Author's Note: Remember when I said that I was going to update faster? Well, I lied. Turns out my break is three days shorter than I originally thought (no, I'm not on summer vacation. It's spring break.) so the next chapter will come out next Friday unless I miraculously have no homework this coming week. Not to mention, this chapter came with a huge writer's block, and it kind of lowered my motivation to write…oh well, it should come back soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. Everything belongs respectfully to JK Rowling and I am not using this fanfiction to make money.

Thanks for reviewing and reading my story. You guys are the best!

Zombie Reine, Chamilia Lutien Tinuviel, voldyismyfather, CathyCullen16, Red Sphinx, Vanilla Sensation, Angellwriter, Anon, Once Upon A Time I Died


"Nick!"

Nick turned around and placed a finger to his lips. Hermione immediately clammed up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the nearest classroom, locking the door nonverbally behind them and placing a few spells on it. Hermione heard footsteps pound by outside, stopping briefly in front of them, before it walked past.

Hermione breathed heavily as Nick sat down easily on one of the desks. Hermione didn't recognize the classroom, which was extremely rare. "Sorry about that," Nick said. "Ron told me at dinner that they have prefects checking to make sure everything is in order, and then there's Filch. I didn't know about them before. I would've picked a better place to meet."

"Filch?"

"Caretaker. To prevent kids like us from sneaking out in the middle of the night."

"Sounds annoying."

Nick snorted. "You obviously haven't seen him yet. He's obsessed with his cat. Awkward moment when you stumble upon the two of them in an empty hallway." He looked at Hermione. "He seems to like your friend, though, so maybe you can use him to get some brownie points for us."

"My friend?"

"Yeah." Catching Hermione's puzzled face, he added, "What was his name? It had something to do with jokes…"

"Riddle?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Riddle," Nick nodded, and Hermione almost groaned. Of course it would be him. "Though, it looked like flirting on his part." Nick glanced at her. "You sure he doesn't swing that way?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Hermione snapped at him. "If you're so interested in him, go ask him yourself."

Nick eyed her warily. "Are you okay?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm just stressed. Riddle's being annoying, like always, and I…I got a note." She admitted, peeking at Nick. His face was expressionless. "I think I'm being stalked."

She waved the tiny slip of paper in front of his face, and he took it, frowning. He read it, and then sighed. "I thought as much."

Hermione stared at him. "What?"

Nick lowered his voice. "There's another spy here. For your father."

Hermione was shocked. Why was she not clued in about this? "How do you know?" she asked him suspiciously. If this was Nick's idea of a joke, she was going to punch him…or worse. "You don't even work for him anymore."

"I got a note the first day as well," Nick said easily. "The person plain out stated it."

"Can I see the note?"

"No."

"No?" Hermione looked at him angrily.

"I burned it."

Hermione stared at him, her mouth wide open. "You burned it? Are you crazy? That was important evidence! Why didn't you turn it into Dippet?"

"Because Dippet is perfectly capable of doing something about it," Nick snorted. "He'd probably ask who Grindelwald is."

Hermione ignored him. "Why didn't you turn it into Dumbledore then? I'm sure he could've traced it or at least gotten-"

"Hermione, not everything is black and white," Nick shook his head. "Have you ever thought about what would happen to you if the spy were to get caught and report you as well? He or she obviously knows about your background. You would get arrested if the person decided to talk."

Hermione crossed her arms. "You shouldn't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can," Nick looked at her. "I'm not going to sacrifice you for some pesky spy who won't even gather the courage to meet me face to face. We're not even sure how big of a threat they are. Wait it out. I'm not just going to turn you in." Nick paused. "You know you're worth more to me than that."

Hermione stared him down. She knew he meant well, but right now, her wellbeing wasn't the problem. "It doesn't matter. You still should've turned it in."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Fine, if I ever receive a note again, I'll consider giving it to Dumbledore." He eyed her. "Take it or leave it, Hermione. You're not going to get anything better."

"Fine." Hermione scowled at him.

Nick nodded. "Alright, down to business then." He checked the clock on the wall. "We have approximately thirty minutes to talk before I have to go back into the common room." He grinned at her. "That is, unless you want to set a public image that we're doing naughty things."

"We are doing naughty things," Hermione pointed out. "Just not in that context. It wouldn't have worked, anyways. I told them you're my half brother, though Black is convinced we still can share a romance."

"I like the way his mind thinks," Nick grinned, but then a serious expression replaced it. "You seem to trust your friends a lot."

"Do I?" Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "I only told them that we're related. I didn't think it was that bad."

"Yeah, well, they'll want to know how we're related," Nick snorted. "And then you'll eventually tell them that we share the same dad. And then they'll want to know who our dad is. What are you going to say? My dad is the biggest threat in the world right now, and he's going around killing mass numbers of people. He goes by the name of Grindelwald. Have you heard of him?"

"Shh!" Hermione glanced nervously at the door. "Not so loud!"

"Don't worry," Nick said easily. "I cast Muffliato before. They can't hear us."

Hermione scowled at him. "Someone who's able," Riddle. "who's curious enough," Riddle. "and who has permission to walk around at night," Riddle. "might've heard." She glared at him pointedly.

Nick eyed her warily. "Alright, I get your point. Why do you hang out with him? You don't seem to like him much."

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend." Nick replied easily. "The infamous Tom Riddle. You know, if you're just doing it to piss someone off, you better stop. You're picking the worst person possible. There's going to be girls after your blood from all four houses."

"I know that," Hermione glared at him. "Riddle's not my boyfriend. And if I wanted to piss someone off, I have more effective methods. And, for your information, most of the girls already hate me."

"Yeah, I know. Potions, right?"

Hermione stared at him. "Are you stalking me now?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Nick grinned at her. "Gossip actually travels between houses pretty fast. It does help, of course, that Ron himself seems to like talking about you. He said that Riddle sat down next to you, and rejected the beautiful Tracey Parkinson?" He caught Hermione look at him. "Hey, its Ron's words, not mine."

"Beautiful?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Ron's a sucker for girls," Nick shrugged.

"Yeah, Riddle sat next to me." Hermione mumbled. "I don't know what he's playing at. I think he's just trying to get me killed. Or get information of me. Or a combination of both."

Nick looked amused. "And it never crossed your mind that maybe he was attracted to you?"

"Riddle's not attracted to anyone, and I am certainly not attracted to him." Hermione frowned. "Even if I did have feelings for him, I don't think I would ever go out with him, even if I did have the chance."

"Why not?" A smirk crossed Nick's face. He was clearly enjoying himself.

"He's too smart," she said. "And curious. He likes to know stuff. And this," Hermione gestured between the two of them. "Is something he wants to know badly. Can you imagine me being with someone who interrogates me every day? He even tried to cast the Imperius on me."

Nick looked at her angrily. "He used an Unforgivable on you? I could report him."

"Don't. He didn't get anywhere." Plus, if you take it to Dumbledore, Riddle would get expelled. And I made a promise to Tim.

Nick's eyes softened. "Are you alright?" he asked gently. "Did the memories come again?"

"Yeah." Hermione frowned. "They were different this time, though. I killed him in my hallucination, but I ended up casting it in real life too."

Nick's eyes widened. "You didn't…hurt anyone, did you?"

"No. I just gave Abraxas a scare." She shrugged. "I think Riddle is starting to suspect something as well. He underestimated me, after all. Did you know," she said haughtily. "I went through his Cruciatus without screaming?"

Nick stared pointedly at her. "You're the only one in the whole world who would brag about that."

"Maybe because I'm the only one in the whole word who can brag about that?"

Nick shook his head. "You need to pretend to be vulnerable. You already look suspicious enough. A transfer student is rare. It would look even more suspicious if some random mountain lion appeared out of nowhere."

"Who are you calling mountain lion?"

Nick ignored her. "Does he know anything? Have you shown him anything?"

"Not that much. I tried to hold back when he randomly curse me." Hermione shrugged. "The only thing he saw was me knocking out a bunch of old men in the back alley. It wasn't that big of a deal."

Nick snorted. "You seem to think that normal girls can do that,"

"They were old men, Nick. Old men do not have the same stamina that we do."

Nick sighed, rolled his eyes, and then glanced at the clock. "I have to go," he told her regretfully. "But be careful, alright? Don't let Riddle fool you. Try to pretend to be vulnerable. Riddle will have no reason to attack you if you're not suspicious." He glanced at her worriedly. "Take care of yourself, Hermione."

"I'll try."

It turned out that it was easier said than done.

Hermione's first week at Hogwarts passed by quickly, and rather successfully. She had discovered, rather annoyed, that she and Riddle shared every class but Charms. That meant she had to suffer through his annoying smirk for hours a day, not to mention, he often went to the library at the same time as her. He often did his homework next to her, spent five times less time and effort and yet he still managed to get better grades than she did.

This caused more annoyance from the other girls, and Tracey went out of her way to make Hermione feel terrible. Hermione would wake up every morning with her face covered in green goo, though she hadn't minded. If that was the worst thing that Tracey could do to her, then it was fine with her. The girl didn't seem to have enough guts to do anything worse than glare while Hermione was awake.

This also helped her bond with Eileen. While she still considered Abraxas, and maybe even Black and Riddle, better friends than Eileen, Hermione was grateful to have a girl companion. Despite claiming otherwise, Eileen was quite informed on what went on in the school. Her daily gossips from Tracey ended the second Riddle sat down next to her in potions, and she sure wasn't going to go ask Abraxas, Black or Riddle the latest gossip.

She and Nick hadn't met again, but they often mouthed things to each other from across the Great Hall. Riddle would often notice and scowl, but what she did was really none of his business. They were just mouthing to each other. To be honest, if he wanted her to mouth things to him, he could've just asked; she would've done it, mainly to piss Tracey off.

Hermione had been excited to start learning in every class, though to her disappointment, every teacher had spent at least a good ten minutes of each class lecturing the importance of OWLs. She had already learned most of it from books, so she wanted to move on to more practical things. However, most of the class seemed perfectly fine with the slow pace that the teachers were going at, so she had no choice but to sit through the lectures.

To Hermione's displeasure, Riddle had one more OWL than she did, and she had no doubt he would achieve an 'O' on every subject. That thought displeased her, and whenever she ranted about it, Abraxas would roll his eyes and tell her to lighten up. Everyone else wouldn't have even spent the time to listen to her. Black just ran away whenever she got that angry look on her face, and she couldn't exactly rant to Riddle about it; he was smug enough already.

Abraxas and Black had Quidditch practice starting, and they spent most of their time at the pitch. She would tag along, but they would often be talking to Avery, Lestrange, or Eleanor, and she felt awkward being around them. As time progressed, out of the three 'friends' she had made before she got to Hogwarts, the one she spent the most time with ended up to be Riddle. Hermione guessed it was because he went out of his way to make sure her life was miserable, and the classes they shared didn't help either. However, even though he was an insufferable prick, she found that she could maintain an intelligent conversation with him, something that was hard to do even with Nick. He was enjoyable to talk to until he started making snarky comments.

Ron played Quidditch as well, and she would watch him sometimes. Minerva played as well, something Hermione was rather surprised by. She had never pictured her to be a flying type. Hermione herself showed up to most of the Gryffindor practices, not for the Quidditch—as Black accused her of rooting for the other team—but because Nick would often show up as well. Black and Abraxas sometimes tagged along, hiding in the bleachers and spying on their rival team. Riddle, however, seemed to have no interest in the sport and never turned up, something Hermione was grateful for. The last thing she wanted was her only free time with Nick to be interrupted by Riddle's presence.

She had done the best she could to stay away from Cygnus, but found out that there was more to him than met the eye. As it turned out, he was also in Hermione's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, though when she questioned Black why he wasn't there the first class, Black said he was sworn to secrecy. Cygnus still glared at her whenever they met each other's eyes, but she did her best to be nice to him. She was rewarded with scowls.

And then there was Riddle and his fishy group. She had walked in on them meeting once; she had only seen Riddle, sitting high and mighty on a chair. The rest of them bowed around him. She had accidentally squeaked, and everyone turned around to face her. She was sure that none of them—other than Riddle—saw her face, and the only faces she saw were Avery and Lestrange. She had hoped that Black and Abraxas weren't in the group, but judging by everything that had happened, they probably were. She fled before Riddle could open his mouth, mind whirling on possibilities about what the group was for.

Riddle had confronted her about it, but she had always told him she didn't know what he was talking about. He was suspicious, but he seemed relieved that Hermione hadn't run off to tell anyone. However, that didn't stop him from wanting to get the information. In public, he was still the charming young man, but whenever they were alone, his mask came off. He had cornered her once, wand pressed against her neck. It seemed like his little group was more important than he let on. The only reason why Hermione had left unscathed was because Slughorn came bustling down the hallway, saving her. However, even that came at a price. Hermione soon learned that Slughorn had spread the rumor that she and Riddle were snogging in an empty hallway. If the girls hadn't wanted to murder her before, they definitely wanted to now. From then on, she tried to avoid going to class early, and whenever she went to the library, she dragged Nick with her. Riddle never had a chance to be alone with her after that incident, and after awhile, he seemed to forget about it and go back to his snarky self.

Hermione almost let herself believe that she could be a regular student here, and that she could forget about her past and live in Hogwarts peacefully. Of course, she wasn't normal, not with her background. But one could try, couldn't they?

If only Riddle made it that easy for her.

"Where's Eileen?"

"In the dorm," Hermione said irritably, looking around. The only free seats were next to either Riddle or Cygnus, and the withering glare from the latter informed Hermione that she didn't really have a choice where she sat. Plus, Riddle can't really do anything in a classroom. He wouldn't risk soiling his perfect reputation. "She's sick."

"Perfect."

Hermione stared at him like he had grown two heads. "Perfect?" she repeated. "What exactly, Mister Riddle, is perfect?"

A smirk and a, "You'll see," was all she got from him.

Merrythought clapped her hands loudly, looking around the room. "This is great. Since Miss Eileen is out—send my regards to her, Miss Granger," Hermione nodded. "We have an even number of people in the class. Please pair up to duel each other, though there's more Gryffindors, so one group will have to pair up with the opposite house."

Hermione frowned and nudged Abraxas, who was sitting in front of her. "Dueling?" she whispered. "Isn't that dangerous?" She resisted looking over at her seat partner, but an amused snort from him told Hermione that Riddle knew she was referring to him.

"No dangerous spells, of course," Abraxas said, though he glanced pointedly at Riddle. The latter met his gaze evenly. "Most of the students here aren't advanced enough anyway. You'll see a couple stunners at most." Abraxas sighed. "It amazes me that we're all fifth years."

"Each pair goes up," Black added. "And everyone stares at them. It's awfully intimidating."

Abraxas nudged him. "Stop it. You're scaring her."

"Scared? Squirtle?" Black gasped. "What are you talking about? Squirtle is fearless."

Chatter had taken over the room, and Merrythought had to clear her throat multiple times to get the class's attention. "Please pick your partner now. You have five minutes to organize yourselves, and then I will be calling the groups up in random order." She cleared her throat again. "Please note that this will be counted as a grade. Do not pick a partner that will drag you down."

Hermione cursed Eileen for being out. She picked the wrong day to get sick. The girl had seemed fine last night. Did she somehow know that they were dueling in DADA, and purposely got sick? She would have to investigate that later.

Riddle turned towards her. "Granger, want-"

Hermione flew out of her seat before he could finish his sentence, nearly knocking Riddle out of his. He scowled, but she didn't stay to hear what he responded. "Nick!" she called out, and the Gryffindors looked surprised—if not displeased—that a random Slytherin girl was talking to one of their own. Nick, however, nodded quickly and stood up, leaving behind a rather disgruntled Ron.

Riddle didn't look pleased, openly scowling at her when Merrythought turned around.

"Listen," Nick whispered in her ear. "Here's the plan. I'll count to three, and then we cast a stunner. And then we'll both drop our wands. Got it?"

Hermione nodded, but couldn't resist adding, "I think you're just doing this because you can't beat me in a real duel, so you have to come up with this elaborate plan."

"You flatter me," Nick snorted. "You call that elaborate?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but looked away. Riddle, still scowling, had paired up with Abraxas, who looked equally pleased about the arrangement. Cygnus was talking quietly with Black, and some girls near them were squealing loudly about seeing the brothers battle. Black seemed to enjoy the attention, winking at them, but Cygnus barely acknowledged them at all. Hermione had never met twins any more different.

Hermione wondered why Abraxas paired up with Riddle. She knew there were more than enough Slytherin girls who would be willing to pair up with both of them.

Maybe he was forced to.

Judging by Abraxas's face when he thought Riddle wasn't looking, Hermione was correct.

Abraxas turned around and gave her a death glare. He seemed to have expected her to save him by teaming up with him. If Nick weren't there, her next choice would be Abraxas. However, since Nick was there, she stuck her tongue out at Abraxas, and he scowled at her. She was grateful that for once, she didn't have to be put with Riddle.

"Hey, Hermione," It was Ron, dragging a brown hair guy behind him. He was about Hermione's height, and she recognized him as the person who had blown up his cauldron in Potions. He offered her a sheepish grin. "This is Seamus Finnigan."

"Hiya," Seamus said easily. "You're the smart bookworm from Potions."

Hermione knew she should be offended, but she somehow felt prideful. She was already establishing a rather good reputation in this school. Who cared if she was a bookworm? At least some people thought she was smart. "And you're the guy who blew up his cauldron."

"Heh," Seamus said, scratching the back of his head. "I can't help it. I'm accident prone." He looked at Ron. "Remember the time during second year when I exploded my cauldron in my face?"

Ron grinned at him. "Which time?"

The two of them launched into a conversation of their history. Nick and she exchanged looks, and shrugged. "I would suggest talking about our history, since it's undoubtedly longer and more interesting than theirs," He grinned. "But I think it'd scare them a bit."

Hermione snorted. "That's an understatement."

Nick bent down and whispered to her, "Remember the time when he locked me in a closet for nine days because I stole the Elder Wand from him?"

"SHH!" she hissed, looking around. Thankfully, no one seemed to have heard his comment, but Riddle narrowed his eyes at her random outburst and her proximity to Nick. She scowled back.

Nick smirked, and then turned back to his friend. "Yo, Ron," he called, and Ron and Seamus halted their conversation. "What is the sheet Black is handing out?"

"The Slytherins started a tradition where they bet on who's going to win the duels," Ron said. "Merrythought doesn't approve of it, of course, but she doesn't stop it either." Ron shrugged. "I think she secretly bets as well."

"What do you get if you bet correctly?" Hermione questioned.

Ron raised his eyebrows. "There's a fifty-fifty chance you'll get it right, Hermione. That's a high probability. You just get to win, of course."

"Booring." Nick yawned.

"When Tom's dueling, though, everyone in the class automatically wins," Seamus added. "Tom's never lost a duel before."

Yeah, can't imagine him losing anything.

Before Hermione could respond, a piece of paper was thrust in front of her face. "Squirtle," Black said, appearing out of nowhere. Cygnus trailed behind him, a scowl on his face. Black forced the paper into her hands. "You'll bet on me, right?"

"I don't know," Hermione tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I might bet on Cygnus."

As expected, Cygnus said darkly, "Bet on me and die."

Nick rolled his eyes as Cygnus and Black moved onto the next pair. "That one likes you a lot."

"No, is it that obvious?" Hermione said sarcastically.

Still, she placed her bets. She had been with these people for a week, after all, and she more or less knew their strengths. The one she had the most trouble with was the Gryffindor Prefect. She looked over at Minerva, who was whispering with her friend, Lily. Minerva was better at transfiguration, but Lily was better all around. Hermione gnawed at her lip, and then chose Minerva. Maybe she would transfigure Lily into something early on. She didn't feel comfortable with choosing someone she had never spoken to.

Hermione circled her final name when Ron came back. "There are three highly anticipated duels," he said, eyes twinkling excitedly. Hermione had only seen him this excited when it came to Quidditch. "The usual two: Cygnus and Orion, and Tom and Abraxas." He glanced at the Slytherin side of the room. "And then there's the battle between you two."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Us?"

"Yeah, no one knows your strengths, so it's impossible to bet," Ron shrugged. "They know that Hermione is smart, but smartness and dueling skills are often very different." He glanced towards Nick. "And they know you're a blue haired lazy bum who doesn't do any work."

Nick smirked. "So, who did you bet on, Ron?"

Ron looked uncomfortable and shifted around. "I-er-bet on you. Sorry, Hermione. House unity, and I know him better."

"I'm not offended." Hermione waved him off. "I personally would be really shocked if anyone in Gryffindor bet on me." She glanced at Nick. "I guess blue haired lazy bums are more popular here."

"Guess so," Nick replied cockily.

She leaned over and whispered to Nick. "You have the whole house to carry on your shoulders," She said. "Make sure you give them a good performance."

Nick snorted. "How stylish can you make two stunners?"

"Mister Weasley and Mister Finnigan," Merrythought called. The class fell silent, and Hermione and Nick took their seats. Ron and Seamus grinned at each other, and went to the front of the room. The room had been transformed so there was a stage in the front. Merrythought had told them that it was still a work in progress, and that the duels would take place in another room once the 'Dueling Room'—"Real creative," Nick snorted, earning him an elbow jab by Hermione—was finished.

Hermione settled down in her seat, trying to avoid the blank looks Riddle was giving her. What did she think she was, stupid? She wasn't going to go duel with Riddle for no reason. She didn't know what Riddle was thinking if he thought she would agree to duel with him.

"Remember," Merrythought said to the class. "No dangerous spells, or you will receive a week's worth of detention with Mister Filch." Groans could be heard around the room. Hermione grinned. She was unfortunate enough to meet the squib as she had been heading towards the library. He had wanted to report her because she stared at his cat for a few seconds too long. He claimed that she was trying to petrify it with her eyes, and Hermione had to pay her second trip to the Headmaster's office to bail herself out. "The duel is won when your opponent drops his wand, or is in no condition to continue dueling." She stepped aside. "On that note, happy dueling!"

Ron and Seamus dueled for a while, but Hermione was surprised to see that Abraxas had been correct. She sat there for ten minutes, watching stunners fly back and forth. Protego was cast occasionally, but Hermione saw both Ron and Seamus opting to dodge rather than cast a shielding spell.

Hermione looked around; no one seemed too surprised by this. In fact, they even looked like they had expecting it. Hermione guessed this was what happened every time Merrythought decided to have the students duel. Merrythought herself, though, didn't notice the other students chattering and rolling their eyes. She was engrossed in the dueling.

It was an interesting twelve minutes later that Seamus finally dropped his wand. Hermione almost snorted when it wasn't Ron's curse that did it, but because it had slipped out of Seamus's fingers. She wanted to point out that in a real duel, there were still a lot of resources to use if one dropped their wand, but she thought better of it.

Okay, maybe they weren't that bad. Maybe my standards are just higher.

"Finally," Nick rolled his eyes. "I thought it would've never ended." He looked at her. "At least we're being considerate by ending the duel in less than ten seconds. I'm sure the audience would appreciate it."

Leave it to Nick to look on the bright side.

A couple more Gryffindor pairs were called up to go. The last one, Minerva and Lily, was the most fascinating. It had begun to take the shape of a real duel, but it was still on the amateur level. The two of them were clumsy, and the spells were often off target. Riddle was noticeably yawning through the duel, and Hermione glared at him. She was going to yawn through his duel.

It turned out she didn't have a chance to.

Riddle and Abraxas were the first Slytherin pair to go up. Riddle cast a simple stunner, and when Abraxas moved aside, Riddle cast a disarming spell. The duel was over, and Abraxas grinned sheepishly at a skeptical Merrythought. She, as well as Hermione, knew that Abraxas had let Riddle win easily.

Is he really that scared of him?

"He's Riddle," A voice in her head said. "Even you're afraid of Riddle sometimes." Hermione scoffed and pushed the voice out of her head.

However, even though she had barely seen Riddle duel, she knew that his level was well above the class's. It was the way he held himself elegantly, and Hermione got the feeling that he wasn't even trying. A lazy look crossed his face, and his spells were incredibly accurate on target. Hermione was sure that if he hadn't been so evil, he would've been a terrific ally.

And if he was trying, I might even lose to him.

Cygnus and Black were next, and Hermione watched intensely. The two of them seemed to be equally matched, and were both strong in dueling. Hermione wondered if that was Riddle's doing. Hermione didn't think he would take someone weak into his little group. Dumb, maybe, but not weak. Black was more on target, but Cygnus was swifter in dodging. To Hermione's surprise, at the end, she saw a small smile on Cygnus's face. The look was so foreign, Hermione almost dropped out of her seat. Who knew he could smile?

It ended in a tie, as the duel was going too long. Merrythought stopped the brothers, much to the disappointment of the class. Hermione had to admit that both of the brothers were better than she thought, and she found a newfound respect for both Black and Cygnus, but the latter glared at her when she offered him a smile. Well, at least she was trying.

"Miss Granger and Mister Porter,"

Riddle turned and smirked at her, but she stood her ground. She wasn't going to lose at him. Nick nudged her, and she started walking towards the front of the room. Merrythought beamed at them, getting her pen and paper ready. It was a shame that the first impression Merrythought was going to get of Hermione was that she couldn't duel, but it was necessary. She couldn't have Riddle finding out any more than he already knew.

Though really, a little dueling wouldn't hurt. It's not like I'm going to show everything. I can restrain myself. She mentally glared at Nick.

"Porter?" Hermione whispered at Nick. "Nicholas Porter?"

"I was in Portland at the time," Nick defended himself. "It was off the top of my head."

"Why were you in Portland?"

"I'll tell you later,"

Hermione nodded, and walked to the opposite side of the stage. She carefully took her wand out, purposely dropping it. Merrythought frowned slightly, jotting something down in her notebook, making Hermione's heart clench. Riddle's smirk, however, informed her that he had easily seen through her act, and she scowled. She had put up the act for him, though she had to admit it had been rather lame.

Nick nodded at her reassuringly, and the two of them bowed at each other. "One," he mouthed. "Two. Thre-"

"Professor?"

Hermione and Nick lowered their wands, and Hermione turned to glare at Riddle. He was smiling politely at Merrythought. "Since they're both new students, Professor, wouldn't it be more fitting if someone else dueled with them?" Someone like me. Hermione could almost hear him say.

Hermione stared wide-eyed at Merrythought, trying to let the Professor know that no, it was not a good idea. However, Merrythought beamed at Riddle. "An excellent idea, Mister Riddle!" She cooed. Hermione wanted to die. Leave it to Riddle to ruin something as harmless as a little dueling. "If it wouldn't trouble you, would you mind dueling them?"

"Not at all, Professor," Riddle said smoothly.

Of course he wouldn't mind.

Abraxas sent her a look of pity. Black started going around the room with sheets of bets again, though Hermione didn't expect anyone to actual bet for her. Hell, she probably would've bet for Riddle if he and Nick were dueling.

Nick pulled her over and whispered, "Don't show anything. I'm going to bet on Riddle, so I don't expect you to disappoint me."

"How do you know I'm the one dueling?" Hermione asked. "Riddle could choose you."

Riddle's voice echoed from the stage. "Granger, get up here."

Nick rolled his eyes as Hermione groaned. "Stay safe," he patted her shoulder reassuringly, before heading back to his seat. He never broke eye contact with her, and it made her feel better.

Honestly, this is just a duel. It's not like I'm going to die. Why am I so nervous?

Riddle bowed at her, though not low enough to be recognized as submission. His smirk was plastered on his face. "Ready, Granger?" he said softly.

Ready to kick your arse.

Hermione drew her wand out, ignoring him. He seemed slow on getting his wand out, so she cast a simple stunner at him. He step-sided it, and grinned at her. Hermione blinked; why was he so happy about a simple stunner? Even the first years could cast a stunner.

"Excellent, Miss Granger," Merrythought said, jotting something down. "Nonverbal spells, excellent, excellent."

Crap.

Judging by Riddle's face, he did it on purpose.

He sent a simple stunner at her, and she planned to stand there and take the hit. Maybe if she got hit, Merrythought would call off the duel and send her to the Hospital Wing. She wasn't sure how long she could refrain herself from properly dueling. Her restrain would break, and she would start hurling curses at Riddle, and she couldn't guarantee them not to be dark.

However, at the last second, her reflexes caused her to throw herself away from the spell. Riddle raised an eyebrow; she could've just produced a shielding charm after all. Merrythought frowned and jotted something down.

Riddle sent a couple of stunners, and Hermione managed to dodge them all, though she received strange glances from the class. They seemed to have forgotten that they themselves did the exact same.

Her wand hand twitched irritably, and she glanced at Nick. She saw him sighing, and then mouthed, "Do whatever you want."

Thank Merlin.

She raised her wand, a new determination in his eyes. Riddle smirked, and said, "This is more like it."

He cast some spells in succession. Hermione didn't recognize some of them, much to her frustration. She wasn't used to spells she didn't recognize. Maybe her studies were slipping? She needed study more. She had been more focused on avoiding Riddle in the library than actually reading the book.

She step-sided the foreign spells, and set up a simple shielding charm. She remembered that these were all in the fifth grade curriculum, so it wouldn't look too suspicious, right? This could be easy, and maybe a little fun. Her grade wouldn't drop that much, but she wouldn't reveal anything of importance to Riddle either. Some very basic spell casting couldn't hurt, could it?

If only Riddle made life easy for her.

The battle progressed on, and Hermione was sure it had lasted even longer than Cygnus's and Black's, but Merrythought hadn't stopped them. She was watching, along with the rest of the class, fascinated. Nick was rolling his eyes, but offered her a smile in encouragement. 'Mountain lion' he mouthed at her, and she took her anger out on Riddle, who barely dodged a spell aimed for his head.

Abraxas looked shocked that she had lasted so long. He obviously had not pegged her for the dueling type. Well, there was a lot about her that he didn't know.

Riddle's spells got increasingly harder. She was sure, to the class, he looked like the perfect role model. He started off with basic spells, and started working his way up, testing to see what she knew. However, Hermione knew that Riddle had a motive, and though she hated to admit it, he was really good at getting what he wanted.

She was sure Riddle was holding back, but she couldn't complain, as she was holding back as well. She wondered slightly what would be the result if the two of them battled full force. It seemed that neither of them were too keen on showing Merrythought their true power. If they did, Riddle probably would've won, she thought sadly, but that's because he was more experienced in Dark Arts. All she ever did was cast a few Unforgivables here and there. Maybe she should start studying Dark Arts as well. She would have to add that to the list of things she had to do.

Hermione cast Incarcerous, ropes forming from the tip of her wand and lashing at him. Merrythought was furiously scribbling things down. Riddle step-sided it, returning it with Incendio. Fire sparks flew out of the tip of his wand. She dodged it, only to find out they kept coming. She must've looked ridiculous, opting to dodge like crazy rather than to cast a stronger shielding charm. Riddle smirked and relaxed slightly, obviously believing he had won. Hermione scowled. He didn't win yet. She still had some tricks up her sleeves.

However, before she could use those said tricks, she tripped.

And promptly fell into Tom Riddle.

The two of them tumbled off the stage and on to the floor. Collective gasps could be heard around the room. When the dust cleared, Hermione was straddling Riddle, a pink blush forming on her face. Several outraged cries could be heard around the room, and Riddle smirked at Hermione. Black's wolf whistle could be heard in the background.

Isn't this awkward.

Hermione removed herself from on top of Riddle, apologizing profusely. Riddle had a smug look on his face, and Hermione desperately looked around for something to clear the awkward atmosphere. She then noticed something, and turned to Merrythought triumphantly. "Professor?" she said sweetly. "I believe Riddle here dropped his wand."

Merrythought blinked and looked at the ground. "So he did," she said, rather astonished. "I don't know if I should count it or not, though…"

"You should count it, Professor," Riddle stood up, picking his wand up in the process. Hermione looked at him suspiciously; what was he up to? "She won fair and square."

Merrythought looked doubtful, but nodded anyway. Riddle started to make his way towards the Slytherin section of the room, but then bent down to whisper, "I do wish you'd show me your true strength, Granger."

Hermione could only gap at him as he made his way back to his seat, not the least bit concerned that he had 'lost.' Hermione sighed and made her way back over to Nick. It wasn't as bad as she had expected, but it did seem to pique up Riddle's curiosity once more. There really was no way to win against him, was there?

"Nice job, Hermione," Ron said, grinning. "That tackle move at the end was brilliant. I don't think anyone has ever beaten Riddle before."

Hermione nodded, and then plopped down besides Nick. "They seem to think I did it on purpose,"

Nick laughed. "I thought you did it on purpose at first. I don't think I've ever seen you trip up. Maybe your utter motive was to straddle Riddle in front of the class?" Hermione scowled. "I owe you, by the way,"

Hermione looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

Nick pointed at his watch. "Class ends in five minutes. There's no way she's going to ask me to duel." He sat back leisurely in his chair as Hermione glared at him. "Just watch."

Merrythought stood up and cast a glance at Nick. "I'm sorry, Mister Porter, but we don't have time for your duel today. Maybe next class?"

"It's okay, Professor. I won't mind." He said sweetly, and Merrythought beamed at him. He caught Hermione looking at him, and said, "What?"

"You're improving," she grinned at him. "You're almost as good as me now,"

"What can I say? I'm learning from the best."

"Stop, you're adding the wrong thing!"

"The Griffin Claw is supposed to be powdered. Does that look powdered?"

"You stir twice, Abraxas."

"Counter clockwise, not clockwise. Can you read?"

"You add that after letting the potion sit for two days. It says it here in big bold letters."

"If you add salamander blood right now, I may have to kill you."

"Will the both of you shut up?" Abraxas glared at his two seat partners as they sat leisurely in their chairs. "Why don't the both of you do it then, if you're so smart?"

"Oh, we would do it," Riddle yawned. "But there's no doubt our potion would come out perfect, so we figured why waste the effort when you can have someone else do it for you?"

"Hear, hear," Hermione echoed.

"You suck,"

Black turned around and grinned. "I don't envy you right now," he patted Abraxas on the shoulders, and turned towards Riddle. "Hogsmeade is coming up next weekend. Want me to ask my mother to sign your permission slip as well?"

Riddle frowned and shook his head. "I'll just go ask Dippet. I'm sure he'll let me go."

If you didn't murder Tim, this wouldn't have happened.

Still, the Hogsmeade trip proved to be troublesome. There was no way that she was going to ask her father to sign it for her. Because that'll be perfectly normal, bringing in a piece of paper that says 'Gellert Grindelwald' on it. Hermione snorted. If Riddle were to get his hands on it, he'd think it was a sick joke—or worse, he'd believe it.

However, if she couldn't go, then Nick couldn't go either. It would look awfully suspicious if the two of the newest students couldn't go because they had not acquired parent signatures. Riddle would become more suspicious. She knew she had given the name 'Monica Wilkes' to him as the name of her mother, and it was true Monica Wilkes was dead. She could then say her father was dead too. However, Riddle knew they were half siblings, and if he were to do some research, he would figure out that Nick looked like Monica Wilkes, which would symbolize the two of them having different fathers. However, did Monica Wilkes really have two husbands who both happened to die? She wasn't sure; she was going to have to check.

She could only pray Riddle didn't do any research. Or maybe she could drive a car over Nick's face to see if it could dismantle his face enough. Even though Nick was no longer working for her father, him being Grindelwald's son was just as bad. And honestly, if one looked hard enough, they could figure out the resemblance pretty quickly.

Eleanor turned around and said sweetly to Riddle, "Tom, we have a Quidditch match tomorrow. We're playing against Gryffindor. Would you like to come?"

Instead of answering her, Riddle turned to Hermione and smirked. "Guess we all know who's going."

Hermione crossed her arms. "For your information, I'm going because Black got down on his knees and begged me, and not because Nick is going."

Black grinned. "I was cow toeing."

"Kowtow," Hermione corrected.

Black opened his mouth to reply, when Slughorn cleared his throat. "Are you finished?" He asked, looking at Black's cauldron. "Mister Black, I advise you to spend more time on your potion and less time working your mouth." He glanced over at Hermione's. "Perfect, as usual. Take ten points apiece to Slytherin."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Black, who grumbled and went back to teasing Eleanor, seeming to have no intention of finishing his potion. Abraxas glared over at his two companions once Slughorn was gone, and said, "You owe me. I just saved your grade."

"What are you talking about?" Riddle asked innocently. "We earned just as many points as you did, which symbolizes that that we must have done as much work as you did. It's only logical."

Abraxas grumbled some nonsense that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid know-it-alls.' Hermione stood up, taking her bag with her just in case Black decided to do something fishy. "I'm going to the bathroom," she announced.

Black grinned at her. "Can I come with you?"

Hermione ignored him and walked out of the classroom, but not before noticing the jealous look that Eleanor gave her. Really. Did everyone in the school like either Black, Abraxas or Riddle? She had yet to stumble upon a girl who didn't.

Aside from herself, of course.

But she didn't have the time to worry over boys. First, there was obviously the problem that no one would date her even if it was a choice between the Giant Squid and her. She was just too bossy, and not many guys liked a girl who was smarter than them. Also, by the looks of things, guys preferred girls who spent their time giggling and gossiping than studying. Hence why Tracey had so many admirers.

Second, she had tried not to let herself get attached to too many people, whether they may be boys or girls. She needed to fight, both physically and mentally. She didn't have the strength to fight for two people, especially if that said person was weak. That was why the only person she really allowed herself to get attached to was Nick. Nick knew how to fight, and whenever they fought together, she could always count on him to cover for her.

Judging by the duels she saw in DADA, Hermione guessed that there wasn't many people in the school who could provide the same protection as Nick did. Riddle, maybe, but she highly doubted he would agree to unless there was something in it for him.

She stumbled into the bathroom, deep in thought, and saw Violetta puking her guts out into the sink. She seemed to be crying. Feeling rather awkward and not knowing what to do, Hermione cleared her throat and said, "Violetta?"

The girl squealed and turned around, trying to hide the sink with her body. "H-hi Hermione," She stuttered, glancing at the door as if help would arrive. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Are you okay?" Hermione demanded, ignoring her question. "Are you sick? Do you need me to get anyone? Maybe I should get Tracey, and the two of you can walk to Madam Pomfrey together-"

"No!" The girl shrieked, and Hermione stared at her. Violetta dissolved in sobs, and Hermione walked over and awkwardly patted her back. "They can't know!"

"You have to let Madame Pomfrey know," Hermione insisted. "This could be life threatening."

"Madame Pomfrey does know," Violetta cried, sinking to her knees. Hermione sat down uneasily, not sure if her presence was welcome. She had never been good at comforting people. The only person she had ever seen cry before was Nick, as she rarely associated with other people. And whenever Nick cried, which was very rare, she sat next to him and laughed. She doubt Violetta would appreciate her laughing. "I just don't want Tracey or Walburga or anyone else to know. I don't want them to look down on me."

"I don't think they will," Hermione replied gently, though she knew it wasn't true. Knowing Tracey, she would shun Violetta. Tracey liked to think of everyone as perfect, and she refused to associate with them otherwise.

They sat silently for awhile, Violetta giving an occasional hiccup. Hermione turned towards her. "So, do you know what this is? If you're taking medicine, I don't think you should still be puking."

Violetta shook her head. "There's no cure for this. I can take some medicines to lessen my headaches, but I puke when I need to puke, and that's that." Hermione opened her mouth, but Violetta interrupted her. "Please don't ask about it. It's rather personal."

Hermione nodded respectfully and asked, "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Dippet knows, of course. Madam Pomfrey knows. Cy knows. And Orion, because Cy told him. I'm fine with letting him know, as long as he keeps it to himself."

Hermione wanted to pursue the topic, but it seemed like Violetta wasn't too keen on sharing with her. Hermione didn't blame her. The two of them barely knew each other, and she was asking something so personal. If it were reversed, she wouldn't even think about telling her.

"You and Cygnus seem to know each other well," Hermione commented instead.

"Yes," Violetta said quietly, and then looked at her. "Cy doesn't seem to like you much."

"That's an understatement."

Violetta laughed softly. "Don't worry. Cy rarely likes someone he just meets." She paused. "Cy doesn't open up too much."

"That's what Black said as well,"

Violetta nodded. "The two of them have…personal issues that they've had to overcome. Cy decided to shut down everyone, as he believed that isolation would help overcome his pain. Orion thought that if he opened up to everyone, it could mask the fact that he had a tragic past." Violetta looked at her. "They're very different."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Hermione was rather bewildered that the girl was sharing this information with her. The two of them had hardly spoken. Or maybe Violetta had thought she was close enough to Black that she ought to know. However, Black never showed any signs of a tragic past. In fact, every time she had seen him, he had always been grinning.

"Cy has always been like this, for as long as I've known him," Violetta said, and Hermione didn't miss the twinkle in her eyes when she talked about her friend. "My parents and his parents were friends, so we were invited to their house when the two of us were three. I already had my illness then. It was worse than it is now." Violetta looked at her. "Could you tell if you didn't see it?"

"No," Hermione admitted. Violetta seemed healthy enough, running around as normal girls did. She didn't suspect anything out of ordinary, and still wouldn't if she hadn't stumbled upon the girl puking.

Violetta nodded. "Back then, anyone who saw me could tell. My face was always pale, and when I wasn't throwing up, I was coughing up blood." Hermione winced, but the girl didn't notice. "That's how Cy first saw me: in the bathroom coughing up blood." She looked at Hermione. "Actually, it was quite like this."

"Cygnus went into your bathroom?" Hermione said, blinking.

"Oh, not intentionally, of course. The Black's house has separated bathrooms for males and females, so I was obviously in the female one, and he was heading towards the male one."

Stupid rich people, Hermione thought to herself. Her father had quite a decent amount of money, but she didn't see him spending any on separate bathrooms. In fact, he didn't even have a mansion or anything even close to it, as it would draw unwanted attention.

"I forgot to lock the door, and Cy heard me crying and coughing, so he came in. He stayed there until I calmed down." There was so much love on Violetta's face right now, and Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly at her obvious affection. That was what she looked like when she talked about Nick. "Since then, we've been making progress."

Hermione nodded. "That explains why the two of you are so close."

"Yeah. I feel bad sometimes, though," Violetta looked at the wall. "I don't have many friends, because a lot of people feel grossed out about my condition. Cy, however, he's popular enough. He's also talented and intelligent," she paused. "But he doesn't pursue his dreams because of me."

Hermione blinked. "Why not?"

"He seemed to get the impression that I'm a crippled old lady, and he has to do everything for me," Violetta admitted. "When we're alone, he feels like he needs to carry everything for me. When we're in public, he feels as if he needs to look out for me rather than doing what he wants to do."

"Well," Hermione replied softly. "Isn't that what you'd do for him?"

A smile formed on Violetta's lips. "True." Then, she suddenly turned to Hermione and asked, "What about you and Nick?"

Hermione blinked. "What about us?" she asked cautiously.

"I always see you two together," Violetta shrugged. "It's hard to be opposite genders here and not be the gossip of the school, but also when it's two people of different houses." She frowned slightly. "I tried talking to him, but he always brushes me off."

Hermione stared. Nick never mentioned coming to contact with Violetta. Then again, the two of them barely had time to talk. "Want to make a deal? Get Cygnus to stop scowling at me, and I'll get Nick to be civil to you."

Violetta giggled. "Deal." She glanced at her. "You know, you're not as bad as I thought you were. You're actually quite nice, Hermione."

"No?" Hermione raised her eyebrow. "How bad did you think I was, then?"

Violetta shrugged. "This snobby know-it-all. I don't know. It was the way you acted in class. The only one I've seen answer a question like that is Minerva." She scrunched up her nose. "I don't like her too much."

Hermione had to admit Minerva had her bossy moments, but she overall didn't mind the girl. "I am a snobby know-it-all," she replied. "And you're better than I thought you were as well. I thought you were the gossip queen along with Tracey and Walburga."

"Oh, no. I hate gossip." Violetta admitted. "There's enough swirling around Cy and me. I don't know if this occurred where you came from, but here, interactions with the opposite gender is rare and gossip-worthy."

Hermione thought hard. She couldn't recall any gender restrictions, but then again, she had always been with Nick, and she didn't really care what the others thought of the two of them. She shook her head.

"I heard what you did in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Violetta said. "That's pretty impressive. I don't think anyone has ever beaten Tom before."

"You know about it?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Of course I do. Cy told me about it, but I would've heard about it even if he didn't." Catching Hermione skeptical glance, she added, "Just because Cy doesn't seem to like you doesn't mean he's not watching you. He's very observant."

"Er…thanks?" she said. "I suppose you're going to attack me for harming Riddle?"

"No, no, no." Violetta shook her head. "I'm not like Tracey. I don't even like Tom. Sure, I think he's polite and handsome," Hermione refrained from gagging. You sure you don't like him? "But he's got enough admirers that I don't stand a chance. Plus, I already like someone else."

"Cygnus, right?" Hermione nodded.

Violetta blushed. "H-How did you know? Tracey?"

Hermione snorted. "The day Tracey talks to me civilly about things like this is the day the world ends. No, I heard it from Eileen, though it is fairly obvious." A sudden though registered in her mind. "If you don't like Riddle, why do you always stare at him?"

"I try to fit in," Violetta admitted. "Cy always says that I can't always rely on him because of the gender barriers, so I try to make some friends that are girls. Tracey and Walburga were the first people I met here, so whatever they do, I try to copy." Violetta gnawed at her lower lip. "Am I doing a good job?"

"Yeah," Hermione cast her a sideways look. "You sure you don't want to reconsider Riddle? He's awfully good at tricking people as well."

A smile stretched across Violetta's face as she said eagerly, "So tell me about you and Tom and Abraxas and Orion. Tracey likes to talk about you four, you know, though I can't say she talks about you with the same enthusiasm as the other three."

Hermione gaped at her. "I thought you were against gossip?"

Violetta giggled. "Just because I don't like it doesn't mean that I can't pry into other people's personal lives."

Yep, she should definitely be friends with Riddle.

So Hermione told her everything. She didn't know if it was because she felt bad about Violetta's condition. Or maybe she was just feeling awfully generous. It could also be that her feelings for the girl changed dramatically over the time they had been talking. Whatever it was, the two of them sat together in the bathroom, sharing pieces of their lives.

Hermione had to admit that maybe some girly talk once in awhile was good for her.

Someone screamed.

Hermione sat up quickly, slightly disoriented, and looked around. Cygnus stood there, clearly out of breath. Walburga and Tracey both stuck their heads out, and then grinned flirtingly. Hermione rolled her eyes; they knew how Violetta felt about him, yet they still flirted with him? Hermione glanced over. Both Violetta and Eileen hadn't moved their curtains and stuck their heads out, symbolizing that the two of them were still asleep.

How can they sleep through Tracey's scream?

"Hi, Cygnus," Tracey said, grinning. "Violetta is still asleep, though I don't think she'd mind if I woke her up. We wouldn't mind if you stayed here tonight." She said sweetly. Her implication was clear: If Violetta and Cygnus were going to do something, Tracey wanted to be a part of it.

Cygnus, on contrast, was pure business. He turned his serious eyes away from Tracey, before they dropped on her. She stared back, rather puzzled. Tracey's face morphed into a nasty scowl. Walburga, who seemed to have no interest in Cygnus, flopped back inside the curtains and went back to sleep.

"Hermione," Cygnus said, shocking her. It had been the first time he called her by her name, and she was rather surprised to hear no hatred in his voice. "Can you step outside with me?"

Hermione blinked, and checked her alarm clock. "It's three."

"Please."

Hermione started to put on sweatpants and a sweater over her pajamas. She would change into her robes, though it took longer. Tracey eyed her attire in disgust, but surprisingly, Cygnus didn't even glance at it. He tapped his foot impatiently, and a desperate look was on his face. Once he saw that she was dressed, he led her out of the dorm quickly, leaving a scowling Tracey behind.

The two of them hurried out of the Slytherin common room and down the cold dungeons. After a couple of minutes, Cygnus still hadn't spoken, so she asked, "Where are we going?"

"I don't know."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "You tell me to come out of my room past curfew and not know where you're going?"

"I really don't know." There was desperation in his voice. "I need you to help me. You're the only one I know of that can help me."

Hermione blinked as they approached the forbidden forest. The cool breeze brushed against her cheeks. "You want me to go into the Forbidden Forest?" she asked suspiciously. "If you're just trying to get me expelled, it's not going to work-"

"If I wanted to get you expelled, I would've come up with a more elaborate plan," Cygnus snorted, but then the serious look was back on his face. "Listen, I know this is a really big problem, and it'll be a really big favor you're doing me-"

"Cygnus," she interrupted him, but he kept talking.

"But I wasn't lying when I said you're the only one who can help me. Well, other than Tom, of course, but I'm sure not going to run to him with my problems."

"Cygnus-"

"I'm sorry for my treatment to you for the last week, but I'll do anything, anything, if you can help me-"

"CYGNUS!" She yelled at him. He immediately shut up. "I can't do anything if you don't tell me about the problem."

Cygnus took a deep breath and looked her right in the eye. "It's Violetta," he said, and Hermione's heart tightened at the mention of her new friend. "She was kidnapped. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything. However, when her captor took her, she dropped this," Cygnus held out a little button, and Hermione almost fainted.

On the button was a triangle, with a line and a circle in it.

The sign of the Deathly Hallows.

Grindelwald's sign.

To Be Continued…


P.S:On that note, I hope you all have a happy weekend. Also, it seems like I've developed an interest in cliffhangers. Hope you like them. ;)