Riddle and His Lady

Chapter Four: Sugared Butterfly Wings

Hermione was pleased to admit, that she had an incredibly good night's sleep at the Three Broomsticks. Unfortunately, it had not yet hit her that she was stranded in an unfamiliar year, several decades before she was even born. She was most certainly dreading that moment, that inevitable moment, when the reality of the situation would hit her like a wave of misfortune. It was not that she missed anyone in particular, after all, she had no one left at home whom she could really call a friend apart from Crookshanks; and oh, how she adored that cat, but she refused to let herself go out of her mind with worry. No doubt, there were people rushing around trying to find out where she had gone, but that would only be Harry and Ron. Why would they even care? They had been incredibly quick to move on when the war had finished, Ron especially. Hermione willed herself not to think about those two. If she was to return home, it was purely for Crookshanks' benefit. She did not even have her parents to worry for her anymore; they had completely forgotten her, which had been the intention of course. But now they were in Australia, living a peaceful life and expecting a child. Hermione swallowed a thick lump in her throat, feeling her nose sting. Shaking her head, she took a deep, shaky breath and sat up in her bed. It was an incredibly comfortable bed, she though, banishing all thoughts of home, her parents and her "best friends".

Glancing around the room she was currently living in, a small smile met her lips. It was a charming little room and it suited her well, although she couldn't deny that she missed her pleasant little cottage.

A soft rapping on the door tore her from her thoughts and exploration of the room. Tugging a dressing gown over her shoulders, Hermione trotted over to the door and opened it. She was almost certain that her hair was the size of hay bale, but once she spotted a little girl, she guessed around six years old, Hermione doubted that it would matter much. The girl grinned up at her, her long blonde ringlets of hair bouncing as she took a step towards Hermione. She held a rather large cardboard box in her arms which looked quite heavy.

"Mummy told me to bring you this!" she grinned, shoving the box into her arms.

"Thank you very much," Hermione replied, smiling back, "I don't think we've met; what's your name?"

"Rosie," she replied and then ran back along the corridor and down the stairs. Hermione chuckled and returned back into her room when it suddenly occurred to her that the little girl had an uncanny resemblance to the Madam Rosmerta from her time. A smile met her face as she realised that they were one and the same person. At least there is one familiar face, she thought, even if they are only six years old.

Sitting back on her bed, Hermione picked up a small golden tag attached to the box reading: "A few of your essentials. Enjoy your stay. Yours sincerely, APWB Dumbledore." She smirked at his impossibly long name and tore the sticky paper from the box to reveal a pile of several 40s style dresses, shoes and a large cream coat. She grinned; she had always been fond of the fashions during these times, so getting the chance to wear it without receiving odd looks from people satisfied her greatly. There was also a small package wrapped inside, concealing a small amount of money, both magical and muggle.

With a grin fixed permanently on her face, Hermione chose which dress she would wear that day and reminded herself to write a letter of thanks to Dumbledore.

After a much appreciated wash, she fixed her hair from its haystack state and changed into one of the dresses and then journeyed downstairs to speak to the Land Lady.

"Hermione," Madam Rosmerta exclaimed, her daughter trailing behind her like an obedient puppy, "We don't open for about two hours yet so I thought I'd ask you for a favour."

"I'd be happy to help," Hermione replied, winking at Rosie who giggled.

"I doubt you'll need much training behind the bar as it's all worked with magic; all you'll need to do is take the orders and hand the drinks out. So, whilst we have a little time on our hands," she guided Rosie towards Hermione, "Rosie here, was wondering if you'd take her to Honeydukes. I promised her a treat," she laughed as Rosie bounded up to me with a grin and took my hand.

"I'd be happy to," she smiled, squeezing her little hand.

Rosmerta beamed, "I'm sure she'd have you there for hours, but try not to be there too long," she laughed, "also, no need to worry about money; I have an…agreement with the owner, let's say."

Hermione chose not to inquire about that, and so they exited the pub and proceeded to Honeydukes.

Walking through Hogsmeade was a pleasant experience for Hermione as she had not visited in nearly a year. With no one to accompany her, it was difficult to find an excuse to go at all and she was rather pleased to have some company there now. Hogsmeade had very little changed in fifty years, it still had the calming, ancient feeling about it which she had always loved since her first visit at the age of thirteen. She would have liked to have visited the Shrieking Shack once more, although she doubted Rosie would have enjoyed that and it struck her that it would not have been given that name until the 70s anyway.

A feeling of warmth enveloped Hermione as they came to the door of Honeydukes. Although most people thought she was only interested in book shops, Honeydukes had secretly been her favourite shop when she was younger. Rosie rushed forwards and barged through the door, her golden ringlets skipping along with her.

Hermione contently followed Rosie around the shop with a paper bag, trying to stop herself from gazing at the shelves and shelves of colourful sweets like a child. At one point, she was so transfixed with the Sugared Butterfly Wings flapping in a large glass tank, which had always been her favourite sweets, that she didn't notice the form of one dark haired young wizard stood by one of the sweet shelves before she slammed into him with some force.

They both leaped back in shock with Hermione almost shrieking an apology at the stranger before her who appeared to find her reaction quite amusing. There was an awkward pause for a moment with Hermione standing before him, not quite sure whether to introduce herself to the handsome stranger or apologise for bumping into him. Luckily, he broke the silence quickly.

The young man grinned after glancing Hermione up and down discretely and stuck his hand out, which she timidly shook.

"Orion Black, and might I know this pretty young lady's name?" he drawled, his grin changing into a pleased smirk.

Hermione smiled coyly back at him. She had never been one to fall at a handsome man's feet, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. Although, he certainly was a looker, she had to admit as she sneakily studied him. It did not surprise her to see he was extremely well dressed, as he was a Black and clearly had a substantial amount of money hidden away. It struck Hermione as remarkable just how similar Orion looked to Sirius; he even had his chin length, wavy black hair and a small amount of stubble round his chin. Although his clothing gave him the appearance of a rich pureblood gent, he had the face of a lovable rogue which made Hermione's heart throb as she thought of Sirius.

She tripped over her words for a moment, trying to introduce herself, before taking a deep breath and internally scolding herself. With a smile she said confidently, "I'm Hermione. Sorry for bumping into you." She muttered the last part, a little ashamed of being so transfixed with the sweets rather than looking where she was going.

"There is absolutely no need to apologise; I can't blame you for being hypnotised by this shop," he chuckled and then squinted his eyes in thought, "Your name...It's not one I have come across before."

"Ah, no. It is certainly not common," she chuckled, when it suddenly occurred to her that Orion must have been Sirius' father.

Orion suddenly clicked his fingers, startling Hermione who had been studying the floor with some keen interest considering what to say next. Her eyes darted up to his just as he exclaimed with a joyful tone, "I don't suppose you're Hermione Granger are you?"

She frowned suspiciously. How on earth would someone from this time be familiar with her name?

"As a matter of fact, yes." She said shortly, suddenly feeling the need to build her defenses up.

"Ah, the famous Hermione Granger," he chuckled, choosing to walk with her as she continued to follow Rosie around the shop. By now, the paper bag was nearly full to the brim with sweets and she was beginning to wonder if she should tell her she'd picked enough or just leave her to her own devices.

"Famous, Mr Black? I'm not so sure about that," she replied, casting her eyes down and only occasionally glancing up to follow Rosie who was currently bouncing around the shop like a spring lamb, grabbing handfuls of sweets of all sorts.

"Well, you've certainly made an impression on one person, Hermione. Is it okay that I call you that?"

"Yes, of course. What person?" Hermione felt incredibly intrigued by this piece of information. She hadn't been there for a day, so she couldn't imagine who she might have made an impression on already.

"Tom Riddle, of course," he laughed. His tone of voice suggested it was the most obvious answer in the world, although this was news to Hermione, who promptly stiffened at the mention of his name. Had she known that it was Tom Riddle she had eaten with, she would have darted from that room as fast as she could.

"I shouldn't think why," Hermione snapped, "I certainly gave him no reason in that short encounter with him to form any sort of attachment to me."

Orion raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of attitude in the young witch and decided to change the subject. It became clear to him that the subject of Tom Riddle was a touchy one and should be avoided around this girl, and so he complied and failed to mention him again.

"Anyway," he began slowly, "I haven't seen you here before. Where are you staying?"

Hermione paused before replying, considering whether it was wise to give details such as that out to a stranger but brushed the negative thoughts away. She would not get on well around here if she was accusing them of being murderers like Tom Riddle.

"I have lodgings in the Three Broomsticks. I have also recently got a job there as a barmaid." she explained, glancing up at the enchanted ceiling of the shop which appeared to be an image of a sunny sky with a few pleasant clouds. She smiled at the reminder of her first visit to the Great Hall in Hogwarts.

"I go there quite often. I might see you there," he smiled.

"Yes, perhaps. I only work Fridays and weekends, but don't think I'll be getting you any free drinks," she said, winking. "In fact, I'm here with Madam Rosmerta's daughter, Rosie."

"Ah, yes. My younger brother, Cygnus is around here somewhere. As you can tell, he is quite an adventurer," he chuckled and I called Rosie over to buy the sweets, deciding that she had finally chosen enough.

Rosie smiled at the man behind the counter and, standing on her tiptoes, said, "Mummy says she's just over the road and will pay when you come over. Bye!" and with that, she ran off out the shop, not bothering to wait for an answer.

I chuckled as Orion called for his brother to pay also and we left the shop.

We stood, watching Cygnus and Rosie cram sweets into their mouths for a moment before turning to each other. "I will definitely be seeing you around, Hermione." Orion said with a cheeky smile.

"Perhaps," she replied, deciding she rather like this young man. "Goodbye."

"Yes, goodbye." Orion turned to walk away, as did Hermione and heard him shouting, "Come on Cygnus."

With a laugh she called for Rosie who grabbed her hand in a gentle grip and they returned back to the pub in silence.

I hope this was okay! Two uploads in one day! Wow!

I hope this doesn't seem rushed at all, I was just so excited to introduce Orion into the story as i'm rather intrigued by the Black family and he'll be an important component.

Please read and review :)

-Buckbeak