That afternoon, Hermione and Tom met in the common room with the fae. She pulled a large book out of her book on fae and picked up the small creature on the table in front of them. Tom, who was sitting across from her, took the book from her and began reading.
"We really should have gone con. Fae are evil creatures," Tom said.
"Then how come you never use them?" Hermione muttered.
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing!" Hermione lied but smiled, she could never picture Voldemort trying to talk over the world with faeries. Tom continued reading as Hermione let the fae climb up and down her arms.
"Do you know what they need for care?" he asked.
"Well, they don't eat," she paused and looked at the fae climbing up her arm. "I think they just need a nice little place to sleep."
"That's too simple," he said, still not looking up from the book; it certainly was not like Dumbledore to give extremely easy assignments.
"Yes, but the debate is a bit harder," Hermione sighed and put her hair up into a bun so the fae could walk from shoulder to shoulder. The fae and person it attached to formed more of a bond and Hermione could tell what the fae wanted. They seemed to be able to talk with no words; Hermione assumed Bianca knew Hermione did not like Tom, so she was a bit mean with Tom. Hermione smiled as Bianca began to fly around her.
"'Fukal Fae are categorized under Brownies. Brownies are faeries who help families, similar to house elves. If you give a brownie clothes, it disappears forever, assuming its work for his or her master is done. Although most brownies request food in return for their services, Fukal Fae ask for a place to sleep due to the fact that they do not eat. If you do not supply what they ask for, or if it is not satisfactory, they turn into a boggart,'" Tom read from the book. "We can use her as a house elf!"
"NO WE WILL NOT!" she exclaimed a little loudly, everyone in the common room was staring at them.
"It was a joke! You really should have been named Katerina..." Tom joked, but did not laugh; his face remained emotionless as it usually was, and he continued to read. She shot him a death glare but he did not see her. She pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of her bag and began to write.
"Fukal Fae are wonderful creatures who do not require much. They are classified under 'Brownies,' a type of Earth fae. They bond to one person and the bond lasts for the rest of the fae's life. Brownies are much like house elves in the sense that they do things for a family in return for shelter and/or food; giving a brownie clothing is not a good idea as the assume that they are no longer needed and vanish forever," Hermione stopped. She handed it to Tom to read then handed him the quill to continue writing. He seemed to take forever with the paper and he used at least five more pieces of parchment. He handed it to Hermione when he was done and she spent a few minutes reading it.
"Wow," she commented.
"What?" he asked and looked at her questionably.
"You write very well," she said and scanned over what he wrote again.
"Okay," he said.
'Okay?' she thought. 'Oh yea, he would never say "Thanks," Mr. Riddle would never do a thing like that. Note to myself - never compliment his work again.' She sighed and the fae stopped walking and looked at her with a questioning look, and Hermione smiled to her. Bianca began pacing around again when she realized Hermione was okay.