Chapter 6: Summum
One day in the beginning of August, Hermione's rather carefree life got more than a healthy dose of reality: the Dark Lord wanted to see her.
"What do you mean, 'he wants to see me'?" Hermione questioned, slightly panicking.
Leta was searching for something in her closet, "Just that. He likely wants to ask some questions about how your studies are, what your view is on…"
"I am not Dark!" Hermione exclaimed.
Leta stopped her search and turned to look at her, hearing the panic in her voice. Seeing the wide, scared eyes, she walked towards her. She framed the girl's face and looked straight in her eyes. "You don't have to be so fearful, love, I will be with you, I'll protect you."
"But what if—" she started, but Leta cut her off with a kiss, which she almost immediately deepened. She felt the tension slip away and Hermione melted in her arms. When she felt the girl had calmed down, she slowly broke the kiss.
"Better?" she asked.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open again. "Yes," she breathed.
Leta smiled, "Good. Now, what you need to know is this: he will ask you how you are, what you have been studying, and simultaneously he will be probing your mind to know your views—therefore: have an open mind, like I taught you, or he'll not be pleased."
Fear entered Hermione's eyes again, so Leta quickly appeased her: "You will not get tortured, because I know you will pass the test. No, you're not dark, but you're grey, and for your position, I suspect that's enough. Besides, as you said yourself, hardly anyone is purely dark."
Hermione swallowed and nodded understandingly.
"So go and put on a black dress and cloak; we'll leave soon."
Hermione was remarkably calm next to her, Leta noted as they apparated near the doors to Headquarters. Although, when they entered the building and came in hearing range of the screams, Hermione did start to walk closer to her.
When they entered the throne room, the screams had stopped, and an unidentifiable figure passed them in the doorway. Hermione backed away from them as they passed and pressed herself into Leta's front. Instinctively, Leta took her by the middle. As soon as the person was gone, however, Leta immediately let her go, not needing the Dark Lord and others who may be present to see their familiarity – even though the Dark Lord was likely about to see much more of that in Hermione's mind.
The two women walked side by side up to the Dark Lord. This time there were no other Death Eaters waiting, but Bellatrix was present, standing at the Dark Lord's side; the woman recognised Hermione easily and called out, "Mudblood!" with wicked glee, making Hermione flinch.
"Good evening, Leta, Miss Granger," the Dark Lord greeted, ignoring Bella.
"Good evening, my Lord," Leta spoke as she bowed her head.
With less conviction, Hermione said, "My Lord," as she quickly bowed her head as well. The Dark Lord seemed pleased.
"Bella, leave us."
The woman pouted, but after winking and waving at Leta, who smirked back, left the room.
"So tell me, how have you been?"
Clearly, judging by Hermione's facial expression, Leta wasn't the only one who found it odd to see the Dark Lord seemingly making small talk.
"Good, Sir."
"Hm, apparently you have. Leta has given you material to study?"
"Yes, Sir; I've been working on a wide range of hexes, spells, enchantments, and potions, ranging from the Light- to the Dark Arts."
"And she has been doing well?" he questioned Leta.
"She has, my Lord."
"Is she ready, according to you?"
Despite worrying it wasn't what he wanted to hear, she decided to go with honesty: "I think not, my Lord."
"Why?" He was unreadable.
"Changing one's perception of the world is a tricky thing, my Lord, however I think we're almost there."
He nodded curtly, not commenting further on the matter. "I need you to go fetch me a book in Switzerland. Perhaps you can take your pet along."
"Of course, my Lord."
"All the information you'll need, you'll find in this scroll," he levitated a piece of parchment to her, which she quickly glanced over, before putting it in her pocket. "I expect you to be back tomorrow evening. A permit for your international apparition has already been cleared."
"Thank you, my Lord. Until tomorrow." Leta bowed again, and Hermione quickly imitated her, before they both turned around and returned the same way they had come.
Hermione was very relieved when they were back home.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Leta said as she walked to her room to change.
"It wasn't as bad as I had expected. What is the book he wants?"
"I have no idea, really," Leta replied, taking the parchment out of her robes and putting it aside on the bedside table. "It's in a language I seem to recognise as Sumerian, but I'm not sure as I can't read that language. Can you?"
Hermione shook her head disappointedly.
Later that night, as they sat in the sofa with a cup of tea, Hermione wondered, "I didn't feel him enter my mind."
"You don't; only an extremely gifted Legilimens would be able to sense him, let alone block him."
"Well, that's not creepy at all," she commented sarcastically.
Leta smiled in amusement; she had been rubbing off on Hermione, it seemed, as the girl seemed to be using more sarcasm than before.
The next day passed quickly: they left early, dressed as muggles to fit in, and apparated to a spot a bit over an hour east of Zürich, in an alley of which the Dark Lord had put the name on the parchment for Leta to focus on in her apparition. The library that contained his book was called the Abbey Library of Saint Gall, and was not very far from the alley, on foot.
Inside the library, they soon found someone to Imperio to help them, and as Leta guessed this was why the Dark Lord had invited her to take Hermione, she told the girl to do it.
"What?" she hissed.
Leta calmly explained to her, "This is a test, to see if you are capable of casting certain spells in a real-life scenario."
"I don't have my wand," Hermione excused.
Covertly, Leta handed it to her, "Yes, you do. Now go. And remember: conviction is key."
She knew better than to disobey, so Hermione approached the woman who was putting books back in the shelves, Leta followed closely to observe. Meanwhile, she also kept an eye on another woman who was browsing, not far away.
"Excuse me, hello?" she spoke.
The woman turned, "Yes?"
"Could you tell me where the main librarian is?"
"I am she," the woman smiled, "what did you want to know?"
Leta was frowning: what was the girl attempting?
"Where can we find this book?" She showed the woman the parchment.
The woman looked at it for a moment, then back at her, confused, "I'm sorry, I don't seem to recognise this language. What is it?"
Leta cleared her throat pointedly.
With a sigh, Hermione finally cast, "Imperio."
Immediately, the librarian's eyes glazed over. Leta was pleased. She had expected it wouldn't work, since Hermione didn't seem to want to cast the curse, but despite this, apparently she did infuse enough conviction in her spellwork.
"Where is the magical section?"
"I don't know," the woman replied in a monotone.
"Have you seen oddly-dressed people come in here?"
"Yes."
"Where did they go?"
"To the basement."
Hermione ended the curse, cast an Obliviate, and quickly walked away, Leta next to her.
"Very good, though next time you might want to immediately go for Imperio; it saves time."
In the basement, they found a door, concealed for muggles, which they easily slipped through thanks to the spell given to Leta by the Dark Lord. Soon enough, they had the book, and they could return.
Leta was just resealing the door, when the woman she had seen browsing earlier came down the stairs.
"Hey! what are you doing there?"
Both of them flinched, surprised at the woman's presence. Hermione was quick to react, however – which was needed, as Leta was still busy with the sealing spell.
Hermione raised her wand, ready to cast Obliviate again, when the woman herself pulled out a wand. Hermione tried to disarm her, but the woman blocked the spell, and cast Stupefy, which Hermione succeeded at evading.
Leta had just finished the spell on the door and turned around to observe Hermione's technique, when alongside the woman, two others appeared: a wizard and a witch. She immediately went to Hermione's side to assist. They were strong opponents, but the second witch was no match for Leta's dark magic, and succumbed to a flesh-eating curse.
Hermione seemed to be matched in power to the other witch, and didn't appear to gain ground, so Leta called out, just after sending a curse in the direction of the wizard, "Use the spells I taught you!"
The girl frowned upon hearing this, but when she noticed she was starting to lose ground with the witch, her facial expression turned decisive, and her spells darkened.
The wizard went down after a bout of Crucio, and then a blood-boiling curse, which killed him.
Hermione killed the remaining witch with Avada Kedavra.
Leta looked on with a large smile how Hermione for the first time enjoyed the pleasurable sensation of using several dark spells in a duel, and casting Avada Kedavra. She had never experienced the high it gave one. Leta, too, was enjoying the rush dark magic gave, but was used to it enough that she could keep her head clear and simultaneously observe Hermione's reaction.
Then, the adrenaline still flowing, they locked eyes heatedly, and simultaneously leaned in for a kiss. Unlike all their previous kisses, which had been of a softer kind, this one was passionate and fiery. Leta reluctantly broke the kiss, and looked into Hermione's darkened eyes, "Let's go home."
She took the girl's hand, who eagerly went along, and they both hurried back to the alley they had apparated in.
Soon enough, they were back in London, in the alley next to Leta's building. Upon arriving, Hermione was pressed against the wall and she responded passionately to her lover's kiss.
They realised they would be much more comfortable in Leta's home, and hurried to the building, up the stairs, and to the woman's door. Easily, Leta undid her wards, and pulled Hermione inside as soon as the door was open.
That day was the first time they slept together.