Theo listened patiently to her story, even though it took a long time. He asked the appropriate questions and seemed to be very interested in her relationships. He was quite surprised to learn that his father had once been one of her suitors, but she quickly explained to him that it hadn't actually been his father, just Voldemort's memory of his father.
"I wanted to choose him, if I'm honest," Hermione admitted to Theo. "If my bro-if Evan would have made me choose one of them to marry."
"Really?" Theo asked, sounding surprised. "What made you want to choose him?" Perhaps, he still was too focused on his actual father and wasn't able to imagine him as a young man.
Hermione twirled a bit of hair around her finger. "Well, I thought that there was a real Hermione Rosier, and I figured your father was a good enough man to ensure her to. He was really rather sweet, but definitely safe," she explained. "Compared to Dolohov at least."
Theo also thought it was funny that Voldemort's soul had somehow placed her with the Rosiers, remembering the man who would have been Hermione's brother's son, Evan. The Evan Rosier who he'd known actually had looked very similar to Hermione and was fairly smart. He was normally quiet and shy, until he knew someone quite well, similar to Hermione. However, he was quite the proficient dark wizard.
"So then, you love him? The Dark Lord?" Theo asked at the end of her story.
"I don't know what to think anymore, Theo. I very much loved Tom Riddle. He was so like me. He challenged me intellectually, protected me," Hermione said, sounding wistful, hating that coming back to the present had made things so complicated. "The Dark Lord...Voldemort, .I can't help but continue to be drawn to him. My love for Tom remains., and I am sure that there is some part of him that still exists," Hermione had difficulty explaining it to her companion.
"And he loves you," Theo stated, sounding quite sure of himself.
"No," Hermione replied sadly. "Voldemort has no use for emotions. We are technically married, our souls are still joined, but he told me he has no use for me or the child, and that he doesn't care if I am with another man."
"No, Hermione, you can tell that he loves you. He asked for you - he demanded your hand! If what I understand is correct, you were still interacting with his soul in the diary. That means his soul did want you. Voldemort and Tom Riddle are one in the same," Theo pleaded with her. Even though he hadn't known her for very long, he just wanted Hermione to be happy.
"I don't think so Theo." She gave him a sad smile, shaking her head. It hurt too much to have him build up her hopes that there could be more between her and Voldemort. It was like being ripped out of the past all over again. "I just need to move on. Focus on the baby. I have Thor and Severus, they both have offered to help me." Hermione smiled, patting the big wolf on the head.
Theo nodded, silent for a while, thinking about the situation at hand. "Maybe he just needs to be reminded how much he wants you? Maybe if there was another guy sniffing around you," Theo suggested, his face broke out in a full grin, seeing Hermione's disgust at his phrase. "Maybe he would realize that he really does love you."
Hermione seemed totally perplexed by Theo's scheming. She had to remember that Theo was a Slytherin. He could be rather devious when he wanted to.
Seeing the rather attractive girl busily biting her lip in concentration, Theo told her, "Just be ready at dinner."
Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the translation.
By the time that she finished, she was utterly furious with the man. She could not believe Voldemort! How stupid was he? She knew that he was desperate for immortality, and was willing to do literally anything to get it, but she thought that this was taking things too far. She knew that she shouldn't be surprised that he was going to attempt such a dark spell.
Really! Blood magic? She thought to herself, pacing around the room, feeling her rage grow.
The worst part was that it wasn't even going to work! Voldemort had taught himself to rely on Dark Magic for too long that he forgot about the healing power of Light Magic. At least now she knew why her baby was so important to him. If he just looked a little bit harder, he would have found a reasonable answer that didn't take much effort right in front of him. But then, he'd have to take responsibilities for his own actions.
Hermione hastily threw on the silky robe that Narcissa insisted that she buy, or rather, take, from the store when they'd gone "shopping". She was marginally glad now, because in her rush to get down the stairs, she hadn't even given herself the opportunity to change out of her nightgown, which was rather sheer, and she didn't want to go flashing her knickers to anyone.
By the time she made it to Voldemort's study, and had flung the doors open, Hermione's head was spinning. She was actually much weaker from her flu than she had realized, and was swaying on her feet now that she had finally stopped and let her body catch up with her brain. Before she could collapse, she was caught by the waiting arms of Severus.
"Hermione, what is the meaning of this?" Severus barked, upset with her, before he laid her down on the couch where he had been sitting. "You should be in bed resting. What are you doing up?"
Unable to answer, Hermione shoved the parchment that she was clutching to her chest into his hands, peering over his shoulder so that she could glare at Voldemort from her spot.
"What is this?" Severus asked, his eyes quickly reading over Hermione's neat handwriting.
Hermione's vision was slowly returning to normal and the room no longer was spinning. She felt her anger rise once again when she thought about what Voldemort was planning. "Did you know he was planning on doing this, Severus?" Hermione asked, concerned. After all, who else would be brewing the potion other than Severus?
Snape nodded, handing the parchment over to Lord Voldemort. He looked guilty, but didn't speak.
Hermione quickly sat up, despite her lingering dizziness. "A restorative potion? That's what you are planning on doing? And by using blood magic of all things!" she roared, not caring that she was shouting at the most powerful dark wizard alive. She wasn't sure if it hurt more to realize why he needed her - or rather, their child - for the potion. Surely once it was complete, he'd have to use for either of them, and then who knew what her fate would be. "How could you not tell me that you needed a thimble of my child's blood and the afterbirth?" she questioned sharply.
"Our child," Voldemort reminded her with a grimace. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting her to find out this way.
"My son," Hermione countered, wanting to remind him that he'd taken little interest in her progressing pregnancy. And, it didn't seem that his interest extended far after the birth.
"Yes, Hermione, I need a restorative to restore my soul," he explained, his eyes lingering on her form. Even though she was wearing a robe, it had come wide open, exposing the subtle swell of her breast. Her nightgown seemed far too sexy for one as innocent as Hermione, and it reminded him of the phantom encounters he'd never had but his soul had experienced.
"But why? I thought you created your horcruxes as a means of immortality," Hermione asked, sounding matter-of-fact.
"Well, that would be until your former Headmaster began trying to destroy them. You see, he tried to destroy the old Gaunt ring. He thinks that it has worked, but it hasn't. I need to restore my soul so that it can no longer be destroyed," Voldemort replied calmly. "Then I will find another method to ensure my eternal life."
"But blood magic? I know you don't have a second thought about using Dark Magic, but this is serious, Voldemort!" Hermione's face was flushed, as she hissed in parseltongue, not having slipped into the odd language in some time. "And in any case it's not going to work!"
"How could something that restores my soul be Dark? I have told you once and I have told you twice, Hermione, there is no such thing as Light or Dark magic!" Voldemort finally realized that Hermione said he was doomed to failure. "What do you mean it won't work?" he asked back in parseltongue, his eyes drifting to where Severus was still sitting. No use in Snape hearing him acknowledging the possibility of failure.
"Don't you know the only way to undo a horcrux is to feel remorse? It's supposed to be incredibly painful, it can even kill you," Hermione said softly, reaching out to grab his hand. She was concerned about him. She knew what blood magic gone wrong could do to someone. It was volatile and impercise and could have all sorts of consequences that you'd never anticipate.
"Hermione, don't worry. I am sure that this potion will work excellently, especially when I have you helping to perfect it," he said, almost tenderly. His hand twitched at his side, as though he intended to touch her, but held himself back. "I expect you to start working on the arithmancy of the potion as soon as you can. We need to start brewing the potion."
Hermione's brows furrowed, but she agreed to start working. "I can't talk you out of this," she said, sadly. "Then I will at least give you the best chance to have it succeed." Internally, she wondered when she started worrying about Voldemort's survival, when this was the perfect opportunity to see him did. Thinking about that too hard made her feel queasy. Needing to put some distance between her and her husband, she slowly walked back upstairs, promising Snape to take a pepperup potion when she made it to her room.
Voldemort was not eavesdropping.
He'd been on his way to check on Hermione - not that he'd admit it - after their argument in the library, knowing that she was sick and upset, and he'd been surprised to find the door to her room ajar. He couldn't help it that she was having some sort of private conversation with Narcissa and Bellatrix, when they hadn't made sure that the door was shut all the way. Narcissa's voice carried very well, and he was just passively hearing.
"Hermione, you know that you can ask me anything about your pregnancy," Narcissa said, sounding uncharacteristically friendly with the girl. Narcissa had always been a stoic, but perhaps her desire to have a daughter of her own was winning out.
He could imagine Hermione waffling with herself, embarrassed at whatever it was that she wanted to ask but knowing that asking was the only way to get the information that she so desired. That was one of the things that he enjoyed about her so much. "I just...I guess, oh Merlin this is embarrassing," Hermione said, her voice sounding much quieter. "I've been having a lot of, well, there is no polite way to say this, sexual urges lately."
Narcissa laughed in response, but not at Hermione. "You've entered your second trimester. it is perfectly normal for a woman's libido to drastically increase during pregnancy," Narcissa explained.
"Oh!" Bellatrix said suddenly. " Is this why you've been so distracted lately? You haven't been as...focused in lessons lately."
Standing outside the door, Voldemort swallowed thickly, remembering the way that he'd helped Hermione regain her focus during their own lesson. Had she really been so distracted by thoughts of him in other classes? Or was she lusting after anyone who could do the job? Draco...Antonin...the Nott boy?
"Don't worry one bit about it, Hermione. You just need a little bit of male attention and then you will be able to focus more," Narcissa said soothingly. "Why, there was a while that Lucius was afraid of me during my pregnancy with Draco, because I was so insatiable."
"I wish that I could," Hermione said, her voice sounding very small. "But I am afraid that my own husband is unwilling to assist me in this particular area."
Voldemort couldn't see Hermione's face, but he could just imagine how bright red the girl was. He considered her words cautiously, knowing that there was no way she would be interested in that when he looked the way that he did. She was too busy pining after her Tom, a figment of her imagination who didn't exist.
Bellatrix growled in annoyance. "If the Dark Lord knew what was good for him, he'd be shagging you with every chance that he got. You are the mother of his heir. It is something that he should fully appreciate."
"I just don't think that's going to happen," Hermione answered back.
"If he won't, certainly you have other options, pet," Bellatrix said with a laugh. "Merlin knows that Antonin has been sniffing around you this whole time, and he makes no secret what he'd like to do with you if he had half a chance."
"Dolohov is...intriguing," Hermione conceded. "He's certainly handsome enough, but he also...frightens me sometimes."
Voldemort was barely able to contain the noise of jealousy that threatened to slip past his throat. He wasn't really sure why, but he could feel his chest tighten uncomfortably at the thought of Hermione being with Dolohov, even though he knew how accomplished the man was.
"Well, Hermione you really must do something about it," Narcissa said, returning to her usual cold demeanor. "Before long, your sexual energy will need to escape, and it will usually do so in the form of accidental magic. We don't want you hurting yourself...or anyone else."
Unable to hear anymore of what they were discussing without bursting into the room, Voldemort retreated to his own room. He pondered their words, having been completely unaware that witches could have so many issues with their magic during pregnancy. Hermione's magic had certainly grown stronger over the months, and he was unable to deny the...release of magical energy when he'd pleasured her.
Perhaps this required further study.
Theo had picked up Hermione from her room to escort her down to dinner. The whole time that she had been getting ready, she remembered his words from earlier - to be ready - and she wondered what it was that he had planned. He wouldn't give her any details, and instead regaled her with a story from Hogwarts. By the time they had made it to the full dining room, Hermione was giggling, with Theo whispering in her ear the whole while, sending a zing of pleasure up and down her spine.
Hermione found it easy to become engrossed in Theo, and for once her eyes didn't immediately search out Voldemort when they entered the dining room. From the corner of her eye, she saw him shift uncomfortably, and she wondered if he was uncomfortable not being the center of her world for once. Determined not to look at him for the whole dinner, she hoped that Theo's plan was working. Instead, she sat closer to Theo than was necessary, letting him whisper into her ear the whole night long.
She could feel the heat of Voldemort's eyes on hers and she wondered if he was feeling jealous. She knew that it was terrible of her, but it gave her a little thrill to know that he was watching her.
At the end of dinner, Theo's true intentions were made known. "Professor Snape?" he asked, his voice loud in the room. "I was wondering if I could have your permission to take Hermione on a date next weekend. It's a Hogsmeade weekend. Obviously, she will wear a glamour, but I would like to take her out." Hermione immediately stilled at his side.
Severus was definitely surprised, raising one black eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you asking for my permission?" he questioned.
"Well, isn't it common practice to ask a girl's father figure for permission to court her?" Theo responded, giving Hermione's knee a little squeeze underneath the table. Hermione put a hopeful smile on her face, willing Severus to say yes. Although it was risky, she was excited at the prospect of going to Hogsmeade again...seeing Harry, even if it was just a glimpse, would make her feel at ease.
Severus was silent for a beat. "I have no problem with it, if our Lord doesn't think it too large a risk," he said, his eyes flickering to Voldemort's stoic face.
Finally, Hermione looked at him for the first time, and found his red eyes trained on her. He didn't say anything, but after a long pause he made a noise of approval. Hermione wasn't entirely sure why she suddenly felt so rotten about it. Maybe Theo's plan to make Voldemort jealous had failed.
Putting her attention back on the boy seated next to her, Hermione gave him a dazzling smile in return. "Excellent," Theo said, returning her indulgent smile. "We can talk details soon."