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Chapter 6 Attachment
Hermione opened her eyes slowly, grimacing at the brightness of a lamp to her right. Her head gave a nasty throb and she shut her eyes tightly against it. I need to turn that light off…. She sat up, her stomach giving an unpleasant lurch as she did. Hermione quickly lay back down with a groan.
She groaned out loud Why does everything hurt? She might have thought she was hung over except she had never had more than a few glasses of wine in her entire life.
"Miss is awake!"
The loud squeaking voice made her wince and she slowly turned her head to stare at the creature huddled in the corner of her room. Unlike other house elves she had the misfortune of seeing, this one was clean, well filled out from regular feeding, and clear of bandages and sores… except for a large purpling bruise spread across the left side of its head. Everything came rushing back, and sudden guilt seized her.
"I am so sorry, I didn't know you were here and-"
"Oh no! Youse do not need to be worrying miss, Biscuit was being lazy even though she knew youse was coming." Her ears flopped. "Then bad Biscuit attacked the mistress who has been so good to Biscuit's family."
The elf seemed to coil in on herself and Hermione's heart just about burst. "No Biscuit, you were only defending yourself like you should have. I shouldn't have just attacked you like that… I gave you that nasty bruise too."
At that the elf's head snapped up. "Mistress did no such thing! The bad boy hit me with a bottle- stuffed poor Biscuit into the stove he did. If Biscuit hadn't escaped…." The elf shuddered.
Bad boy?
"Tom!" She gasped. "Is he alright? Where is he?"
The elf's ears went back. "Biscuit put the bad boy in the wardrobe…"
As if in response the wardrobe shuddered. Hermione didn't know if she should be upset on Tom's behalf, or if she should laugh.
"You shouldn't have put him the wardrobe, he is muggle raised and probably didn't know what you were. Not to mention that I was unconscious at the time… he might have jumped to conclusions."
The elf's ears flopped and she wrung her hands "He was protecting Miss?"
"He might have thought he was."
Ears down the elf snapped her fingers and the wardrobe doors burst open, Tom tumbled out to his knees, tangled in her clothing. He tore a red blouse from around his neck and shook off a skirt from around his legs. His hair was stuck up at all angles, wild, his lips were curled into a snarl that might have been cute if there wasn't true ferocity behind it. He was missing teeth, she noticed in mild surprise as the boy's crazed gaze fixed on the elf in the corner and, arms outstretched, he lunged for her throat in the way a feral dog might.
"Tom stop!"
The boy, in his fury, didn't seem to hear her as he tackled the elf to the ground, his already large hands, and long fingers fastened about Biscuit's throat. He was hissing, spitting in his rage and the elf struggled against him for a moment before disappearing out from under him and reappearing behind Hermione. She could feel the elf's trembling as the creature clung to her skirt.
The boy whipped around and if the elf had not been there Hermione would have taken step back in alarm from the raw hatred in his eyes. The devastating look didn't last long, the instant he saw her and his entire posture softened.
"Hermione."
He sighed out her name like a prayer and reached for her in the way all children did when looking for comfort before he seemed to realize what he was doing and let his arms fall to his sides. "I thought you were dead." He said stiffly.
She was sure her eyebrows shot straight into her hairline at the comment.
"What made you think that?"
He looked away from her "Your neck was bent wrong, and there was blood… lots of blood. I thought that thing might have killed you."
It was then he saw Biscuit and the rage from before flared in those coal black eyes and he might have lunged for her again if Hermione hadn't placed a calming hand on his shoulder, forcing his attention on to her. "She didn't mean to frighten you Tom, she thought I was an intruder… and I did attack her first."
Tom looked up at her, incredulous. "You?"
Her cheeks heated. "I can fight when I have to- and don't you forget it."
His lips twisted into what might have been a mocking sneer before his face fell back into his usual blank expression. "Of course," he said slowly. He didn't believe her, she was almost offended. He is a child Hermione, he doesn't know any better.
"Well, now that that is all sorted out let's all shake hands and be friends."
The boy and the elf stared at her like she was a crazy person. Her eyes narrowed. "You heard me, shake hands."
Tom and Biscuit eyed one another with unmasked malice before the elf begrudgingly held out a hand. Tom waited a minute more before placing his larger hand in hers and they gave one tense shake before letting go and backing off.
"Now that that is done, we ca-"
A wave of dizziness overtook her and she fell back against her bed. Tom was instantly there, clutching at the fabric at her sleeve to help her keep her from falling entirely.
"What's wrong," his intense black eyes bore into her, demanding an honest answer, she could feel his fists tighten on her sleeve.
"I am just a bit dizzy," she murmured and rubbed at her temples, tenderly feeling about her head until she gave a sharp hiss of pain when her fingers brushed over a rather large lump. "You hit me very hard Biscuit." The elf whimpered and Tom glared deeply at her "I need a few potions to fix myself up but I don't have any ingredients… and I didn't think to check the vault for money." She sighed and her head started to throb.
At this the elf perked. "Money is no trouble miss! There is an account set up for us to use."
Hermione shouldn't have been surprised. "That is a relief, I will just go and-" the dizziness struck her again and she automatically grabbed at Tom who did his best to support her. He was strong for being so scrawny.
"You can't go anywhere like this." Tom huffed out, she could feel him tremble slightly under her weight and she slowly eased off of him and onto the bed. He didn't let go of her shirt sleeve.
"I will go for miss!" The little elf squeaked out "It is being my job."
"I don't want to impose."
The elf shook her head furiously, her large bat ears flopping with the movement. "Is being my JOB miss, Biscuit be finally earning her wages."
"You have wages?" Hermione smiled.
"Oh yes miss, three galleons a week miss, most generous for what little Biscuit does."
"I am sure you do more than enough Biscuit," the elf blushed and stared at her toes. "Grab me some parchment and I will write down everything I need."
The elf was quick to comply. Hermione gently tugged her way out of Tom's iron grip to carefully pen down what she needed and handed the list to the elf. As soon as her arm was free Tom's hand returned to her sleeve and she didn't bother trying to make him let go, instead she addressed the elf. "I wrote what potions the ingredients go to on the side, if they are selling them anywhere just buy them, I am not going to be up to much brewing."
The elf nodded eagerly and took the list looking it over once, then twice, then disappearing with a sharp crack.
"I don't like it."
Hermione peered over at Tom. "Don't like what?"
He sighed impatiently "The house elf. I don't like it."
"Biscuit is a she Tom. I wish you would try and be a little nicer to her." He scowled and said nothing and Hermione sighed tiredly "Please Tom? If only for my peace of mind," at his look of protest she quickly added, "I am not asking you to be her best friend, just stop trying to attack her."
He stared for a long while at her before giving one sharp nod. She smiled at him and he grimaced slightly in return. They sat in silence for a minute and she peered out of the small window that looked out into the street. Night had fallen and the streetlamps were lit.
"I know you might not want to, but shouldn't you get back to the orphanage? They will be missing you right now."
Tom snorted and looked away. "They may notice me missing, and they may put up some effort to find me but in all honesty I know they hope I never come back."
"That is terribly irresponsible of them." Hermione murmured, not knowing what else to say, and rubbed at her throbbing head. "I am not going to send you back there tonight, it's too late and I am in no shape to get you there. You will stay with me."
His eyes narrowed slightly but he didn't say anything and Hermione didn't pry, her head hurt too badly to start what would most likely be an argument with the boy. So instead they sat on her bed in silence, Tom not giving up his grip on her. "You can let go, I'm not going anywhere," she sighed. Instantly Tom's hand was off of her sleeve and in his lap, where he immediately laced his fingers together, clenching them so tightly his knuckles turned white.
She could almost sense his anxiety it hung so thick about him. The thick oppressive aura felt almost smothering, like his feelings were reaching up to strangle her and she swallowed against the feeling. I'm going to have to talk to him. She thought and her head throbbed in protest.
"What's wrong?"
He peered over at her, dark eyes sharp. "I am fine."
Hermione sighed. "Obviously you aren't. Tell me what's on your mind."
"It's nothing."
"It's something if it is causing you so much stress."
"I am not stressed." A loud crack echoed through the room making Hermione flinch. The window was shattered, letting the cool nighttime air roll in in waves.
"Obviously." Hermione muttered sarcastically. Tom picked up on it and was instantly up and away from her, but he didn't leave, instead he leaned into a corner of the room, peering out the recently shattered window.
Cornered animal, that's what he was, a cornered animal. She stood but her head spun so badly she had to sit back down. "I'm not going to let this go Tom, so if you are not going to leave you might as well talk to me." She finished crossly, trying to push through the pain in her skull.
"You could have died."
Hermione frowned. "But I didn't. Tom I am going to be alright."
"But you might not have! Then what would have happened?"
"Well… I would have been dead," she said, slightly taken aback.
"Then what would have happened to me?" He demanded. "If you died, what would I do?"
"You would go back to the orphanage, live your life." Something flashed in his eyes, some deep primal emotion. Fear. She identified to her surprise. He was afraid. "What's wrong with that?"
He ground his teeth and the wardrobe shuddered and fell over.
"Tom, you need to calm-"
"Alone."
The word hit her like a ton of bricks and understanding rushed through her veins. He didn't want to be alone. She had been there for, from what she could see, his entire life. Opened his eyes to what he was and what world he belonged to. From what Harry had told him of Tom's childhood, the boy had constantly struggled to figure out whom and what he was… why he was so different… why he could do the things he could. Hermione had changed that, she had put a name to his invisible powers and told him what he was. Magic, wizard, special- to have the link to that magical place shattered- she didn't realize how strongly she could affect him. How she HAD affected him already. She had given him books, knowledge, comfort…
He was attached to her. That had to be it. He was attached to her.
Slight hysteria forced a startled laugh from her but she quickly covered it up. "On Tom, I am not going to die anytime soon."
"You can't promise that, you can't know, it can happen at any time-"
"Hush!" Something in her tone kept the boy quiet despite the obvious turmoil brewing inside him. "Tom, I know I am not going to die because of that list in your pocket."
His hand automatically reached for it and he pulled it out, looking it over again as if searching for a hidden clue. "I don't understand," he said slowly as if it pained him.
"I haven't given it to you yet, and if I had died here I wouldn't have been able to go back to give you that list."
Understanding glowed in his eyes and his entire body slumped in relief.
"That's right." He said his eyes half lidded in pleasure, "That's right, I did not think of that."
She forced herself up and this time the dizziness wasn't so bad, she slowly made her way over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a weak smile when he didn't shrug her off. "I suppose you are stuck with me for a good long while."
"Good." He sighed out. "Good."
Another loud crack filled the room and Biscuit reappeared, a package floating around her like a small white bird.
"I is back!" The elf announced with a smile which faded as she glanced around at the damaged window, the fallen wardrobe, and the frazzled twosome in the corner. "What did Biscuit miss?"