Thanks for the reviews, guys! Sorry for not sticking to my word about when I would post, but I honestly didn't expect to get 11 reviews so quickly and I'm sort of busy (yes, upperclassmen, you can scorn my so-called 'busyness'). I'm glad...keep reviewing!
Also, I love your guys' speculations about Tom's identity. It really is very interesting to read. Only one person has gotten close, but it was so close, and yet so far... Hehehe. I love doing this.
xxx
The journey to the Burrow was, as usual, short and simple. It had taken quite a bit of practice with Tom to get both of them through the Floo channel at the same time, but after it was all over, Hermione had to admit it had been a success. True, the fire had felt hotter around her than before, but at least no one had noticed anything.
"Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley attempted to hug her while levitating five pies and a giant hairball at the same time. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"You too, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, slightly worried about the pie that was almost hovering above her ear.
When Mrs. Weasley released her, Hermione took a step back and muttered under her breath, "follow me".
"You'll be in my room," Ginny said, and Hermione walked after her. Again, the days of practice paid off: she couldn't hear Tom's footsteps behind her. She did, however, seem to be hearing her own footsteps in stereo.
Ginny opened the door. "Come in."
Hermione walked in quickly, praying desperately that Ginny wouldn't notice that the breeze behind her lasted a split second longer than it should have. She proceeded to put her trunk on the floor, listening carefully for the little extra "thump" to come from its direction. It didn't, and she was relieved once again.
Ginny smirked. "I see you've gotten neater, if that was even possible."
"What do you mean?"
"You usually just plop your bag on the bed. Just let it bounce."
Hermione smiled nervously - they'd tried that, and it had been a disaster. "Yeah, I guess I'm more OCD-like than I thought." She smiled wider - now the twice-as-long showers wouldn't be a problem.
Maybe, just maybe, they could pull this off.
"Hermione...we're going to Diagon Alley today, you want to come?"
I don't know, do I? Does he?
"Why today?"
"Well, it's Christmas tomorrow, and..."
"...ah. Last-minute stuff. Yeah, I'll go."
"Be downstairs in ten minutes, okay?"
Ginny left, and after putting a Silencing charm on the door, Hermione turned to the corner. "You coming?"
"I didn't realize I had a choice," Tom said coldly.
"What? Of course you've got a choice, you can either come with me or - "
"Or stay here and wreak havoc, yes?"
"Tom...I thought we'd been over this..."
"Yes, you did seem to say something like 'Tom, you can't be anywhere alone because you creep me out.' I definitely remember that."
"Tom!"
"What? Isn't it rue? You can't see me, so you can't trust me. That's what the wandmaker thought, too."
"Tom!"
"You think, because I'm invisible, I can steal whatever the hell I want, I can kill anyone, I can sneak up to some girl and rape her... I feel like a creep just being in the same room as you because it feels like I'm watching you, but Miss Granger, I'm not going to do anything bad."
"I never said you were going to!" Hermione near-shrieked. "Now will you please listen?"
"Okay..."
"You're coming with me to Diagon Alley. I'll give you some money if you want it, and we'll go our separate ways. And listen closely to what time they tell us to come back."
"Okay, Miss Granger. Might I just disagree with one thing though?"
"Yes?"
"I have money already."
Hermione frowned. "How?"
"My father was a bit...strange. He made a point of giving me monthly allowance, gloating about how I'd never use it. Ten years' worth of monthly allowance..."
"That's great!" Hermione said. "Well, it's really depressing actually, but at least you can buy things."
Tom chuckled darkly, remembering Ollivander. This was going to be complicated.
She checked her watch. "Come on, let's go downstairs."
Diagon Alley was coated with shining white snow. It was everywhere: on the ground, on every roof, every doormat, every porch... Even the shop signs had amusing little blocks of snow on top of them. It was freshly fallen, and it crunched merrily under Hermione's feet as she walked and looked around curiously.
She'd found presents for Harry and Ron ages ago, but Ginny, so far, remained presentless. It was harder this year than before, since she couldn't rely on candy or a bracelet or something - that was Dean's job now, and it was up to her to find something slightly less boyfriend-like.
Tom stepped gingerly across porches, jumping out of the way when people walked out of stores. He inwardly cursed the snow that forced him to move in this stupid manner: he could have covered twice as much distance if not for the damned white stuff. He didn't have much time...
It was perfect: a snow globe that helped you answer questions in class. Hermione wouldn't normally give something like this, but she felt like she could trust Ginny not to rely on it completely. Now came the most difficult gift of all...
If you really thought about it, it didn't need to be all that hard. She was his only friend, and considering his depressing (and somewhat mysterious) past, it was very likely he'd never gotten a Christmas present in his life. He didn't have any kind of standard for gifts, so it didn't need to be so complicated. On the other hand, for exactly that reason, Hermione wanted to give him something special. Something that was likely to set that standard to some acceptable level.
"So, Hermione, how was your shopping trip?" Ginny asked, waggling her eyebrows at her in a slightly creepy way.
"Great, I can stop freaking out about this Christmas stuff now," Hermione lied. There was still, after all, the reception of the gifts...
"Nah, there's still the mistletoe," Ginny joked. "And there's Harry, I think that's it now," she announced. "Can we go?"
"Tom?" Hermione whispered quietly, just to confirm.
Silence.
"Uh...I think I forgot something, I'll be right back."
She hurried off, looking around for signs of...well, she wasn't sure what of. At first she kept looking for trailing footprints, but realized that Tom would have to be smarter than that.
Especially if he didn't want to be found...
She cursed her little insecurity-voice, and continued on, whispering "Tom?" every two minutes.
"Yesh?"
She turned around and saw an old man grinning toothlessly at her. His hair (or at least what was left of it) was stuck together in shiny gray clumps, he smelled strongly of fermented carpets, and for some reason he was wearing a neon yellow jumpsuit.
"Excuse me?"
"Ya shaid 'Tom'. That'sh me name, that ish." He leaned in toward her. "Ya looking for shome advice? Shome fun? Shome drinks?" He got even closer, and she smelled what might, since it was coming out of his mouth, technically be called his breath."'Cosh tha'sh me all over."
"I don't think so." she said, then realized that she was being incredibly stupid. "Actually, I've got a question for you."
"Yesh?"
"You didn't happen to bump into someone who wasn't there, did you? Like a solid bit of air? A bit that said 'excuse me, sir' afterward?"
"Yer not a little bit drunkie, are ya?" She shook her head. "Would ya like to be?"
"I think I'll pass, thanks."
"Then what're ya doin' up thish here alley, anywaysh?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Shomeone? Shomeone? I'm a shomeone..." He grinned even wider. It was amazing how far his mouth could stretch, and it gave Hermione the feeling that soon she would be able to see his ears in his mouth.
"I- I meant someone specific."
"It don't get much more shpeshific than me..."
She took a step back, hoping he wouldn't advance any further, but he did...and stopped. He frowned, then tried again. He seemed to have hit an invisible wall.
Hermione smiled. "You may want to take a step back, and now."
His eyes widened, and he turned and ran.
"Tom, where the hell were you?" she whispered.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere. You can hardly blame me, since you came here too, and I presume you have somewhat more experience than I..."
Hermione looked around, and when she realized where she was, she started laughing. "Knockturn Alley, of all places. Amazing."
They started walking back. "You know, for a second I thought that guy was you."
"Since when do I have a lisp?"
"I don't know, okay? At least it was better than thinking you'd ditched me."
"I wouldn't do that, Miss Granger."
"Good to know. Okay, we should shut up now, there's the rest of them..."
Ginny didn't snore, but there was a sort of whooshing sound that filled the air every few seconds that was driving Hermione insane.
She pulled out her wand. Ginny was going to be somewhat surprised in the morning, but that was ages from now, and Hermione really needed to sleep. "Silencio"
She listened intently, then burrowed under her covers, content to finally be able to sleep.
whoosh.
Hermione shook her head in exasperation. She pulled out her wand again. "Silencio," she repeated, her wand now pointed at the corner.
She listened again. Silence, and nothing but the...
whoosh.
She got up and looked around the room. There was hardly any light, but at least the moon was out tonight, and she could see that there really wasn't anything else that couldn't be making the sound.
Unless...
She opened the window. There was an enormous tree there, which in the daylight looked quite pretty, but right now it just looked ominous.
"Hello?" she said, wondering what on Earth she did that for. Because, after all, if there was someone there, knowing about it wouldn't exactly help her fall asleep.
"I'm not here," came the reply, and there was a brilliant flash of white light, leaving a little wisp of smoke on one of the branches.
Hermione shivered and stared at it. It curled up and shaped into an oval.
"You're playing a dangerous game here, Granger."
"Who are you?" she whispered, afraid of waking someone up.
"I can't quite say. But you shouldn't have a problem with that, you're used to speaking to people without identities..."
Hermione's hands had gone quite numb from terror. She could see something like a face forming on the oval: two eyes, a gradually growing nose...
"I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?"
"I'm nothing but a spell, Granger."
What, I never learned this, this is impossible!
"Who cast you?"
"It should be fairly obvious," the oval said, and as it did, she could see a darkened opening moving on it: it had developed a mouth.
"It really isn't."
"Good-bye, Granger. I'd say good luck, but I honestly don't want you to have any."
The oval vanished.
Hermione backed away slowly. For a second before the oval was gone, it had solidified into a clearly focused face, and there was no mistaking that hair and those eyes...
She crept back to bed, un-Silencing Ginny and Tom in the process. She feel asleep, and sure enough, the face of Lucius Malfoy stayed with her until she woke up.
xxx
Whoa, drama! That was random. I honestly had no idea that would happen.
I honestly don't think I'll have time to post another chapter until summer break, but when I come back to write, I'd love to have at least 30 reviews piled up...hint hint nudge nudge...