Author's Note: Super power update. Don't expect the next one for a while, but hopefully you'll have fun reading this. Some action in this chapter…;) I'll shut up before I ruin this for you.
Thanks for reviewing! You guys are the best. (Just 10 away from 100! *squeals like a little girl*)
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Hermione heard two voices.
They were quite different, yet similar at the same time. They both sounded masculine. Both were rather familiar. They were loud and obnoxious. And the biggest thing that they both shared in common was that they were both annoying the crap out of her. They were so annoying and shrill and loud. It made her want to cry.
"I want you to stay away from her," The voice had a hard, cutting edge to it. She felt a familiar hand stroke her hair gently, though she couldn't remember who it was. It felt nice, anyway, and she would've leaned in to the touch if she found a way to make her stupid body move again. "Every time she's near you, she gets hurt."
The other person snorted, but his voice was far from amused. "I'm a bad influence?" His voice sounded dangerous, yet melodic at the same time. It was pleasant to listen to. "Let me assure you, before she came to this school, I have never been attacked. Now, in the same week, I have almost been attacked twice."
"Get off your high horse. How do you think Hermione feels? She's actually been attacked." The voices were growing increasingly colder. "If you hate it so much, wouldn't it be logical if you stayed away from Hermione?"
"I don't hate it," the voice grew quieter, almost a whisper. "And what I do with Hermione is none of your business."
"It is," the other voice said hotly. "Hermione wants nothing to do with you, and if you go near her once again-"
"Will the both of you shut up?" Hermione's eyes popped open, and she glared at them both. Nick, who was stroking her hair, removed his hand and scowled, though Hermione didn't know if it was directed towards her or Tom. The latter was sitting in his chair with proper posture, and, Hermione dared to hope, had a little concern in his eyes. "You're annoying me."
Nick looked at her with sympathy. "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap," Hermione slurred, sitting up and wishing she hadn't. She winced as a sharp pain shot through her head, and she winced, lying back down. "Why is there a cast around my leg?"
"You broke your leg," Tom said simply. "Or rather, the bludger broke it for you."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall being hit in the leg," she said. "Didn't it hit me somewhere near my head?"
Nick nodded. "You're lucky it barely skimmed your head, but you fainted anyway." Tom snorted, and Hermione glared at him. "However, it came back and struck you in the leg." Nick frowned. "It seems like someone wanted to hurt you."
"No, is it that obviously?" Tom rolled his eyes. Nick glared back at him.
"Can the two of you please be civil, or leave?" Hermione huffed, hiding under her blanket. "You can fight all you want outside, but not in here. My head hurts."
"How nice," Tom drawled. "Nice of you to consider our wellbeing."
Nick ignored him. "Of course. You were just hit in the head, after all." He jumped up and headed towards Pomfrey. "I'll go get some painkillers for you. Don't move."
"As if I'm going anywhere." Hermione snorted, though the movement hurt her. She stopped moving her head, and instead tracked his movements with her eyes. Nick waved at her, and disappeared in to Pomfrey's office, shutting the door behind him. And then she was left with Tom Riddle.
He was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. She blinked up at him. "Thanks for staying. You didn't need to."
"Nonsense," Tom said. "It's my fault you're here." His face morphed in to a scowl. "When I get hold of whoever is doing this, I will murder them in the most brutal way possible."
Somehow, Hermione didn't doubt that. He certainly was capable. She frowned. "You haven't found out who did it yet?"
Tom shook his head, his face still murderous. "No." He said shortly. "I went to talk to Dippet, and Dumbledore was there," he spat out the name. "We investigated, or rather, I went to look and the old codger made fun of me the whole time, but I left halfway, so I don't know."
"Why did you leave halfway?" Hermione inquired curiously. It wasn't like him to drop things halfway, especially not something as important and big as this. His pride had been wounded, after all. He needed someone else to save him, something she had no doubt was foreign to him.
"Your prince charming came straight to see you," Nick said, smirking. He had come back from Pomfrey's office with a couple of bottles and a glass of water. Tom scowled at him, but Nick ignored him and said, "He couldn't bear to think that his precious princess might be hurt."
Hermione growled and kicked at him. Nick barely dodged. "Nick."
Nick smirked and her and handed her a cup of water. She took it gratefully, feeling the cold liquid flow down her dehydrated throat. She swallowed some of the pills and grimaced as they scratched their way down. It's all worth it, she told herself. It's only a matter of time til your head stops pounding like someone was hammering inside of it. "It's true. Why don't you ask him?"
The look on Tom's face clearly said that there would be terrible consequences if she did ask him.
"Nick?" Hermione spotted a head of red pop in to the infirmary. Ron. He smiled at her when he saw she was awake. "Hey, Hermione," he greeted. "How's your head?" He frowned slightly at Tom, who was still sitting next to her, but unlike when he saw Black and Abraxas, he didn't lash out. It seemed like Tom was the exception no matter what.
"Still bad," she admitted, raising her hand to touch her forehead. Thick, white bandages greeted her fingertips. Whoever wrapped it did a pretty good job at it. She was never good with bandages. She would accidently screw up and tangle it all together before it even touched her head. "Could be worse, though."
Ron nodded, and then turned towards Nick. "Hey, McGonagall wants to see you for a second."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
Ron shrugged. "Beats me. I know better than to question her when she has her spectacles on."
"She always has her spectacles on," Hermione pointed out.
Ron grinned. "Exactly."
Nick cast Hermione a worried look, but she shooed him away. "Nick, your grade is already bad enough. You can't go and ignore the teachers." He still looked skeptical, but he followed Ron out, though not before sending a glare at Tom, which was happily returned. He didn't need to worry, though; even though her body still ached, she was more than capable of raising her wand and cursing Tom if he tried anything suspicious. She wasn't that crippled. She still had two hands and a leg, didn't she?
"I brought your homework," Tom said, breaking the silence. He reached in to his bag and brought out a big stack of paper. Hermione eyed it curiously. "Knowing you, you'd want to go ahead, so I got the entire month's homework." He shrugged. "Pomfrey said you'd only be in here for another day, but you do as much as you can."
Hermione gaped at him. "H-how? When I ask, most of them don't give it to me." She eyed them suspiciously. Maybe they were a fraud? She hated frauds; they would get her hopes up, only to crush them later.
Tom winked at her. "I'm a prefect."
She didn't care how he got it. Her attention was focused only on the wonderful miracle in front of her. Hermione flipped through the papers eagerly. The scent of fresh parchment greeted her nose, and she stuffed them to her face. Tom looked at her weirdly, before chuckling. Hermione was surprised to hear no malice in it. It almost made Tom seem like…a normal human being.
Yeah right, like that could ever happen.
"You're weird," he said, and then propped his elbows on the mattress to hold his head up. Strangely, it sounded like a compliment. The two of them sat in the infirmary; she watched the paper, and he watched her. The only thing that broke the silence was the ticking of the clock above Pomfrey's office.
"Hey, Tom?" Hermione put down her papers on the book stand next to her. He regarded her curiously. "Who's Amy?"
Tom smirked, but Hermione could see he had shut down. "Are you sure you aren't jealous, Hermione? You ask about her a lot." She rolled her eyes. "Is this the time where we paint each other's nails and braid each other's hair and share are deepest and darkest secrets?"
Hermione shrugged. "Something like that, yes."
Tom didn't look away, like she would've thought he would. Instead, he stared straight at her and spoke each word slowly and clearly. "She's one of the girls at my orphanage," he said. "She was one of the only people who didn't give me what I wanted. So I took a particular liking in her."
Hermione thought of herself. She could easily place herself in Amy's place, and the story still would've worked. She nodded for him to continue, still mildly surprised that he was telling her.
"I was five at the time I met her. Too young to feel the feelings you call love," That's not true, Hermione wanted to scream at him. I loved Nick since I met him. However, the look on Tom's face clearly said that he had not, and still had not, loved anyone before. It must've been terrible to be all alone, though he did a great job at hiding that. "She had a teddy bear I wanted, but she would not give it to me."
Hermione blinked. "Tom Riddle wants a teddy bear?"
"Shut up," he scowled at her when she giggled. "I eventually outgrew my desire for the teddy bear…what's so funny?" He glared as she almost re-hurt herself laughing. She waved for him to go on, but tears were forming on the edges of her eyes. She almost fell off the bed, and Tom stared at her, trying to figure out what had come over her. Who would've guessed tough, macho Tom Riddle had a teddy bear obsession?
Tom regarded her suspiciously, but continued nonetheless. "She was just one of my conquests. I suppose she was just special in the regard that she lasted longer than my others. Maybe it was because she was a stupid mudblood. She didn't know when to give in." His eyes glowered, and Hermione was caught in between trying to soothe him or trying not to laugh. She did neither, and just sat still. "Or maybe it was because of Dennis."
His eyes were quite murderous, and Hermione knew she should keep her mouth shut if she wanted to cool him down. However, her curiosity won out. "Who's Dennis?"
"The stupid mudblood who would always be there," he gritted his teeth, and his knuckles were clenched tightly. Hermione had never seen him like this. "Whenever I was so close to breaking her, he would be there and bring her back. It was so damn annoying. All my efforts, wasted." His eyes, now slightly red, locked in to hers and bore in to her head. "But, it's no matter now. They're gone now."
Hermione didn't want to know, but she asked anyway. "What did you do to them?"
A sadistic smirk formed on his face. "Let's just say…I've taken care of them."
He was so out of it right now, Hermione couldn't help but shrink back. She had expected this forbidden love story, but not this. Maybe he didn't know it himself, but it seemed like Tom had loved Amy, despite claiming her to be just a conquest. Maybe he had hurt both Amy and Dennis because of jealousy. He didn't look like one who would cope well with jealousy, but then again, his methods were always extreme.
What had she expected? Of course, this sounded like the Tom she knew. Still, she watched as his eyes flashed around angrily. She had never seen the real Tom Riddle before, because he hadn't shown her. And now he was. She was caught between feeling grateful that he trusted her enough, to being scared and wished she never asked about this story.
She noted, in surprise, that Tom had started trembling. She couldn't tell if it was of anger, sadness, or a mixture of both. It made him look oddly small. She carefully placed her hand on top of his clenched fists. He swung his eerily red eyes to face her. Hermione shuddered, but managed to smile slightly at him.
"Hey, Tom, it's okay," she reassured him. He stared at her, unmoving. "It's a memory. You're better than her, anyway."
Hermione felt bad that she was insulting someone she had never met, but it seemed to reassure Tom, anyway. His eyes grew less red, but his face was still angry. "Yes, I am," he hissed. "No mudblood is worth my time."
She was afraid he would start hurling everything he saw and get himself expelled. She didn't want him to get expelled. She wondered when it had become not about Tim and his promise, and rather their own relationship. "Tom," she said gently, risking her fingers and several other body parts when she put her hand on his cheek. On contrast to the murderous look on his face, his face was quite warm. "Look at me. Look. At. Me." He was determinedly ignoring her eyes—most possibly deciding what to throw across the room—but he met her eyes. "It's just a memory."
"Just a memory," he repeated softly, though grey tinges now mixed in with red. "Just a memory."
"Yes," Hermione said gently. Since when was it her job to calm Tom Riddle down? Normalcy just took a nosedive off of the Astronomy Tower. "She's a memory. You're in a better place now. You're in Hogwarts." She couldn't think of anywhere else anyone would rather be.
"Dumbledore makes me go back there every break," he shuddered. "They don't respect me there."
"We'll work something out," She patted his hand gently, and was relieved to see his eyes return to his normal color. "You don't need to worry about it. See?" She smiled at him. "You're all better now, aren't you?"
"Hermione," he breathed out, and Hermione stared at him. That was the most un-Tom-like thing he could've done.
Before she could do anything, he crashed his lips to hers. She flailed slightly, surprised, and considered pushing him off. He was Tom, after all, and no matter how their relationship had improved, he was still the same person. However, his warm lips eventually won over her conscience, and she gave in and wrapped her arms around his head.
It was a quick and chaste kiss, and the only complaint she had was it had ended too soon. Tom buried his head in her blankets without looking at her. It looked like he was ashamed of it. She felt the sudden loss of his heat, and looked as his hunched over figure. Would things change now? She had read in some books that once two people kissed, the boy would be given the choice of staying with the girl or completely walking out of her life. Hermione shuddered. He was not someone who she wanted to walk out of her life. If they ended up meeting on the battle field on opposite sides, it wouldn't be pretty. Not only that, but she genuinely liked his company. She frowned. Should I poke him? If I tickle him, maybe he'll look at me.
"Yoooo, Squirtle!"
Hermione groaned as Black and Abraxas popped in to the infirmary, the latter holding two banquets of flowers. Abraxas smiled kindly at her, and set the two banquets on the stand next to her, next to her homework. He took one look at the stack of papers and rolled his eyes at her, and she felt herself grinning. Black, however, was staring at Tom.
"Why is Tom here?" He asked suspiciously, sitting down on the opposite side of her bed. She could tell a dirty thought was forming in his mind. "Why is he hunched over? He's not dead, is he?" He looked at Hermione. "You didn't kill him, did you, Squirtle?" He suddenly looked gleeful. "Or maybe he just passed out from exhaustion? You sure know how to work him," he winked at her.
"Er, no. Nothing of that sort." A kiss didn't count, did it? Hermione looked at Tom. It indeed looked like he was dead; he was completely still. She reached to poke his head, but he jerked his head out of the way. Trying to mask her hurt, she turned back to her friends, but by the looks on their faces, they had seen what Tom had done and were curious.
Thankfully, Black knew better than to push it. "Flowers for the crippled," he said, gesturing towards the banquets. "One's from Violetta and my idiotic brother, and the other one is from Abraxas and me." He paused. "We would've bought four, but we figured there were better things we could be using our money on."
Hermione looked at him pointedly. "Thanks."
"No problem," Black replied. "So how are you, Squirtle? Feeling better? That was a hard hit in the head."
He was grinning like an idiot, and Hermione decided he was much too smug for his own good. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, well maybe if you had been a better Quidditch player, you could've stopped the bludger before it ever came near me."
Hermione was just joking, and she expected him to lash out at her angrily, or for him to yell at her, I'm not a beater. But instead, he cast his eyes down and said nothing, and Hermione immediately felt bad. She reached for his hand, but he pulled away, stood up and exited the infirmary.
She groaned. "Two people in five minutes. I must be talented."
"Don't worry about it too much," Abraxas said gently. "He's just beating himself up over it. He does think it's his fault." He shrugged. "I don't know how he could've stopped it even if he were right in front of it. You can't just catch a bludger in midair. I think he believes he should've warned you, though I don't think that would do a lot of good. That bludger seemed to want to hit you pretty badly."
"It did," Hermione frowned. "But it wasn't even aimed for me. I think it changed plan midway and decided to go for me. That, or the person who cursed it has terrible aim."
Abraxas looked sharply at Tom. "What did you do to him? Did you gloat that he now owed you or something?"
Hermione shook her head. "No."
"What did you do, then?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "I really don't know."
ஐ
Hermione was released from the hospital wing a day later, after she made the promise to Pomfrey to check in once a week. Her headaches had gone away, and she shuffled to balance herself on crutches while holding her bag. She had twenty minutes until she had to go to DADA, but at the pace she was going at, she figured that it would probably take her more to get there.
She had just turned around the corner when she saw four people standing in the middle of the hallway. All of them were Slytherin. She spotted Abraxas's blonde locks, and started heading towards them when the figure turned around. Hermione almost groaned when she saw how sorely mistaken she was.
Gabriel's eyes widened at the sight of her, and he hissed menacingly. "You see her, right?" he asked, turning to the black haired girl next to him. Walburga. The other two were Lestrange and Avery, the latter looking at her with a sneer on his face. "I'm not imagining things?"
It had been awhile since she had come across Gabriel. Of course, she knew that he attended the school, but never had they once crossed paths. She hadn't seen him at meals, and neither, apparently, did he. Hermione frowned. How could she have let this little detail escape her? She needed to carefully observe every environment.
"No," Walburga said shortly. "The filthy mudblood had the nerve to come here."
Lestrange looked at her, and then turned back to his companions. "She's a mudblood?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tom's been going around claiming that she's a halfblood."
"She has Tom lying for her," Walburga huffed. "She's blackmailing him."
Hermione didn't think Tom could be blackmailed. Being blackmailed would put him below someone, and Hermione didn't think it was acceptable for him to be below anyone. Plus, for his so called followers, they sure had a lot of faith in him, taking Walburga's word over his.
"I can't believe it," Gabriel was still shaking his head. "Does Abraxas know?"
"Of course he does," Walburga cackled gleefully. "She spends all her time with Abraxas, Orion and Tom. Tracey says she's sleeping with them all." Of course Tracey just has to start some gossip against me. She looked at her in disgust. "One boy isn't good enough for you?"
"I am certainly not sleeping with any of them." Hermione rolled her eyes, and tried to limp past, but the four of them formed a human barricade in front of her. Hermione gritted her teeth, but they didn't seem like moving anytime soon. There was another way to get to DADA, but it would involve her climbing up a couple of flights of stairs. And, looking at her condition, that wasn't too preferable.
"You stay away from Tom," Avery snarled. "Tom's too good for filthy mudbloods like you. Where does a slave get off coming to Hogwarts and impersonating as a halfblood? You're disgusting." He looked at Walburga. "Walburga told me that you were a slave at the Malfoy Manor, weren't you? You should back to where you belong, and hope that the Malfoy's are lenient with your disobedience."
Hermione blinked, unaffected. She had heard these all before. It would take a lot more than a few insults to bring her down. "I think Tom can look out for himself." She said coolly. "Though I'm sure he'll be delighted to know he has some lapdogs who think they need to defend his honors.
Lestrange narrowed his eyes. "Look around. The corridor is empty." It was. She didn't see his point. "I would be careful if I were you. You're outnumbered, and you can't even walk properly. I would shut your mouth if I were you, filthy mudblood. You could end up disappearing."
They are quite creative, aren't they? Hermione snorted. And even Tom has never called me mudblood before. They're not the brightest, are they?
"Let's shake her up a bit," Avery smirked, drawing his wand. He took a step closer to her, and she held her ground, and stared back defiantly. She swatted his wand away when he pointed it at her. He grinned. "Oooh, we have a feisty one here."
Hermione drew her own wand with a little difficulty, and Walburga cackled at the gesture. "You think you can fight us?" She screeched. "You think a mudblood can fight four pureblood wizards? You don't even deserve to point a wand at us."
Hermione immediately felt bad for the muggleborns. Were they really treated this way? She had never known. In her father's world, it didn't matter what the blood status of his victims were. Prey was prey, and if someone got in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them, wealthy or not.
She wondered how long the four of them would stand if she delivered them to her father. Probably not that long; they would probably bore him quickly with their annoying mouths.
"She didn't seem to get the memo," Lestrange said. "Let's teach her a lesson."
Hermione was bewildered. Why were they randomly cornering her and attacking her? What did she ever do to them? Even if she were a muggleborn…this was unacceptable. And it was even in Hogwarts, A History that dueling in the hallways was forbidden.
She told them this, and they looked at her like she had gone bonkers. Then they started to laugh, and she could only stand there helplessly, wondering if she had suddenly spouted two heads.
"Who actually reads that shit?" Avery laughed, and Hermione glared at him. Hogwarts, A History was one of the most brilliant books ever published. He had no right to insult it. "No one reads that crap, mudblood."
"Don't insult it," Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "That book is ten times your worth."
"How dare you!" Walburga screeched. "Not only do you have the nerve to open your mouth, you even insult him! A mudblood like you, insulting a pureblood!" Even if she wasn't muggleborn, she had had her fair share of insulting purebloods. "You should be kissing his feet right now, hoping that he'll forgive you for your insult!"
"I'm sorry, Lord Avery," Hermione said mockingly. "I know the truth is sometimes hard to take."
Avery fumed angrily and pulled out his wand. "Aguamenti!" He roared.
Hermione blinked as a jet of water drenched her. However, no other side effects arose, and she stood there, dripping water, as Avery looked down at his wand and cursed.
"Nice job, Avery," Gabriel clapped him on the back. "Very dangerous spell you got there."
Avery growled, and tried another spell. A stunner. She stepsided easily and raised her eyebrows at him, something that infuriated him even more. He was more pathetic than their dueling lesson, she realized. No wonder he was held back a year.
"Why you filthy mudblood!" That insult was getting slightly old, but before she could tell him so, he lunged for her. She was so surprised that he had stopped using his wand, she momentarily stood there. It was only for a millisecond, but it was long enough. He flicked away her crutches, leaving her hopping painfully on one foot.
"Heh," Avery said, quite pleased with his accomplishments. He leveled his wand at her, but Hermione was more scared about what he could do with his physical strength. "Not so brave anymore, are you?"
"What do you know?" Walburga cackled gleefully as Hermione stared at them in defiance. "The little mudblood still thinks she can beat us while standing on one foot." Hermione wanted to point out that one foot or two feet were the same thing to her, as she didn't think she needed to run around to dodge their spells, but didn't think they'd care. "Stop stealing all the fun, Avery. Leave some for us too."
"We're going to curse you," Avery announced gleefully, ignoring Walburga all together. "We're going to curse you so we'll dismantle you so badly, Tom can't even stand to look at you. He'll look at you in disgust," his lips curled up. "Like he should."
Hermione blinked at him, unfazed by his threat. "What are you, Tom's secret bodyguard?" She asked him. "Why are you so protective of him? It's almost as if you…" she shot him a suspicious glance. "Have feelings for him."
Avery went very pale, and looked around, as if Tom would pop out any second. Huh. That was the same reaction that Abraxas had given her when she mentioned him in the Malfoy Manor. Maybe this had something to do with his secret meeting she had walked upon. Honestly, she would have thought that Tom would be pleased that so many people 'loved' him. Rather, it seems like he made sure that the idea was absolutely horrid.
"Stop speaking out of turn," Avery snarled at her, and she realized she had provoked him too far. Not that it was particularly dangerous, as she didn't think an angry Avery knew how to duel any better than a regular Avery, but Hermione could swear she could see angry steam coming out of his head. Maybe he was a cartoon character.
"Did I hit a nerve?" Hermione mocked as he sent another stunner angrily at her. "Is that the best you can do?"
The four of them surrounded her, each raising their own wands. Hermione raised an eyebrow. "That's more like it."
Before any of them had a chance to curse her, however, someone shouted from the end of the corridor. "Four against one? Isn't that a little cowardly?"
It was Eileen, and she stared at the four Slytherins pointedly. "You should drop your wands," she told them frostily. "Or I can go get a teacher and you can explain to them why you're cursing a fellow housemate, if you would like."
"Bugger off, Eileen," Lestrange narrowed his eyes at her. "This isn't your business."
She leveled her own wand and pointed it at him. "Leave, or you can see just how much I know about dueling."
Hermione had never seen Eileen duel before, but she gathered it must be good, seeing how the four of them quickly lowered their wands and scuttled away. However, before they left, Avery bent down and said in a low voice, "You got away this time, mudblood. You won't be as lucky next time."
Somehow, Hermione wasn't afraid of his threat.
"Are you okay?" Eileen asked, helping to pick up her crutches once they were gone. She waved her wand around, and Hermione was instantly dried. She had forgotten she was drenched in the first place. "They didn't hurt you too much, did they?"
"No," Hermione shook her head. "Avery just hit me with a splash of water. All his other spells were pathetically off target."
Eileen was still looking at her. "You should stop goading them," she said finally.
Hermione blinked. "Why?"
"Have you ever thought that one day, you might be outnumbered? Goading people will make them angrier at you, and the angrier they are, the less lenient they'll be when they capture you."
Hermione was slightly insulted. Did Eileen really think that Avery could catch her? She didn't think he could even if she only had one arm left. "Well, I won't let myself get captured then, won't I?"
Eileen was still looking at her, and Hermione resisted the urge to scowl at her. Nick's warning flashed in her mind. Eileen finally sighed, and said, "Do you have class after DADA?"
Hermione blinked at the sudden subject change. "Yeah, why?"
"You're going to the Halloween dance, aren't you?"
Hermione hadn't really thought about it since Cygnus told her about it. She shrugged.
"You have to go," Eileen urged her. "It's fun. But I need to go shopping for a costume, and so do you. So what do you say we went together?"
Hermione considered this. Nick's warning echoed in her mind. However, she could take on Eileen if she needed to. And it would also give her a chance to spy on her even more. Though if Eileen really was a spy who wanted her dead, she wouldn't have saved her from Avery and the others…though she didn't need saving in the first place.
"Fine," Hermione nodded curtly. "This weekend?"
"Got it," Eileen grinned at her. "See you in class, Hermione."
Hermione watched Eileen head down the corridor in the opposite direction, not even waiting for her, and wondered if she had made the wrong choice. It was better to act uninterested, wasn't it? Leading people on…that was like goading, wasn't it?
ஐ
By the time she got to DADA, the whole class had already arrived. Merrythought looked like she was going to hand her detention for being late, but then she noticed Hermione's bandaged up leg and looked at her with sympathy. Hermione was grateful; detention was one of her worst nightmares. She would feel guilty, and it would be one of the 'don't do in Hogwarts' lesson she would tell her grandchildren when she was a hundred and one.
Assuming I have kids. The idea was so far in to the future that Hermione didn't even bother thinking about it. My main priority is not getting killed.
There were three open seats. One was next to Tom, one was next to Black, and the last one was in the very last row of Gryffindors. Checkmate. She scooted to the Gryffindor side of the room, receiving many strange glances. Tom didn't even acknowledge her, but Black looked hurt. She blinked; she would sit next to him if he wanted, but he turned his back firmly on her. Hermione sighed. Nick turned around from his seat in the front and shot her a questioning look, before Merrythought cleared her throat loudly.
"We are going to have a practical class today," Merrythought announced. Excited murmurs went through the class, and she clapped her hands together loudly. "Listen up. We are going to be facing a boggart today. Can anyone tell me what a boggart is?"
Merrythought scanned around the room, and said in surprise, "No one?" Everyone looked towards both Hermione and Tom. The two of them were too immersed in their own thoughts to even bother answering. Merrythought frowned at her two best students. "Hermione?"
"A boggart is a shape-shifter that takes on the form of the victim's worst fear." Hermione said simply. They all waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't say anything else. Abraxas was nudging Black and whispering something to him, but the latter only shook his head.
"Thank you, Miss Granger," Merrythought said, still shocked that she hadn't received a whole book worth of material on boggarts. "Right then. Everyone stand up, and follow me to the front of the room."
Nick caught up to her while everyone else headed towards the cabinet that Merrythought was standing next to. "Are you okay?" He frowned. "You actually gave a normal answer for once." He shot a look at the Slytherins. "Did you guys get in a fight? They're not quite right either. Ron insulted them, but none of them seemed to care."
"I'm fine," Hermione said. "I'm seriously fine."
Nick looked at skeptically, but before he could say anything, someone poked her on the shoulder. It was Cygnus. "What did you do to my brother?" He demanded. "What did you do to Tom?"
"I didn't do anything," Hermione shook her head. "Abraxas says that Black thinks it's my fault that I was hit. He ran away before I could say anything." Hermione took a deep breath. "And I didn't do anything to Tom."
"Did he hurt you?" Nick asked, narrowing his eyes at the Slytherin who was slowly making his way over. He was determinedly not meeting her eye. Abraxas stood between Tom and Black, talking fast, but it clearly wasn't working. They were both still out of the world.
"I don't know," Hermione said miserably, and then switched her train of thoughts. What would her fear be? Well, that part was obvious enough. It was a normal enough fear, too, so it shouldn't cause people to be suspicious about her. Still, she gnawed on her lip. What if it did something that she didn't expect? Come to think of it, she had two fears. She wondered which one was worse.
"You don't know?" Nick asked. "How can you not know?"
"She means she's not listening to you, Porter," Abraxas put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. She had never heard his voice so cold. "Go to the Gryffindor side of the room. We'll take care of her."
So much for house unity. Nick narrowed his eyes at him, and Hermione knew a fight would break out, so she quickly intervened. "Nick, it's okay," she reassured him. "I'll tell you about it later. Promise."
Nick looked at her, nodded and then headed off to where Ron was waiting. Hermione watched the two of them talk for awhile, and then turned back around to Abraxas to scold him for using that tone to talk to Nick…
…when she was blasted in the face with a jet of water for the second time in the past thirty minutes. Her robes were completely drenched.
"Gotcha." Black grinned at her.
Hermione blinked at him as everyone stopped to stare. Even Tom, who was standing next to Abraxas, peeked over curiously. Nick was totally right when he said bipolar. This whole house is bipolar.
Abraxas nudged her. "That's his way of apologizing."
Hermione turned back towards Black. It seemed like Abraxas was telling the truth. Black's grin was still plastered on his face, but he was watching her carefully. She shook her head at him. "You don't need to apologize," she said. "Well, you do, for drenching me, but anything else is already forgiven."
A huge smile appeared on his face, and before Hermione could do anything, he picked her up and flung her around in a circle. "Black!" She yelled at him, aware that everyone, including Merrythought, was watching. "What are you doing?"
"Well, you're crippled now, aren't you?" Black replied cheekily. "So someone must carry you." Before she could protest, he dumped her in to the arms of one of the people standing next to him.
The said person happened to go by the name of Tom Riddle.
Tom immediately froze, and looked down slowly. He was carrying her princess style, and she hoped he wouldn't decide to drop her. He was pretty tall, after all, and it was a long way from his arms to the floor. However, after a few seconds, she wished he would drop her. It was awkward, and she was sure her face was red. She was blushing in front of a teacher. How embarrassing.
"Er, hi," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes. "Nice view up here, isn't it?"
Tom stared at her, before his lips twitched slightly. "It's your own fault you're so short," he said, setting her gently on the ground. "Now, shush. You're disturbing the lesson." He sent a sickening sweet smile at Merrythought, who blushed and called the attention of the class back towards her, but not before Hermione received several strange glances. She was lucky Tracey wasn't in this class. Eileen, however, was determinedly not meeting her eye.
"Aw, my matchmaking skills didn't work," Black piped cheerfully. Hermione swatted at him, but he laughed and bounced on line. Abraxas rolled his eyes, but followed his friend. Tom looked at her, and the two of them came to a mutual agreement: They would forget about the kiss. Never ever bring it up.
Hermione stood behind Tom, and Cygnus behind her. "I feel like I'm missing out on something obvious," he said, looking between the two of them.
"Nothing to miss," Hermione replied. "We've decided to become friends."
"Really." Cygnus deadpanned.
"Really really."
"Seeing how you blushed like that," Cygnus continued. "I think the two of you kissed."
Hermione sputtered. "Why would you think that?"
"Just a guess," Cygnus said. "But based on reaction, I'd say I'm right." He had a smug look on his face. "Don't look at me like that. If you want to blame someone, blame my brother. He's the one who is a terrible influence."
Hermione decided to blame Tom instead. After all, he was Tom. Even if she didn't have a good reason, he was still a very blamable character.
"Alright, Mister Weasley," Merrythought called. Ron shot a grin at Nick and Seamus, and the latter mock waved at him. "The spell is Riddikulus, and remember, concentrate on something humorous. I'm sure Mister Weasley wouldn't mind demonstrating with his spider."
The Gryffindor side exploded in laughter. Hermione turned to Cygnus. "Have you guys done this before?"
"Yeah. We do this every year." Cygnus rolled his eyes. "Merrythought is lazy."
Tom smirked at her, and leaned down. "I can't wait to see what your fear is, Hermione." He said. "Will it be me?"
"You?" Hermione snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not afraid of you."
"Good," his lips curled.
"What about you?" She nudged him. "What's your fear?"
He shrugged and turned around. "You'll see."
Merrythought opened the cabinet door, and a large acromantula crawled out. Ron just laughed at it, and said, "Riddikulus!" It seemed to defeat the purpose of the activity, seeing as Ron didn't look scared at all, but Merrythought looked perfectly content.
The spider grew shoes and it slipped across the floor. Hermione blinked. Was that supposed to be funny? However, it seemed like the Gryffindor house thought it was absolutely hilarious. They howled, and then it was Seamus who went up, clapping Ron on the back.
Seamus's boggart was a banshee, and she wailed loudly. Hermione grimaced as the sound hit her ears, her head throbbing once again, but Seamus quickly got rid of it, changing it in to a clown. He head to the back to the line with a self satisfied look on his face.
"I don't know how the bloody hell you can think with her screaming like that," Ron muttered.
"Practice, mate, practice."
It was Nick's turn, and she was curious to see what it was. However, before he went up, he looked back at her, his face serious. He didn't seem nervous, but there was no choice of his usually twinkling eyes. She offered him a small smile, and he promptly turned around to face the boggart.
She gasped when it changed. The whole class gasped, and Hermione could feel all the eyes on her. Nick's boggart had taken the form of her.
Except she was dead.
Hermione felt her blood pound through her head, her heart beating loudly. Nick's worst fear was her death? She felt her eyes tearing up in both happiness and sadness. She had expected anything but this. She had to look away before she starting crying heartfelt tears in front of the class.
However, since he was Nick, he never gave her too much time to grieve.
He waved his wand around and said, "Riddikulus!" Instantly, the boggart changed…to her, being no older than three years old. And other than the little diaper attached on her waist, she was utterly naked. Little Hermione turned to the class, made some gargling sound, and sucked on her thumb.
"Nick!" She yelled at him, her face red. He smirked at her as the class laughed at her baby form. Cygnus had the decency to pretend to look away, though she could see a smile forming. Her other friends, though, weren't quite so polite.
"Is that you, Squirtle?" Black said, his mouth wide open. "Aren't you cute? I mean, you still are cute, but look at that." He clapped his hands together and made some incoherent sounds. "Come here. Come to Mama Orion."
Abraxas glanced at her, amused. "He likes children." He explained. "I think that's why he likes women so much too, because women give him children."
He laughed when she made a disgusted look, and Merrythought cleared her throat loudly. "Yes, yes, we all understand Miss Granger was quite the darling," Hermione felt her cheeks burn up in mortification. "But we have a lesson to finish. Miss Evans, up to the boggart."
"Hey, Squirtle," Black turned around and whispered. "I think I like you better like that."
"Better little or naked?" Hermione turned and scowled at Nick, who was still standing on the Gryffindor side, looking way too pleased with himself. To think that she had felt sad when she saw what his boggart was. He caught her eye and grinned, and she turned away with a huff. She was going to kick him hard later, and she knew just the place to do it.
"What kind of question is that?" Black asked teasingly. "Of course I'd rather see you…uh…" The look she gave him could've made anyone tremble, and he gulped nervously. "Little, of course."
Hermione nodded. "Good."
"Scary," Black muttered under his breath, and Abraxas nudged him in the ribs.
The rest of the Gryffindor side passed by boringly. Hermione almost fell asleep, and was just seconds of falling down multiple times if it had not been Cygnus, frowning and nudging her to keep her awake. Eileen went up, and her worst fear was her dying. No one acted surprised to see this, and Cygnus whispered to her that she and Tom had the same fear.
Interesting.
Black went up, and a woman appeared, yelling at him. He seemed to shrink in to a tiny ball. Cygnus sighed and explained that was their mother. Hermione asked what, other than the yelling, made her formidable, and Cygnus promised to tell her later.
Is this the tragic past of the Black family that Violetta told me about? She wondered to herself. It seemed plausible.
Abraxas's fear was having his broom snapped in two, and Hermione almost snorted. Of course a diehard Quidditch fan like him wouldn't worry about the failing grades he was getting. It was all Quidditch for him.
And then there was Tom.
Whispers went around the room, as it always did whenever Tom did anything. "Do you think it's going to show him dead?" "Of course, silly. Tom's fear is always the same." "Isn't it weird, though? To be that afraid of death?"
Hermione wondered what death would appear like for him. Would it be like Eileen's, with a knife stuck in to her? Or would it be some elaborate image that only his brain could come up with?
It turns out, it was neither.
Hermione stared as she saw herself prancing around the room happily. The whole room had gone deathly silent, only broken by the humming of boggart Hermione. Even Tom had frozen and stood there, gaping. Boggart Hermione had a ring of flowers on her head, and she was beaming happily. For someone's worse fear, this was not at all formidable.
Hermione was suddenly worried that the boggart had a split personality, just like her, and would reveal to everyone what her mission was. She didn't know if boggarts had the ability to do that. She turned her head slowly towards Tom, who was still looking at it, though she couldn't read the expression on his face. Why does everyone have a worst fear that includes me?
Tom seemed to have no plan on moving, so Hermione poked him and said timidly, "Is that really how I seem to you? I'm awfully glittery, aren't I?"
That snapped him out of his stupor, and he smirked at her, but didn't say anything else. He turned back towards the boggart and raised his wand, "Riddikulus!"
She was changed in to a pig. A flattering, mud-covered pig.
She glared at him, and he threw her a cheeky grin, before heading towards the back of the line. Somehow, he had managed to turn a bad situation in his favor. She could still hear laughter behind her as she looked down at the fat pig and grimaced. Oh well, all or nothing. She stepped forward so that she was about a foot away.
The pig transformed to the familiar face of her father, and she heard collective gasps around the room. "How dare you!" He yelled at her, and she fought the urge to shrink back. "You failed a test! You got an E!"
Hermione took a shaky breath. So the boggart couldn't decide which one she feared more, so it decided to combine them both together. Some people were still laughing, but were told who the white-haired man was, and immediately shut up.
"Well?" The boggart said when she didn't respond. "You are a disgrace. You have no right to be my-"
"Riddikulus!" She roared, and her father stumbled back, dressed in a pink dress. She felt relief when laughter met her ears again. She was so sure that he was going to say 'my daughter.' That would've been an extremely awkward situation, and one she didn't want to be in.
She offered Cygnus a small smile, and headed towards the back of the room. However, before she could make eye contact with Nick, Tom pulled her aside. "My what?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's your relation with Grindelwald?"
She had been hoping he hadn't heard. "My student, probably," she shrugged. "It combined two of my worst fears, so there was probably a little Grindelwald and a little professor in it."
Hermione could tell he didn't believe it. If it was that easy to trick Tom Riddle, she would've done it years ago. "Why are you afraid of Grindelwald?"
"He killed my mother," Hermione said, and that part was true. Only, she wasn't afraid of him just because of that. But then, most of the wizarding population was afraid of him, weren't they? He was a dark wizard after all. "I think I have the perfect right to be scared of him." She glanced at him. "What about your boggart? It looked like I was a prancing unicorn or something."
Tom looked at her, his lips curling up, before it was completely wiped off. He said stiffly, "I don't believe that was my boggart. I think it was yours. You were right behind me." He cast her a sideways look. "Maybe you're afraid of becoming like that?"
"Don't try to steer away the conversation," she told him. "That was your boggart, and you know it. Now you have some explanation to do."
"It was like the kiss earlier," Tom said stiffly, and Hermione's heart clenched at the mention of it. So much for not talking about it. "Don't bother yourself with it." He looked at her, and there was no warmth in his eyes. "It was a mistake."
Before Hermione could do anything other than gap, Merrythought dismissed the class, and Tom grabbed his bag and left the room swiftly. Hermione was left to miserably stare at the spot where he had been, feeling more confused than ever.
ஐ
Hermione plopped on her bed tiredly. Shopping with Eileen had been less fun than she had anticipated, and that was saying a lot. The bar was already pretty low. Nick refused to go with her, saying that he would not go anywhere near Eileen. He had, however, given her a necklace that she must press when she was in danger, and he would come flying in like some super hero to save his damsel in distress.
Needless to say, she dumped it in the Great Lake as soon as she got outside.
Eileen had dragged her in to fifty different stores, and whatever suspicion she had about the girl being a spy flew out the window. Eileen, in her eyes, was just some regular teenage girl who loved clothes a tad bit too much. Hermione would've settled with the first dress she tried on, but Eileen said that she had to try on at least a dozen to even begin making her decision.
She ended up going with her second costume: a lion. Eileen had said it looked perfect on her, and that her 'Slytherin boys' would love it. Hermione told her that she didn't have any Slytherin boys, and that this costume would spark quite the opposite reaction. It would make her seem like she wanted to be in the Gryffindor house, but Eileen was hearing none of that.
Of course it was easy for her to say, as she bought a snake costume.
"Hey," Violetta said, coming in to the dorm. Hermione looked up from her pillow and waved. "You're back. How was it?"
"Imagine shopping with Tracey," Hermione said, and Violetta immediately grimaced. Hermione noticed she was still standing near the door, and motioned for her to sit down next to her.
"Cy told me that he wants to tell you his past," she said. "But he promised to go to Quidditch practice with Orion. They both gave me permission to tell you." She looked at Hermione. "Do you want to hear it, or would you rather wait?"
Hermione shrugged. "If they want me to know, then sure. But if they don't, then I won't push it. I respect their privacy." Unlike a certain person named Tom Riddle. Just thinking of him made her heart clench painfully, and she pushed him out of her mind.
"Okay." Violetta took a deep breath. "Cy tells me you guys did boggarts in DADA. Did you see what their fears were?"
"Black's was his mom," Hermione said, thinking hard. "I…er…was distracted when Cygnus went up, but I'm guessing it was his mom as well?" Again, Tom made his way back in to her mind, and this time it was harder to push him out.
Violetta nodded. "Correct. However, long ago, they both loved her. Adored her so much. Yes, it's normal for two sons to love their mother, but their love was extreme. They had ultimate trust in her. Their father, they didn't care too much about, but their mother was their life." Violetta paused. "I met her a couple of times, and she was a very likable woman."
Hermione nodded. "She didn't die, did she?"
"No, but I wish she had," Violetta looked at the startled expression on Hermione's face. "What I meant was that it would've been much healthier for both Cy and Orion if she had died. She sold them out. She sold them out so she could keep all the money to herself. Without a heir, the money goes to her."
Hermione grimaced. She didn't like where the story was heading. "How did she sell them about?"
"The Black family is an incredibly powerful and wealthy line of purebloods. As you would expect, they've collected their share of enemies." She shuddered. "They were all too willing to buy them, and they were willing to pay a lot too.
"Their mother decided, after about three or four days after the plan had started, that Lord Black was a powerful enough person, and she decided to let him live. She asked him to join her and betray their sons. He did." Her voice was quite. "They were only seven at the time. Much too young to face any of this. Their mother's betrayal already shocked them, but their father's was the second blow."
"What happened then?" Hermione asked. "How are they alive then?"
"Their aunt saved them," she said. "Her name is Andromeda, but she died trying. They loved her dearly too, and had to watch her die. The two of them were sent to Walburga's house. That's why Orion doesn't like Walburga too much. She is a constant reminder of what he has lost.
"I can't tell you specifically the horrors of the condition they lived in while they were imprisoned. Only the two of them can tell you that, and I don't think they will. It has always been a sore spot for both of them, and I don't think they've ever talked about it before."
"Are they safe now?" Hermione asked, frowning. She thought back to the cheerful Orion, and the calm Cygnus, and she never would've guessed. They were awfully good at covering up their background, almost as good as her. "Are those people still after them?"
"They're safe, yes. The people are still after them, but they are well protected. Despite how annoying Walburga often is, her family is powerful nonetheless. And they aren't going to just hand over one of their relatives." She frowned. "Not like their parents did, anyway."
"Did they ever meet their parents again?"
Violetta shook her head. "They're biding their time. They're learning all they can at Hogwarts. They made a pact with each other. Once they graduate and learn everything they can, they're going to hunt them down. And they're not going to stop until their dead." Violetta grimaced. "The two of them can be quite lethal when they want to be."
Hermione nodded, and was reminded of Tim. On how Tom's vengeance for Tim sending him to the orphanage only grew over time. It seemed like Tom wasn't as patient as the Black brothers, and already got the deed done. She frowned. She didn't want any of them to become killers. It wasn't right to kill just over some mistake their parents had made, stupid or not. The better course would be to ignore them.
…but obviously, she wasn't one to talk.
"Cy doesn't trust too many people after that incident," Violetta continued softly. "He's afraid he'll get hurt again. He may seem like he trusts a lot of people, but deep down, he only has a few people he holds dear." She smiled slightly at Hermione. "I think you might be getting there."
Hermione didn't know what to say, and instead changed the subject. "What about Black? He seems perfectly fine."
Violetta sighed. "Orion, on the other hand, completely lays the blame on his mother. He doesn't trust women anymore. And he's gone out with almost every girl in the school." Hermione stared, and Violetta quickly amended her statement. "Okay, maybe more like half. But still, he goes out with them, and then he breaks their hearts in the cruelest way possible. It's his way of paying back for what a woman did to him so long ago."
"That's not fair," Hermione said. "Not all girls are like his mom."
"I know. I've tried telling him that, but the two of them are stubborn, you know?" Violetta sighed. "It's so sad to see the girl afterwards, though. They all think they're special, but in Orion's eyes, they're just a game."
What about me? Hermione thought. Is he playing with me? Are any of them playing with me? What if I'm just a time killer to them? And then she felt selfish for thinking of herself in a conversation like this.
Violetta seemed to read her mind. "No, I think Orion genuinely likes you." She said. "He thinks of you as a friend, which is more than he does for anyone else."
"Yay," Hermione muttered to herself. "I've been friendzoned."
Violetta looked at her. "Pardon me?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's nothing. But that still doesn't give him the right to hurt girls like that. I'm going to talk to him afterwards." She frowned. "Just because you're in pain doesn't mean everyone else has to be too."
"Yes, you should," Violetta said gently. "Maybe he'll listen to you. This player reputation doesn't suit him well. I can tell he's uncomfortable with it. He likes teasing, but never any commitment. I personally don't think he likes hurting others, either. But he feels like he has to."
"I think the easiest way to get them to change is to capture their parents and bring them back," Hermione stated. "Only, I have no idea how to do that."
"You might be able to get a few leads from them," Violetta shrugged. "Seeing how you fought the men singlehandedly in Hogsmeade, I think you might stand a chance." She cast her a sideways look. "I never got to thank you for saving me, by the way. I owe you."
"It's no problem," Hermione shook her head. "Just consider it a small favor."
Violetta still looked skeptical, but nodded. "Do me another favor, then, and stay with them tomorrow, at least in the morning, will you?" Violetta asked. "I have class, but the three of you don't." She paused. "It's their mother's birthday tomorrow. They never look pretty on that day."
"They never forget?"
"Nope." Violetta said quietly. "Some things you just can't forget."
"I suppose so." Hermione looked outside the window. The Quidditch pitch was in the far distance, and she could make out little figures flying around. She wondered if the two of them were there, acting like nothing was wrong. "But sometimes it's better to forget so you can move on."
Violetta nodded. "I'll let you continue the conversation with them later," she said. "Why don't we switch to a happier topic? Laughter is good for your health."
"Alright," Hermione eyed her suspiciously with the sudden topic change. "What do you have in mind?"
"I want to see your costume," Violetta said. "Cy got one for me, but he says it's a secret, so I can't show you. How were Eileen's skills? They can't be worse than Tracey's, can they?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, they can," she opened her trunk where she had kept the lion costume and pulled it out. "It's hideous. It's a lion."
"A lion?" Violetta wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that the Gryffindor mascot?"
Hermione nodded. "Yeah. Great choice, isn't it?"
"It looks cute, though," Violetta took it from Hermione's hands and held it up. "Lion or not, I think you'll look beautiful in this."
"That's going a little too far." Hermione grinned as Violetta patted the fur gently. "It's incredibly stuffy in there as well. Not to mention, a lion isn't the right thing to wear on Halloween. Maybe she thought I was scary enough that I could wear whatever costume I wanted and still be able to scare the crap out of everyone."
Violetta suddenly frowned, and froze. Hermione stared at her and asked, "Hey, Violetta?" The girl didn't respond, and instead moved around her fingers in the costume some more. A suspicious look crossed her face. "Are you okay? What happened?"
She flipped the costume inside out and showed Hermione something. "Look," she pointed at it. "I skimmed the costume, and I felt this. Cy always said I had sensitive fingers." She blinked. "What is that?"
And there, lo and behold, attached to the fabric, was a tiny little device that she had used all her life. Except then, she was always the person placing it. Now, it appeared, she was the victim. It was tiny; she could easily see how she missed it. She probably would've never noticed if Violetta had never pointed it out.
It was a bug. One look at it told her it was tracking everything she did.
Author's Note: Aand, we have some Tom and Hermione moments here. Hope you like them. ;) Maybe they weren't as long as you hoped for, but we're getting there. Give them some time, and they'll eventually get there (assuming Tom doesn't run away like a chicken before then.)
Thanks voldyismyfather for giving me the water idea, though not quite in the same context. :D They'll be some more water gun mentions later, though I personally would hate if I were drenched in the middle of October.
