Disclaimer in chapter one

A/N: Here we are, back to the main story. And now that Hermione and Tom finally patched up their crazy relationship, let's get back to the plot ;)

As always, hope you enjoy the chapter and let me hear what you think about it.

Big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and the special chapter. You are the best, guys! ^^

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Chapter Twenty six: Post mortem

Hermione let her fingers run over Tom's exposed back, enjoying the softness of his skin. He was still sleeping. Hermione smiled down at him. His body beside her felt reassuring. And wasn't that strange, her feeling anything but fear and distrust in the presence of a wizard? Tom and her had come a long way. It was like a dream from a different life whenever Hermione remembered how she had met Tom. Oh, she had been so scared of him as they camped in the wilderness of Albania's forests. On more than one occasion, Hermione had been convinced Tom would kill her.

Her eyes wandered over Tom who was still innocently sleeping beside her on the bed, face pushed into the pillow. A grin stole on her face and Hermione lay on top of him. Tom was wonderfully warm under her bare skin. He wriggled slightly under the added weight of her body.

"Hermione?" came his sleepy voice.

"Yes?" she hummed amusedly.

Tom sighed and turned his head to the side. "I can't breathe."

Hermione buried her face into his black hair. "What? Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I would never," came Tom's reply and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Stay as long as you want."

"I intend to."

After a while of comfortably lying on Tom, the Slytherin spoke up again, "Hermione?"

"Hm?"

"You know, the Beltain ball is next week," he mentioned casually. "On Saturday."

Hermione rolled from him and sat up. Tom turned around so he lay on his back and gazed up at her with his starkly blue eyes.

"I completely forgot about the ball," Hermione said pensively. "I guess I'm glad you already bought that dress for me."

A smug smirk twisted Tom's lips. "You really are lucky I look out for you."

Hermione nudged his arm playfully and agreed melodramatically, "You sure are a Godsend."

"I'm glad you realize that," the Slytherin drawled arrogantly. As if gauging her reaction, he peered at her through the corners of his eyes. "You know you're going with me to the ball, don't you?"

Hermione snorted in amusement and let herself fall down on the bed beside Tom. She lazily trailed her fingers through his dark hair and admired the flawless skin of his face.

"Don't worry," Hermione told him teasingly. "I would never let you go to that ball without a date. How would that look?"

"Pff." Tom smirked at her, flashing his white teeth. "I'll have you know, every girl would jump at the opportunity to go on a date with me."

Hermione pursed her lips sceptically. "Are you sure about that?"

Tom narrowed his eyes at the insinuation and Hermione laughed. She wiped the dark locks from his forehead and placed a kiss against his skin.

"You know," she told him, still smiling. "maybe you didn't notice, but they all think you're a bit creepy, actually."

He widened his eyes in faux indignation, but Hermione could see dark amusement lurking under the surface. She rolled her eyes at him and snuggled into his side. This was comfortable, this was nice, Hermione decided and a content smile played around her lips.

It was then that Hermione's eyes got caught on her school bag lying beside the bed and she remembered why she had ended up in Tom's room in the first place. She wriggled and twisted lazily until she could catch the bag's strap with her foot to angle it closer. Leaning against the head board, Hermione rummaged around her bag while Tom watched her idly. Finally, she found what she'd been searching for. Hermione threw Tom a smile which made him arch an elegant eyebrow, then she pulled a black, leather-bound book from the bag.

"Here," she said softly, offering him the small book. "It's for you."

Tom eyed the black book in her hand, bewildered, before he accepted it. Hermione worried her lower lip, feeling a bit nervous.

"I wanted to wrap it," she excused the lack of gift wrap.

He glanced at her in surprise. "It's a present? For me?" As Hermione nodded Tom asked, "Why?"

"No real reason," she said, face heating up a bit. "I bought it in Hogsmeade some time ago. I wanted to give it to you sooner, but then…"

That had been shortly before they had had that huge argument. Tom had been so angry with her and he had cursed her. Hermione shuddered at the thought. She didn't like remembering that day. Tom had used the Curciatus Curse and she had been scared of him again. The little black book had been far from her mind. Now, though… Hermione glanced at Tom, smiling softly. His fingers skimmed over the golden lettering she had charmed on the book's cover. Tom Marvolo Riddle the golden letters spelled.

"How do you even know my middle name?" he asked amusedly.

Hermione nudged him playfully in the side. "I'm not going to give away my source."

Tom glanced at her, eyebrow raised in question, but she didn't say anything further. Hermione smiled at him as he went back to examining the book. Tom flipped through it and, seeing the blank pages, asked,

"Is it a diary?"

"If you want it to be," replied Hermione. She skidded closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Do you like it?"

Tom's gaze wandered from the book in his hands to her. A slight smile curled his lips. Then he placed a kiss against her temple and whispered,

"Yes. Thank you."

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Hermione sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks and leered at the half-eaten slice of strawberry pie on Regulus' plate. Pursing her lips, she glanced at the Slytherin and asked innocently,

"Don't you want to eat that?"

Regulus threw her an amused look before he pushed the plate over to her. Hermione beamed at him and reached for the fork.

"Thanks," she mumbled, already munching on the pie.

"No problem." Regulus grinned as he watched her greedily shovelling the food into her mouth. "Still, you already had a slice, didn't you?"

Hermione shrugged. From experience, she knew how it was to go without food. She certainly wasn't going to let perfectly good pie go to waste. In record time, she finished the slice, licking the crumbs from her fingers. With her belly full, Hermione lazily leaned back in her seat. The Three Broomsticks was crowded as always during a Hogsmeade weekend, but not even the loud chatter of the other students could jostle Hermione from her sleepy state.

After some time, Regulus hesitantly broke the companionable silence between them, "Hermione? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you still together with Riddle?"

Hermione blinked in surprise, now feeling decidedly more awake. "Yes, of course. I thought it'd be obvious."

Regulus shrugged his shoulders. "He's a good actor."

"Why are you asking?" Hermione furrowed her brows.

"To be honest, Riddle never kept one girlfriend that long. So, I was wondering…" Regulus peered at her. "He doesn't somehow… blackmail you into staying, does he?"

Hermione looked at him, seeing the worry on his face. A soft smile curled her lips and she assured,

"No. He wouldn't." Doubt entered Regulus' eyes, so Hermione added, "I know why you ask. Honestly, I do. But… I trust Tom."

Regulus didn't seem to be convinced, but decided against prying. Sighing softly, he said, "Okay. If that's how you feel. Just be careful."

"Thank you. But I'm really fine," Hermione smiled at him. "And Tom's fine too." She pursed her lips and mused, "Actually, I wonder what's taking him so long. I told him to meet me here."

"Really?" Regulus replied, looking uncomfortable now. "What's he up to?"

"Oh, he had to go to Gladrags," Hermione said lightly. "Yesterday during Charms, the hem of my school robe got singed. I didn't notice at first. But you know how it is. Students need to keep their uniform in order. So, Tom went to get it fixed."

For a moment, Regulus just stared at her. Hermione raised her eyebrows, slightly confused by his apparent shock. He cleared his throat, still looking ruffled, and asked weakly,

"Riddle… Riddle is getting y- your clothes fixed?"

"Yeah." Hermione shrugged. "He said it wouldn't take long. I wonder where he is."

"I- I see," Regulus whispered, looking quite shaky.

She wanted to ask him why this surprised him so, but decided against it. Regulus was, with good reason of course, wary of talking about Tom. So, she steered the conversation away from Tom and towards the last Ancient Runes essay. As they discussed the essay, Regulus quickly lost the troubled look and again smiled easily. Hermione contently sipped from her tea as she watched the Slytherin.

It was some time later, that Tom finally showed up. Hermione instantly spotted him as he entered, a bag of Gladrags in his hand, and waved him over to their table. A look of annoyance flittered over Tom's handsome face as his gaze fell on Regulus. Still, he walked over to them. Regulus relaxed mood instantly evaporated as he saw the other Slytherin. Nervously, he straightened up in his seat and eyed Tom apprehensively.

Hermione, on the other hand, beamed widely. "Tom."

He nodded at her, before his gaze switched to Regulus. While Tom's expression didn't exactly change as he scanned the other Slytherin, there was something dark and menacing crossing his face. Regulus seemed to be able to see it too, because he shifted uncomfortably.

"Sit down," Hermione offered and patted the place beside her on the bench.

Gracefully, Tom slid down beside her and pushed the bag from Gladrags Wizardwear over to her.

"It's fixed," he stated curtly.

Hermione bent over to Tom and pecked him on the lips. "Thanks."

"Next time you're clumsy enough to burn something," Tom started in a surly tone. "I'm going to use a spell to fix it. There's no need to make such a fuss."

Instantly, Hermione protested, "You can't do that. I told you, the rules clearly state that students are not allowed to use any form of magic on the uniform. I read it up. You should know, you're Head Boy."

Tom merely rolled his eyes, obviously not willing to enter that discussion again. Instead he leaned back in his seat, arm lazily draped over the backrest, and scanned Hermione through his starkly blue eyes.

"So?" he prodded. "What've you been up to?"

Hermione skidded closer to him on the bench. Absently she played with a button of his cloak as she replied, "Not much. Got the new quill. Then I met Regulus."

"Ah, yes. Regulus," Tom said in a saccharine sweet tone

His gaze left Hermione and travelled to the other Slytherin. There was an easy smile on Tom's face, but it was betrayed by the layer of frost covering his eyes.

"Regulus, what a coincidence," Tom allowed. "Tell me, what exactly are you doing here, alone… with my girlfriend?"

His bland voice couldn't completely hide the threatening undercurrent of his question. Hermione saw Regulus' eyes widening. He paled considerably while he desperately searched for an answer. His fingers trembled as he clutched his teacup. Hermione directed a reproachful look at Tom. He didn't pay her any attention, but fixed Regulus with an intimidating glare.

"Tom," Hermione said, tugging at his sleeve to gain his attention. "You know he's my friend, don't you?"

Tom's frosty blue eyes came to rest on her and he declared, sharp edge to his words, "Maybe I don't like that."

Hermione blinked up at the menacing look on his face. Not at all impressed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and replied firmly,

"Maybe I don't care."

Through the corners of her eyes, she saw Regulus flinch at her insolent reply. Tom simply glared at her. His magic bristled forebodingly in the air, though Hermione noted that he kept it away from her Dark Mark. Regulus, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky and Tom's magic wrenched at him viciously.

"Regulus is my friend," Hermione clarified sharply.

Tom pressed his mouth in a thin line as if holding back a harsh reply. Then he seemed to regain his composure and his angry magic abated. An easy smile curled his lips as he conceded lightly,

"If you insist." Tom turned to Regulus and a menacing tint entered his disturbingly polite voice as he warned, "I hope you understand that Hermione extends an offer of friendship only. So, if you ever get too close to her or even touch her, you can be sure she won't be able to stay my hand again."

"Y- yes, of course," Regulus stuttered, clearly afraid of Tom.

Tom's attention left the other Slytherin and returned to Hermione. The threatening aura dropped from him in an instant and he flashed his teeth in a charming smile. Hermione rolled her eyes. Tom really could be creepy at times. Before she could comment on his behaviour, though, Regulus said, voice trembling ever so slightly,

"I- I think it's better I go now."

"What?" Hermione said, turning towards him. "No, please. You don't have to leave."

Regulus smiled at her softly, though she could see him scanning Tom from the corners of his eyes.

"I have to go to Potage's anyway. My old cauldron is almost rusted through."

"Oh, okay," Hermione said reluctantly. "I'll see you later, then."

As if he had waited for that dismissal, Regulus hastily stood up. His hands trembled as he put a few coins on the table to pay his bill. Then he threw Hermione a nervous smile, before he quickly left. She watched his form weaving though the pub until he left. Then Hermione's attention wandered to Tom.

"You scared him away."

"He's a coward," Tom returned, tone unapologetic. "You shouldn't spend time with him."

Hermione glared at him and chided, "Why do you have to treat your friends so horribly?"

Tom snickered darkly and replied, "They are not my friends."

She frowned at him. "Then why do you spend time with them?"

Tom cocked an elegant eyebrow and surveyed her through blue eyes. "They can be rather useful."

"For what?" Hermione inquired suspiciously.

A vile smirk tucked at Tom's lips. "There are things I can't do or don't want to do, here they come in handy." His white teeth flashed as he laughed darkly. "After all, as Head Boy I can't very well be involved in anything… untoward. My followers, though-"

"Followers?" Hermione crinkled her nose in disgust as she tasted that word.

Tom nodded lazily and stated, clearly trying to get a rise out of her, "They like to be ordered around even more than you do."

"I see," Hermione fumed through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, faux innocence in his voice.

"Nothing," she replied in a clipped voice.

"Hm." Tom as he scanned her interestedly. "Are you sure? You look like something is bothering you."

Hermione bristled as she heard his amusement and snapped at him waspishly, "Why should I be bothered? Obviously everything goes just swimmingly for you."

At her sharp tone, the amusement dropped from Tom and he warned, "Hermione."

She shook her head and lacerated, "Don't 'Hermione' me."

Tom's eyes widened in surprise. Hermione ignored it and continued, sarcasm harshly warping her voice,

"Of course everything's fine. You are treating your so-called friends like toe rags and use them to do your evil deeds. Whyever would that be disconcerting?"

Tom furrowed his brow. Hermione hoped he was affecting that confusion and wasn't really befuddled that his behaviour came across as shady.

"So, now you have pity on those guys?" he sneered. "Don't forget how they treated you… how Malfoy treated you. Don't you think they deserve the same treatment."

Hermione just snorted as she heard it. "What kind of stupid argument is that?"

Tom was visibly taken aback by her tone. He needed a few seconds to get over it, then he asked, "You really don't think Draco Malfoy deserves it to be at my beck and call after all the years he treated you like dirt?"

"Please, Tom," Hermione scorned. "Don't tell me you are treating your Slytherin buddies like shit, just to avenge me. Come on, that would be a big fat lie, wouldn't it?"

Tom blinked at her and after a moment remarked contemplatively, "You know, I liked you more back then when you didn't talk and just did as you were told."

For a second, Hermione just glared at him and seriously considered cursing him. She just wanted to pull her wand as that smooth mask on Tom's face cracked. His lips twitched traitorously, trying to fight against a smirk. Hermione spied a teasing glint in his eyes and her anger died down. She shook her head at him, now grinning herself, and shoved him.

"You're horrible."

Tom just shrugged. His gaze wandered to the coins Regulus had left on the table and he commented lightly,

"I think your rich friend paid for you as well." He smirked at Hermione. "See, Black has his uses."

Hermione scowled at him darkly, but chose to not linger on the subject any longer. Instead she grabbed the bag with her robe and stood up.

"Let's go?" she asked Tom. "I need a bit of fresh air."

Tom nodded agreeably and followed her out of the pub. Hermione was deep in thought as they meandered through Hogsmeade. Her thoughts still danced around what Tom had said about his friends or followers. He didn't seem to like any of them. Wasn't he lonely sometimes? He didn't even like his own family. Hermione worried her lip as she glanced up at the Slytherin walking beside her. Tom noticed her attention and cocked an eyebrow at her.

Hesitantly, Hermione asked, "Why do you dislike your family so much?"

Tom's face darkened at the mention of his parents. Quickly, Hermione tried to appease him, "I mean… I can see why you might not get along so well with your dad. When I met him, he was a bit… difficult. But your mother was really kind. Why are you so angry with her?"

The dark scowl didn't leave Tom's face. His starkly blue eyes bored into Hermione, making her shuffle nervously. Just as she thought he wouldn't reply anything at all, Tom spat venomously,

"My mother is a liar."

Hermione could feel his upcoming magic storm around him viciously. Still, she dared to ask, "When did she lie to you?"

Tom pressed his mouth into a thin line and let his sinister magic crackle in the air. As he spoke, his voice was tightly controlled, but something dark lurked at the edges,

"My dear mother never told me anything about the wizarding world. Before I got the letter from Hogwarts I had no idea that wizards even existed."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and she stared at him. "You didn't know?"

Tom angrily kicked at a pebble lying on the street. "Not a thing."

Hermione knitted her brow in confusion. Merope was a witch herself. Why hadn't she said anything?

"But… but what about your accidental magic? How did your parents explain that?"

A harsh laugh left Tom. "They didn't."

"Oh." Hermione mumbled and looked at him in concern.

She remembered her first accidental magic. It had been such a strange occurrence, hardly something that could be overlooked. Not even Hermione's parents had been able to explain it. Just a day after that, Snatchers had found her and taken her away. Hermione shuddered at the memory. Tom's cold voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"In kindergarten, our group had that rabbit," he told her stiffly. "It was some kind of a mascot."

She frowned up at him, not really knowing where this was going. Tom ignored her quizzical look and continued,

"One of the kids, Billy Stubbs, he really liked that rabbit. Though he didn't like me very much…"

Tom's icy blue eyes were free of emotion as they gazed down at her. He smiled an empty smile and said, "Billy… he just wouldn't leave me alone."

Catching the dark undercurrent in his voice, Hermione asked tentatively, "What happened?"

"The other kids were playing in the yard as Billy decided to annoy me." Slightly Tom's brow furrowed at the memory. "I was quite… angry. So, I went inside and ended up in our group's room. And there it was, that stupid rabbit."

Tom shrugged. "I don't know how I did it, but somehow my anger fuelled my magic. The rabbit died and its body reappeared, hanging from the rafters." A disturbing smirk washed over his face as he ended, "Billy was very distraught."

Hermione blinked up at Tom's calm face and stuttered, "That is… well… quite advanced magic, don't you think?"

Again Tom shrugged. His eyes disinterestedly wandered over a shop window. Hermione was troubled by his detached behaviour.

"Did no-one… er… suspect you?"

Tom's gaze wandered back to her. Twisted amusement hovered over his features as he drawled, "Oh, they did. But how to prove it?" A melodious laugh left him. "I think my mother knew. But she never said anything either. Do you want to go in here?"

Tom gestured at the shop they just passed. Zonko's, the sign said. The inside was packed with students. Hermione shook her head.

"Hm. We could go to Tomes and Scrolls." Tom scanned her pensively. "What do you want to do?"

"Yeah, sounds nice," Hermione replied, thoughts still circling around his story.

Tom reached for her and Hermione felt his fingers curling around her hand. He held her gently while he steered her through the other students.

"You know, after that incident with the rabbit, Billy Stubbs never tried to tease me again," Tom continued his previous story.

"I'm not surprised," whispered Hermione wryly.

He cocked an eyebrow but didn't reply. Quickly they reached Tomes and Scrolls. The bookshop wasn't as crowded as the Three Broomsticks had been and Hermione sighed in relief. Tom pulled her towards a shelf of books of the darker variety and scanned through the titles. While he browsed, he continued his story as if they had never been interrupted,

"Billy Stubbs left me alone, but that didn't stop the other kids from teasing me."

Hermione peered at him. "Why did they do that?"

Tom furrowed his brow and then admitted, "I have no idea."

He mulled that over for a moment before he explained with warped cheerfulness, "Dennis and Amy were the worst of them. They were downright intolerable. Their teasing peaked during a trip of our kindergarten group to the seaside. I hadn't done anything to them but Dennis and Amy wouldn't leave me alone."

Tom pulled a thick book from the shelf. Flipping through the pages, he continued lightly, "They pushed me, tugged my hair and twisted my arm. I got really furious and somehow my magic took us away. The three of us reappeared in a cave. The sea had formed it into the steep cliff."

"You apparated?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Tom shook his head. "Not consciously. Anyway, Dennis and Amy freaked out and both cried." Vile self-satisfaction appeared on his face. "They became very boring. So, I left."

"How?"

Tom smirked evilly. "My magic again helped me out. A Muggle couldn't have left that cave without being a very accomplished mountaineer, actually." He returned the thick book back to the shelf and sighed softly, "From there on it went downhill."

"What do you mean?"

Tom peered at her with dull eyes and said, "After some time the kindergarten teacher noticed Amy and Dennis were missing. She panicked and finally called the police. They actually alerted the coastguard. At that point our parents had been phoned and one by one they dropped by to get their kids."

"Did your parents get you as well?" Hermione wondered, thinking of Merope Riddle.

Tom's voice grew icy cold as he replied, "They both did. I swear, the whole two hour drive home, no-one said a word. I don't know why they were all so upset. I mean, they found Amy and Dennis before the flood completely drowned that cave."

At that Hermione threw in a sharp breath of air. "They could have died?!"

Tom only glared at her and informed irately, "They didn't."

As he continued, the anger left his voice and was replaced by bitterness, "As we arrived at Little Hangleton, my father immediately started to yell at first me and then my mother. Then I was sent to my room where I could hear them arguing till late into the night."

For the first time in this conversation, Tom couldn't meet Hermione's eyes. His voice was strangely soft as he said, "After that my parents sent me away to…"

He stopped and stared down at his hands. Hermione reached out for him and gently held his hand. Gingerly, she asked,

"Where did they send you?"

Reluctantly, Tom's blue eyes looked up at Hermione. She pressed his hand encouragingly as she saw the insecurity swimming in his eyes. Tom's voice was very soft as he whispered,

"To a mental hospital."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock and she exclaimed horrified, "What?"

"My mother did nothing," Tom said, gloom in his tone. "She knew I was not crazy and yet she stepped back and allowed my father… the disgusting Muggle, to commit me to that institution."

"It wasn't your fault, though," Hermione said, shocked by his parents' behaviour. "It was accidental magic. You couldn't have stopped it."

Tom shrugged. "My father didn't care. He always thought magic was something bad. He probably hoped the doctors would lock me away forever. Or he hoped they would simply sedate me, so I could never use any magic again."

"But… but…" Hermione stuttered. "You are not insane. You are just a wizard. I'm sure the doctors quickly realized that you are fine."

"My father is rich, you know," Tom replied, voice acerbic. "And it so happens that he is one of the sponsors of that hospital."

"Didn't your mother try to get you out of there?"

Tom just sneered at her. "No. Never. I was there for two years. After they released me, I still had to see a psychiatrist at least once a week. And I had to go back to the clinic every time I had a… relapse."

Hermione stared at him, shock washing over her.

"I was eleven when I realized that I was not crazy," Tom said in a disturbingly light voice. "That was the day I got the letter from Hogwarts."

Hermione stared at his eerily calm face and commented, "Well, that explains a lot."

Instantly Tom's brow furrowed and he asked suspiciously, "Like what?"

Hermione pursed her lips and averted her gaze while quickly assuring, "Nothing, Tom."

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Tom's story, though terrible of course, didn't really come as a surprise to Hermione. She had always known – maybe even since she first met Tom at Malfoy manor – that there was something strange about him, something not right. Now that she knew, Hermione was painfully disappointed in Merope Riddle. She should have known better and protected Tom.

With those troubling thoughts circling her mind, Hermione gazed at Tom. He had fallen asleep on the sofa in the Heads' common room, book lying on his chest. His head had fallen to the side and a few strands of his black hair fell lightly into his sleeping face. She had to admit he looked quite adorable like this. Hermione felt fiercely protective of him and she promised herself that she wouldn't fail Tom like Merope had done.

Her new quill in hand, she returned to her essay. A strange shine coming from the fireplace disturbed her concentration. Hermione looked up and with wide eyes watched as the orange flames turned green and suddenly a head appeared, hovering in the magical fire. Handsome pale features were framed by long black hair while grey eyes glinted merrily as they came to rest on Hermione.

"Hiya," Sirius Black greeted, grinning widely.

Hermione nervously threw a look at Tom but he was still sleeping. Cautiously, she crept over to the fireplace and knelt before it.

"Er…" she stuttered confusedly. "Hello?"

"Tsk tsk." Sirius still grinned happily. "Not the enthusiastic welcome I expected."

"I- I'm sorry," Hermione whispered as not to wake Tom. "But what are you doing here? If someone sees you…"

The head in the fireplace didn't seem much disturbed by his possible discovery. Instead Sirius pointedly looked at the snoozing Slytherin.

"That your man?" he inquired curiously.

Hermione nodded, throwing him a stern look. Sirius ignored it expertly and remarked smilingly, "Sleepy fellow, eh?"

"It is rather late, you know," Hermione remarked. "Why are you here? This is dangerous."

Sirius cleared his throat and bestowed her with a radiant smile. "Why, I wanted to see my favourite Hogwarts student, of course."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his flattery. Then she inquired suspiciously, "How did you know I'd be in the Heads' common room?"

"Well, I did try the Gryffindor tower first," Sirius explained nonchalantly. "but there was just this red-headed girl, stuffing her face with chocolate frogs." At Hermione's fear-widened eyes he added, "She didn't see me. Lupin told me you like to spend time with your sweetheart who is Head Boy. So… I checked here. Glad I didn't walk in on anything…"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, but Hermione decided to not encourage his juvenile behaviour. Her frosty look made Sirius throw her the puppy-dog eyes.

"Anyway," he continued. "How're you?"

Hermione anger at his reckless behaviour subsided as she heard the concern hidden behind his offhand question. A soft smile playing around her lips, she said,

"I'm fine. I'm really fine, actually."

"That's good."

Hermione arched her eyebrows, her worry rushing back to her. "Everything alright on your end as well?"

"Oh, not to worry." Sirius grinned at her. "I'm good. Werewolves are crazy as usual. That's actually why I wanted to speak with you."

Hermione furrowed her brow, "About the werewolves?"

"Nah, about one particular werewolf," Sirius elaborated. "Lupin's on a mission at the moment. He won't be back for some time."

"Oh." Hermione felt an inappropriate sense of abandonment. "But he will return, yes?"

"Yeah, no worries," was Sirius' casual reply. "But as long as he's gone, he wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"I… er… He really said that?" Hermione mumbled, blushing slightly.

Sirius laughed at her. "Sure did. We both want you to be safe, Hermione." His easy-going attitude then completely left him as he added, "So, if anything happens, you contact me. You hear me?"

Hermione nodded, a warm feeling comfortably wrapping around her. Sirius sent her a smile and said, "I'll check in on you from time to time."

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled, smiling softly.

Sirius' gaze shortly flickered to the still sleeping Tom. Then he again scanned Hermione searchingly. "Your bloke's watching out for you as well, I assume?"

"Y- yes…" Hermione blushed deeply.

Sirius smirked at her knowingly, but didn't comment further. He eyed Hermione for a moment and the easy smile melted from his face. Then he gingerly asked,

"Did you have time to think about my offer?"

Instantly, Hermione felt nervousness fluttering in her stomach. Worrying her lip, she made sure, "Whether I want to join the Order?"

The man in the fireplace sent her an encouraging smile and nodded. Hermione squirmed uncomfortably and before she could say anything Sirius soothed,

"I know it's a difficult decision and I don't want to push you. I can see that you're happy at Hogwarts. I've been happy there, too. You deserve this, Hermione." A grim expression washed the smile from Sirius' face. "I really wish I didn't have to ask this of you. Merlin knows, you've gone through enough already."

"I… I…." Hermione stuttered pathetically. "I really do want to help, it's just…"

"It's a lot, I ask. Believe me, I know," Sirius reassured as his gaze wandered over a shaken Hermione. "A lot would change for you. You'd need to leave Hogwarts behind… your friends, too. Life on the run isn't exactly fun. Quite risky, actually, even with Greyback's pack backing us." A weak smile dared to curl his lips and he added, "But we could change things. You could change things. And things need to be changed, Hermione."

"I know," she whispered softly, her fingers clenching around the hem of her uniform skirt.

"Just promise me that you'll at least consider it," Sirius asked gingerly. "And if you decide against it, I'll understand. Either way, we won't let you down. Okay?"

Hermione peered at him nervously. "O- okay."

The smile on Sirius' face widened. "That's all I wanna hear."

He shortly turned away as if something at his side of the fireplace had distracted him, before he looked at Hermione again. "Okay. Looks like I gotta go." The teasing grin was back on his face as he teased, "I'll leave you two lovebirds to it. But you call me when something comes up."

Hermione nodded quickly. "Yes. Thank you."

With that Sirius head disappeared and the fire's green flames turned orange again. Hermione sat in front of the fireplace and released a long breath of air. Sirius' request spun through her head, making her dizzy. Of course, she should join the Order. Hermione wished she could help all the other Muggleborns out there. But she was so scared. She was no fighter. How would she be able to help? What if she ruined everything? And… what about the life she would have to leave behind?

Hermione sighed, her heart heavy in her chest. She turned her head slightly and glanced at Tom. A small smile flittered over her face as she took in his sleeping form. She just wanted to stay here with him and go to school and not throw herself into a battle that they were likely to lose …but could she do that? Refuse to help?

Subconsciously, Hermione fiddled with the potion bottle in her pocket. Was she prepared to take the Polyjuice potion for the rest of her life? To play the role of Hermione Rookwood? She would be a lie, a fraud, happily living her life while others suffered…

Slowly, Hermione got up from where she knelt on the floor and stepped over to the sofa. Tom was still fast asleep, so Hermione laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Tom, wake up."

Tom grumbled something unintelligible and rolled onto his side, never opening his eyes. Hermione smiled softly at his antics before she gave his shoulder another nudge. Groaning softly, Tom's eyes blinked open and looked up at her. A feeling of safety rushed through Hermione as she stared into his startlingly blue eyes. She raised a hand and wiped a stray strand of hair from Tom's face.

Almost she brought up Sirius' request, but in the end Hermione just said, "Good, you're awake. We should really have a go at our Astronomy project."

Tom blinked at her, slowly waking up. Then he checked his watch.

"Damn!" he exclaimed and sat up on the couch. "It's almost midnight." His blue eyes shot at her and he accused, "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

Hermione just shrugged at him and deadpanned, "Thought you still needed your beauty sleep."

Tom narrowed his eyes at her. Cursing under his breath, he got up and started to collect his books, parchment and the Astronomy chart. He stuffed everything in his bag while he asked distractedly,

"Could you go up to my room and grab the telescope?"

"Sure," Hermione replied amusedly.

She climbed up the stairs and walked into Tom's room and quickly located the telescope. Disassembled, it rested in its wooden box on Tom's desk. Hermione closed the lid and carried the box downstairs. Tom was just closing his bag, finally having collected everything necessary. He slung the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder before he stepped over to her.

"Here, let me carry that," Tom offered and took the heavy box with the telescope from Hermione.

Then he strode over to the door. She followed him. On her way she picked up her own school bag. They walked through the semi-dark corridors, up towards the Astronomy Tower. Tom seemed to still be half asleep and yawned quite a lot. Hermione peered up at him and smiled.

"You know, it's quite convenient that you're Head Boy," she told him. "Otherwise we would have needed to get a permission form from professor Sinistra for wandering the corridors at night."

"Mhm," hummed Tom and rubbed his eyes.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Why are you so tired anyway? It's Sunday, you could have slept in."

"Maybe," Tom admitted. "but I had to go to the library early and check something."

Hermione could guess what exactly he had needed to check. Smiling up at him, she asked,

"So? Did you find anything new on Hufflepuff's object? Or maybe even Gryffindor's"

Tom groaned softly as he heard her question. "No. Nothing. It's rather frustrating actually."

"Well," Hermione teased gently. "We Gryffindors are not so easy to suss out."

"Yeah, sure," Tom scorned. "Just keep telling yourself that."

{{{{{{{{+}}}}}}}}

The Beltain ball was only two days away and slowly Hermione was beginning to look forward to it. It would be the first ball she ever attended as a guest. Her black dress was waiting in her dorm, lying carefully folded in her trunk. Maybe it was a cheap dress, but it would be the fanciest outfit Hermione had ever worn. Tom had promised to accompany her to the ball, so she would definitely not feel awkward or alone. Her friends would be there as well, Hermione thought happily as she sat in the Great Hall and listened to Ginny. Her friend tried to convince her to come to a little get-together after the actual ball. As usual, there was going to be a lot of Firewhiskey involved.

"How about this time you leave the Head Boy out of it?" Ginny suggested, grinning innocently at Hermione.

Hermione glanced at her friend and accused, "You just don't like Tom, do you?"

"Yeah. Thought that'd be obvious by now." The red-head shrugged, completely unapologetic.

At Hermione's reproachful look, Ginny draped an arm around her shoulders and soothed, "I'm sorry, Hermione. You're my friend, you know that, yes? But Riddle?" She shuddered theatrically. "I don't like him. He doesn't like me… There's nothing to be done. You tried, you failed. What can I say?"

Hermione sighed loudly. Ginny patted her on the head, grin playing around her lips, before she turned back to her scrambled eggs. Hermione opened her mouth, wanting to tell Ginny how nice Tom could be, but then just decided against it. Her friend was probably right. Tom didn't like Gryffindors either. It was a lost cause. Sipping her tea, Hermione watched as the owls flew into the hall and circled until they spotted the addressee of whatever post they delivered. Hermione didn't give them much thought, never having received any letter.

So, she was quite surprised as a brown owl sailed down to the Gryffindor table and elegantly landed in front of Hermione. Frowning slightly, she took the roll of parchment from the bird's leg. Who would sent her a message? Ginny temporarily stopped to stuff her face with food and raised her eyebrows at her.

"Who'sh tha' from?"

Hermione shrugged. "No idea."

Cautiously, she unrolled the parchment. As she read, the frown on her forehead deepened and deepened.

'Ms Rookwood,

I am very regretful to drag you into this. Believe me, if I could see any other way, I would not bother you. In the end, though, I'm afraid you are the only one I can approach with this problem.

I know that you are aware of a secret group which is striking nothing but terror within Hogwarts' walls. I am, of course, speaking of the Knights of Walpurgis. I assure you, Ms Rookwood, that the Knights are a very dangerous association. They are far from being a group of mindless students, wanting to prank people or cause harmless mischief. They have much more sinister aims and they do not shy away from using violence to achieve them. I am stressing this point because I want you to see the Knights for what they truly are.

Ms Rookwood, everything that the Knights are revolves around their leader. He is the heart, the driving force and the mind behind them. His darkness, his cruelty is what pulls and binds others to him. I am aware that he is something entirely else to you. I don't know if the person he is to you is a lie or just a different side of him. It might not even matter, because that terrible and merciless man he is when you are not around is very real.

A few weeks ago, I had the fortune – or maybe it was a misfortune – to learn of a plan which directly involves the Knights' leader. I am very sure he keeps it a secret even from his followers. His plan involves the collection of powerful and invaluable objects. Maybe you have seen one or two of them, I wouldn't know. I, at least, have glimpsed a necklace with a golden locket.

I am powerless to stop him. I have seen too much, am too deep into this. Maybe I'm a hypocrite for even trying. Maybe you won't believe me; maybe you don't care. I hope you do.

Horcruxes. He is planning to create one or more.

Beyond that, if he succeeds, what will stop him?

Ms Rookwood, I hope you find a solution where I could not. I remain respectfully yours,

R.A.B.'

Hermione stared down at the letter in her hand. What was this? Who was this R.A.B.? Her stomach twisted into a knot as she again scanned the text. Whoever they were, they knew frighteningly much about Tom. Of course, Hermione was aware of the Knights of Walpurgis and she hated how Tom was involved with them. Was this letter a subtle threat? Hermione wondered and gnawed at her lower lip. If this R.A.B. person went to a professor with information about the Knights, Tom would be in trouble. Again Hermione's eyes flew over the last part of the letter. Desolation was hidden behind the words. Was the writer desperate? Why? Hermione shook her head.

Horcruxes? Was that supposed to tell her something?

†

Throughout the day, R.A.B.'s letter, although written on thin paper, weighed heavily in Hermione's robe pocket. All happy thoughts of any balls or nice dresses had fled Hermione's mind as she sat alone in the library after classes. She had not told Tom about the mysterious letter. Her silence gnawed at her. She should have told him right away, warned him. Still, she sat at the library table, alone, with a pile of books spread out in front of her.

Horcruxes. The word alone held no meaning to her, but something in that letter made her wonder and hesitate to confide in Tom. Hermione was angry with herself. She trusted Tom. She did. But there was a traitorous feeling wrenching at her since she read that letter. Hermione didn't even want to name that feeling, but it drove her into the library and the Restricted Section without ever talking with Tom. Whoever R.A.B. was, he had started something.

Now here Hermione was and felt as if she betrayed Tom by reaching for one of the dark tomes. There was a sinister curse was woven over it that Hermione had to disable before she could flip the book open. Although, she felt horribly guilty for doubting Tom like this, she started to read.

'This, my friend, is the gift I bestow upon you. If you accept, there will be no turning back. Some poor misguided souls might proclaim it can be undone, but you and I know that is heresy. Who would want to renounce such a blessing in the first place? Who would want to submit themselves to Death's cruel reign? Follow me and you will be free, my friend.

Post mortem nihil est.'

Hermione furrowed her brow. 'Death's cruel reign'? What did that mean? As she continued to read, her bewilderment turned into horror.

'Utter the spell and it will sunder your soul. Drink the potion and let it lead the parted soul. Your magic will be your shield, but your determination will be your sword. Never falter, never doubt. There shall be nothing clouding your resolve. As final component you will need a sacrifice. Death never gambles and never relinquishes what is his. If you want to escape his grasp, you need to offer him another life in return. It does not matter whose life you end – be it family, friend or foe – Death cares not as long as you give him his payment.

As soon as the heart of the sacrifice stops, the deal is struck. Part of your soul will have left your body and resides in the chosen receptacle. As long as that receptacle is protected, your soul will remain earthbound, tethered to this world even if your body is destroyed. Death will honour your agreement and will not touch you.

A Horcrux is a sacred thing. Always keep it safe. Treat it as you treat yourself, for it is a part of you.

Ipsaque mors nihil.'

Hermione felt sick and for the first time had to force herself to read a book. Nausea was mounting up in her as she went through the author's instructions. Horcruxes, she realized, were a vicious creation. The magic behind them was dark and cruel. Hermione had never read about something so dark and sinister. It was magic that should never be touched.

{{{{{{{{+}}}}}}}}

'Post mortem nihil est ipsaque mors nihil,

velocis spatii meta novissima.

spem ponant avidi, solliciti metum:

tempus nos avidum devorat et chaos.

mors individua est, noxia corpori

nec parcens animae.'

- Seneca

(*4 BC † 65 AC)

'There is nothing after death, and death itself is nothing,

the final goal of a course full swiftly run.

Let the eager give up their hopes; their fears, the anxious:

greedy time and chaos engulf us altogether.

Death is a something that admits no cleavage,

destructive to the body and unsparing of the soul.'

(transl. Frank Justus Miller, 1917)