what his wife was going to say.
"Of course, I'm sorry." she said quietly, laying back down in the blankets.
"Be ready to entertain Hermione in here at noon. I will tell her. I doubt she'll be too happy." He groaned, picking up his trademark cane and storming from the room.
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Hermione's body ached and she was absolutely exhausted and was more than annoyed when Lucius more or less kicked the door down when she didn't immediately get up to answer his calls. She groaned as he wandlessly opened the curtains and allowed the light to pour in the room and she pulled a pillow over her head. "Rough night, mudblood?" he spat at her.
"Don't you dare call me that!" she screamed, instantly awake and out of bed.
"Well, get used to it. Because until milord is back, I can call you whatever I want. Anyway, we've discovered another Horcrux."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because there's a puzzle on it. You're good at puzzles, right?" he sneered.
"I'm intelligent if that's what you mean."
"Yes, well, this is puzzling the rest of us." He held out a roll of parchment, which she merely looked at.
"I told you I wouldn't help."
"Listen, mudblood," he began advancing on her rapidly but she didn't flinch, "You either solve this puzzle - and get it right - or I let you alone with Bella for an hour." At that, Hermione snatched the parchment from his hands, turned away from him and unrolled it. At the top of it was an instruction and beneath a series of numbers.
'Solve the code and write the answer with your wand against the wood.' It instructed.
13, 25, 8, 5, 18, 13, 9, 15, 14, 5
"How in Merlin's name do you expect me to know this?"
"Well, you're smart and I'm hoping that the thought of being alone with Bella for an hour with her having a wand and yourself not would be a strong enough motive."
Hermione remained quite for a moment. "Give me a while."
"Well, don't take too long. We need to proceed with the process of returning our Lord back to his servants." He turned to leave before stopping at the door. "By the way, we found a different Horcrux 2 days ago. We sent another search party to it again a few hours ago - it's gone."
"So?"
"Well, I was just telling you that if you've taken it - though I don't see how you could have," Lucius snarled with a menacing undertone, "I just thought you'd like to know; if we do find out that it was you who's taken it that you'll be in a lot of trouble." Hermione looked up with slight concern. "Be ready and dressed at noon - you're having tea with Narcissa and Bellatrix."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, you'll have the same punishment as getting the riddle wrong." And with that he left.
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Hermione sat on her bed thinking furiously about the answer to the riddle. "13? 25? 8? 5? 18? 13? 9? 15? 14? 5? What the hell does that connect to? Um...Right; think like Him, think like Him, think like Him...Let's see...Merlin!...Right, the Dark Lord...Evil...hatred...sorrow...loneliness." a thought hit her. "Loneliness...Alone...Wanting...Love...A love...Oh, who does he love?! Gasp ME!" Picking up a quill and pot of ink she began to scribble down her name. "But that's only 8 to 5. What's the 13 and 25? Right, Hermione, think. The other numbers were their corresponding letters in the alphabet. So...13 is 'M' and 25 is 'Y'..." writing down these 2 letters she groaned as 'My Hermione' was spelt out. "Talk about ego or what."
At that moment Lucius walked into the room and seeing her smile whilst looking at the parchment he also smirked. "Well, I take it you solved it?"
"Yes, I did."
"Well?" he asked expectantly.
"Take me to it first."
"Hermione I don't think you're exactly in a position to make demands."
"Take me to it or I won't tell you."
"Hermione," he began in a tone that you wore when telling off a young child, "do you forget what will happen to you if you don't tell me?"
"No. That threat was if I got it wrong. You haven't made a threat about me knowing the answer but not telling you."
"Well, if you don't me, you'll be given as a present to the Inner Circle on Saturday night."
"What's Saturday night?"
"We always have a gambling night ever first Saturday of each month."
"Does that mean I'll have drunk Death Eaters grabbing me?"
"Quite possibly."
"Lucius...again - take me to it and I'll tell you."
Losing his patience, he stormed over to the cocky girl on the bed, grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room.