"Scabbers is looking way healthier this year." Hermione noticed, as Ron fed Scabbers some of his rat food.
"I know." Ron said happily. "Shame."
Hermione gave a look towards Harry and the two of them rolled their eyes.
They were about to begin their fourth year at Hogwarts. The Hogwarts Express rolled along as the four talked about what the upcoming year would bring.
"Wouldn't be surprised if they hired your Dad to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arks Professor." Ron told Hermione. "He took out Black, after all."
"Father isn't qualified." Hermione said curtly.
"He got Black when no one else could." Harry said. "Even Dumbledore-"
"I'm sure he was just lucky." Hermione said curtly.
"Lucky?" Ron repeated, horrified. "Harry was lucky when he fought Voldemort for the Philosopher's Stone."
"Your Dad did way better against Black than anyone else would have." Harry said, his voice dark . "I'm glad he's been Kissed." Harry had very nearly been on the verge of hunting after Black himself, considering their history.
Hermione shook her head.
"Oh, don't say that." She said. "Losing your soul is inhumane."
"You know what's also inhumane?" Ron said loudly. "Killing thirteen people with one curse!"
They argued for a while over the ethics of using Dementors to hunt down criminals for the remainder of the journey. Eventually the conversation drifted to the mysterious event that would be taking place at Hogwarts that year, and Hermione found her mind drifting to the little diary she had tucked away in her robe. Maybe Tom would know… He was certainly smarter than she was…
The Hogwarts Express came to a stop and the three of them stepped out to the carriages that pulled themselves. They got one to themselves, and off they went to the Castle Gate.
"Good to see the Dementors are gone."
"Why would they stay?" Hermione asked. "Black's been dealt with."
..
Alastor Moody's oversized eye whirled around in his head.
"That's her, next to Potter?"
"Yes." Dumbledore said.
Moody grinned.
"I'd like to shake her hand."
"Please don't make a scene." Dumbledore warned her. "If you must congratulate her, please do so privately."
"Will do, Albus, will do." Moody said, as his eye fixated on Harry Potter. "I see that he's chosen a fine assortment of friends. Is that a Weasley next to him?"
"It is."
Moody laughed.
"Excellent, excellent… They'll be an excellent group, that one."
"Indeed." Dumbledore said, gaze fixed squarely on Harry.
…
"Moody is a really good teacher, isn't he?" Hermione said happily, as they left their first lesson.
"I'll say." Ron said. "Better than Lupin, do you think?"
Hermione frowned.
"Ron, don't say that…"
"I know, I know, sorry…"
They made their way to the Great Hall for Lunch. Hermione found herself surprised as an owl swooped down.
"It's kind of late for mail."
"It's from Father." Hermione said, as she opened the letter. "He wants to know what people are saying in school about Lupin."
Ron snickered. "He's training you to be an agent like him?"
"Of course not." Hermione scowled, as she scribbled out a reply. "I'm just helping out. I'm just a contact."
"Is Tonks a contact too?" Ron asked. Hermione scowled at him, as she finished her response and sent the owl away.
"Your dad travels the world, right?" Harry asked. "Does he know anything about the Durmstrang and Beuxbatons?" The other competing schools for the Triwizard tournament would be arriving that October.
"Through the Ministry, probably." Hermione answered idly, as she returned to her lunch. "I doubt he's had any real involvement with them… he's only recently become involved with the magician community."
"So he says." Rob said, in a mystical voice. Harry laughed, but Hermione frowned at him.
"He wouldn't lie to me-"
"He told you that he was a dentist for thirteen years."
"That was different!" Hermione said, exasperated. "That was to protect me."
"I'm not sure I would trust someone who kept information like that from me." Harry said. Hermione scowled at him.
…
Hermione still had not told Harry or Ron about Tom. It felt wrong somehow, to involve them in something so personal. She hated to admit it… really, she did… but Tom seemed to understand her better than anyone. He didn't laugh at her when it came to her wildest theories about Lupin's murder, and took all of her opinions on her father's behavior very seriously.
I daresay your Father still intends to get to the bottom of Lupin's murder.
Hermione scribbled back furiously.
I intend to do the same.
Like father, like daughter.
She rolled her eyes, smiling, as she shut the diary with a snap. She had never before been told she was like her Father, and she wasn't entirely sure it was a compliment. She gazed out the window of the girl's dormitories at the lake below, wondering at the wide range of mysteries that were yet to be solved.
She opened the diary back up and jotted them down.
Who killed Lupin?
And for what purpose?
She tapped her quill impatiently against the book, waiting for Tom's reply.
I daresay that we require more information.
"Oh, you're no help." Hermione said, exasperated, as she set the book back down. She barely registered the hurried scribbles of Tom's next thought.
Your father's theory is interesting to me. The only reason why Professor Snape was never suspected was because the Headmaster vouched for him.
That's true, but-
We cannot dismiss the possibility.
Hermione bit her lip nervously.
Do you think he's right? Do you think that Dumbledore is suspicious?
I attended Hogwarts fifty years ago. During that time, I felt a sense that Dumbledore had cultivated a cult of personality around himself. By the sound of things, it is even worse now.
That's ridiculous. Dumbledore-
Is no saint. Believe me, Hermione. There are things I know about that man's past that will make your skin crawl.
Hermione toyed with her quill, considering the diary carefully. It wasn't the first time he had expressed an interest in this angle, but she found it very difficult to wrap her mind around. Dumbledore… covered up Lupin's murder? The thought was ludicrous, and yet…
Tell me what you know about Dumbledore.
…
"The Triwizard Tournament is going just as planned." Tonks said happily, as she and Bond had dinner together in his apartment. She had tried making a romantic meal for two, but had bungled it. Bond had to step in and salvage what remained of the dish.
"Hmm." Bond said. "Hermione certainly is excited." She had spent a good portion of her last letter describing the Hogwarts Champion, Cedric Diggory, in excruciating detail.
"The first task was amazing, I hear." Tonks said. "The champions had to go up against dragons… it was positively thrilling. I wish I could have gone."
"I'm sure I could have a word with the Ministry and get us seats."
Tonks gaped at him. "You have that much pull?"
Bond shrugged. "No idea. But I doubt that they'd say no to the man that caught Sirius Black."
He was right. The very next day, Madame Bones contacted him to inform him that the Minister wished for him to attend the Tournament's Yule Ball… the Christmas Day event for the Triwizard Tournament.
"Oooooh noooo…' Tonks groaned, once she saw the invitation. "I'm dead clumsy… I can't dance at all."
"We'll make it work." Bond told her. Privately he was wondering what Hermione would think about him being at the event. Doubtless she wouldn't care for him meeting her date for the evening. He accepted the invitation.
…
"Mr. Bond." Fudge said jovially as James Bond walked up to the table of tournament organizers, arm in arm with Nymphadora Tonks. Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, the headmasters of the other schools, and Albus Dumbledore himself. Fudge got to his feet and rigorously shook Bond's hand.
Bond, dressed in an immaculate black suit, stuck out like a sore thumb dressed among all of the wizards in their dress robes. Even Tonks, who was Half-Blood, had kept making comments about how odd the suit looked to her. Regardless, however, he thanked Fudge for the invitation and sat down at the table.
"This is James Bond." Fudge said loudly to the group surrounding the table. "The man who caught Sirius Black, you know…"
"Did you really?" The goateed man sitting at the table murmured. He leaned forward and stared at Bond rather expertly. "Very good. That man… all Death Eaters, really… deserve everything bad coming to them."
"That's rich coming from you, Karkaroff." A loud, booming voice said behind them. Karkaroff jumped, looking alarmed, as a man with a wild spinning eye stumped up to them on a wooden leg.
"You're Bond, eh?" The man asked, as he held out his hand. Bond took it. "A pleasure, a pleasure… That bastard Black got what he deserved…"
"Alastor…" Dumbledore said, his voice severe. Moody lowered his hand.
"We'll have to talk later." He whispered to Bond. He gave him an expression that almost resembled a smile, and then stomped off.
"I was very surprised to hear you take an interest in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Mr. Bond." Fudge said, as the group dug into their meal. "I would have considered you as a Judge for the Tournament, if you had so asked…"
"That is very kind of you, Minister." Bond responded. "But I know very little about magic. I imagine what would be impressive to me would mean nothing to your people. To this day my daughter shocks me with what she can do…"
"Ah, yes." Fudge said jovially. "Your daughter, your daughter… Is she attending the dance?"
"I haven't yet seen her." Bond admitted. "We have only just arrived…"
"Ah, you should go and say hello!" Fudge said. "It would be a shame for you to miss each other on a night like tonight!"
It was a surprisingly pleasant evening. The ice sculptures, the music, and the fact that he wasn't on an assignment made Bond feel unusually at ease. He took Tonks on more dances that he had any one woman in a long time, and by the end of it she was beginning to learn the steps.
"If my feet didn't hurt so much I'd keep at it." She told him, as she rubbed her foot. Bond was about to tease her when he turned his head, and for the first time caught sight of Hermione.
His first thought was surprise at how grown up she looked. She was spinning around rather elegantly at the hands of a boy much taller than her. Handsome, dark, and tall, he drew looks wherever he stepped.
"Who's the guy?" Tonks asked, amused, as she took notice of where he was looking. "Worried that he's going to steal away your daughter?"
Bond ignored her. Hermione stopped dancing, met his eyes, and smiled. She nudged the boy she was with, and he adjusted. They walked over to them.
"Father." Hermione said. "What a pleasant surprise."
Clearly she wasn't going to criticize his being here in front of her date.
"I could say the same for you." Bond said. "Who is your friend?"
The handsome boy held out his hand and smiled.
"My name." He said. "Is Tom Riddle. It's an honor to meet you sir."
They shook hands.
"Riddle?" Bond repeated, bemused. "The name sounds vaguely familiar…"
The boy's eyes flashed.
"I don't know anything about my family." He said. "I am an orphan, raised by muggles."
"Ah." Bond said. "Forgive me." Hermione was smiling widely at her date, and Bond had the very strong impression she was completely taken with him.
"Perhaps we should talk more." He suggested. "Over drinks."
"Go on ahead." Hermione told him brightly. "I have to go see Harry and Ron…" And she scurried off.
Bond and Riddle looked at each other. Bond was sure of it the moment he saw the boy, but was sure of it now. There was a malicious glint behind those eyes.
"Shall we?"