Disclaimer in Chapter One
A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus, people. I hope you haven't forgotten all about the plotline :$ anyway, here's a new chapter :D
Thank you to all the reviewers! I'm sorry I didn't manage to reply to everyone. Life's been hectic, but I appreciate your feedback a lot. You don't even know XD Thank you:
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Chapter Thirty Seven: Excalibur
A sharp pain exploded in his hand and he felt the skin of his knuckles split open. The pain only managed to paint a vicious smirk on Tom's face. He pulled back his fist and again mercilessly rammed it into Flint's face. By now the Quidditch captain was barely conscious anymore. Helplessly, he was sprawled on the floor with Tom holding him down. Blood ran down Flint's grotesquely bruised face. With a satisfying crunching noise it was again hit by Tom's fist. Tom wasn't even sure anymore what had brought this on, but he couldn't stop. It simply was a rush to inflict the damage and he wanted to cave the other's skull in. He slammed his fist down again. Drops of Flint's blood sprayed him, ran down his pale face and his smirk widened.
Tom's frenzy was rudely interrupted as someone dared to grab him by the shoulders. He snarled furiously as he was pulled away from his victim. Magic flaring dangerously, Tom whirled around. Dolohov flinched and held up his hands in clemency. Grovelling, he tried to appease Tom,
"I apologise. But is this really the place…?"
It dimly registered with Tom that he was in the Slytherin common room. With a deep breath he tried to get his temper back under control. It was then that Tom realized most of the house was assembled. They were all staring at him with wide eyes, horror on their faces. A few first years even had tears in their eyes. A sneer formed on Tom's face. Still, Dolohov was right. Easily, Slughorn or any other professor could have walked in on the Head Boy beating another student to a pulp. Tom looked down at Flint, bloodied face barely recognizable. What had he been thinking? Tom ran a hand through his hair, annoyance mounting up in him again. His gaze snapped back to Dolohov and, gesturing at the unconscious Flint, he ordered curtly,
"Clean up this mess."
Dolohov inclined his head and whispered sycophantically, "Of course, Tom."
Tom turned around and stalked towards the door. The other students jumped out of his way, frightened looks on their faces. Only one of them didn't seem shocked by Tom's behaviour. Bellatrix Black stood by the door with a mad grin curving her red lips. Throwing him a snide look and bowing theatrically, she opened the door for Tom. As he passed her, she whispered to him, scorn sharpening her words,
"Impressive. Interesting fighting style. Where did you learn that?" She mockingly raised her eyebrows. "So Muggle if you ask me."
Tom's hands balled into fists. He felt the violent urge to lash out at Bellatrix, but he curbed the impulse. This wasn't the place. But he would… He would… He was looking forward to it.
"I will kill you, Bellatrix."
The witch's smirk only widened at his lethal threat and Tom wanted to rip her apart right then and there. Instead, he just left the common room. The burning bloodlust didn't abate and as he finally arrived at the Heads' chambers, Tom was plagued by a horrible headache. He flung himself down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. His eyes slid closed and he tried to calm his magic down. It was a twitchy irritated mess and he had trouble getting it under control. Tom painfully rubbed his temples. What was wrong with him lately? He couldn't slip up like this. Not in front of everyone. He was Tom Riddle. The Head Boy. Talented, kind, innocent Head Boy.
Tom blinked his eyes open. His head was spinning. He wasn't sure what was wrong. His magic felt strange. His thoughts felt strange …even his body. Something had shifted. It still did. He could feel it. Some parts shifted earlier than others. Some parts were there, some still left behind. And he couldn't think. Blurry eyed, Tom stared over to the window. Everything was bright shadows that made less and less sense. He groaned softly as his magic again fluctuated. Everything came apart. And Tom knew. He knew the cause of it. He knew.
He knew.
The little witch dared to mock him. Dared to leave him. She cut through all his plans. It was her fault the Cup was lost. Hufflepuff's Cup. Tom needed it. It was important, because he wanted to… wanted to…
A shuddered breath escaped Tom's lips. He felt sick. He couldn't focus. He needed to get the Cup back. Yes. He would force it from Hermione. And if he was forcing the Cup from her, he would be close to her. Always close to her.
Hermione.
Tom squeezed his eyes shut. No. It wasn't Hermione he was after. He really wanted Hufflepuff's Cup. Yes. The Cup, the Locket, the Diadem, Gryffindor's object. And Tom still had the Gaunts' ring. The Diary. Then he would get seven pieces. Just like he planned.
Tom groaned softly as his head throbbed painfully. Wasn't… wasn't the Locket gone?
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"Are the others in position?" Hermione asked nervously, probably for the hundredth time.
Lupin's hand rested reassuringly on her shoulder, and he replied patiently, "Yes. The teams took position at the Floo exit points. You only have to open the Floo from Hogwarts and sent the Muggleborns through. We'll do the rest."
He gestured at the group of werewolves just a few steps away. The five men and women were all dressed in the black Corps' uniform, waiting for their marching orders.
"Mine's the last group to leave," Lupin said in his raspy voice.
"O- okay." Hermione hesitantly peered up at him. "Do you… do you think Dobby could convince them? What if none of the Muggleborns want to leave Hogwarts? W- what if they want to stay?"
Lupin's yellow eyes calmly gazed at her. He wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulled her into his side. "Then you've done your best to help them, Hermione, and they've made their own choice like they're supposed to do."
Hermione swallowed heavily. A shaky smile curled her lips and she replied softly, "We all did our best."
Lupin cocked an eyebrow at her and inquired, "So? Are you ready to see old Hogwarts again? Ready to get your friends out of there?"
This time her voice was steady and firm as Hermione replied, "Definitely."
†
It was like a flash that ran through his magic. Even though Tom was asleep, the jolt was strong enough to shake him awake. He sat up in his bed, grabbing his head in his hands, and gasped for breath. His thoughts were a mess, once again jumbled and disconnected behind a haze. Now, there was one strand cutting through them like a rescue rope through murky waters.
It was Hermione. She was back.
.
Hermione crept through the Forbidden Forest. The trees were dark shadows around her and her black clothes made her almost melt with them. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she advanced on Hogwarts. This had to work out. They all depended on her. Ignoring the fear knotting her stomach, Hermione entered the castle. Shacklebolt would open the Floo connection exactly at 1:30am. That left her with little more than an hour to get to the kitchens and organise the Muggleborns' departure.
…if they wanted to leave.
A concealment charm reassuringly prickled over her skin as Hermione pressed on, always downstairs towards the kitchens. The way was well known to her, but this would be the last time she ever walked it. She wasn't sure what to feel about that. For now she pushed all emotions away and hastened down another flight of stairs.
Hermione was still hidden behind her concealment charm and maybe that was the reason she wasn't prepared as suddenly an arm appeared out of no-where and wrapped around her waist. A puff of air left her lungs as she was pulled into a small side corridor. Panic crashed over her and Hermione struggled against the arm around her. She grew rigid as she felt her Dark Mark tingling. Eyes wide, Hermione blinked up at her attacker. There he stood, pale skin glowing with an ethereal beauty even in the darkness of the corridor.
"Good evening," Tom greeted in his silky voice.
Hermione sucked in a breath of air. Banning all of the upcoming panic from her voice, she said curtly, "I don't have time for you."
Tom's blue eyes scanned her interestedly while an eerie smile hovered around his lips. "Surely you can spare a few minutes?"
Hermione could feel the blasted mark on her left forearm throb warningly. It made her fear turn to anger and she snapped, "Maybe I can, but I certainly don't want to."
Tom wasn't impressed by her rejection. Never taking his penetrating eyes from her, he stepped even closer to her. Hermione refused to back away and glared up at him. Smug expression on his handsome face, Tom purred,
"I knew you'd come back, Hermione."
"I didn't come for you," she lacerated.
A suspiciously kind smile appeared on Tom's face. Hermione jumped as his long fingers curled around her hand. He stood very close, blue eyes greedily wandering over her. She scowled at him and tried to pull her hand away from his grasp. Tom simply tightened his fingers around hers.
"You ran away the last time we spoke."
There was a hint of accusation in his tone and Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "Of course I did. You tried to use me for your evil schemes. Again."
Tom's eyes were still fixed on her as if entranced by the sight of her. He wasn't going to just let her leave, was he? Cursing under her breath, Hermione pulled Tom with her and pushed him into the next best room. Quickly she cast a Silencing Spell on the door before she whipped around to the dark wizard, ready to yell at him. Before she could get a word in, Tom threw his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. He buried his face into her curly hair as if he wanted to be as close as possible, as if he wanted to inhale her.
"You're mine," Tom's quiet voice whispered to her. "Mine."
Hermione's brow furrowed. Hidden under the possessiveness, there was vulnerability. It was odd. Not entirely fake, but somehow misplaced. She tried to wriggle out of his hold.
"Let go."
Tom was very reluctant to oblige. His arms slipped from her but he again grasped her hand, not allowing her to take another step away from him. Hermione frowned up at him.
"Tom, this has to stop," she told him sternly. "We're not together anymore. You can't follow me around like this. The letters… You need to leave me alone."
At her words, Hermione felt his fingers tighten around her hand. Tom narrowed his eyes at her. "You're my girlfriend. I know you needed space. But I have to stay in contact with you."
Hermione wrenched her hand away, temper flaring. "Are you kidding? After all this, do you really think I'd still want to be with you?"
A sharp frown took form on Tom's face. His voice got distinctly colder as he decided, "You are my girlfriend, Hermione!"
Hermione's hands balled into angry firsts. "Penny. I told you, I don't want you to use my real name."
Tom stared at her in outrage as if she'd insulted him. She supposed in a way, she had. He reached for her but Hermione stepped away from him.
"I won't allow you to run away from me again," Tom said quietly, danger lurking in his voice. "You'll stay with me."
"You don't even plan to give me a choice in the matter, do you?" Hermione bit out. "Of course you don't. I never had a choice when this whole pseudo relationship started either."
"What do you mean? Pseudo relationship?"
"Did you already forget," Hermione returned heatedly. "We weren't together because we both wanted it. No, you ordered me to be your girlfriend."
The Slytherin glared at her. "I did that to protect your cover story."
"So you admit it?" Hermione snapped. "It all was an act."
"No," Tom hissed acridly. "We really were together. We still are."
An incredulous laugh fell from Hermione's lips. "We're not. We can't have a relationship."
Tom scanned her and Hermione could see the upcoming fury swirling up the calm blue of his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
Refusing to cower away from him, Hermione said tightly, "Just look at us, Tom. We have nothing in common."
"That's not true," Tom spat.
"Are you blind?" she replied, anger spiking. "We don't fit at all. We share nothing. No interests, no plans for the future. There is nothing that connects us."
Tom's magic angrily started to roil the air. Hermione bit the inner side of her cheek at the pain exploding in her mark. Whatever Tom thought about the matter, he didn't voice it. Instead he decided coldly,
"You're mine. I'm not letting you go."
Hermione shook her head at his delusion. "You don't have to let me go. I don't need your consent. I'm already gone. In case you've forgotten, you murdered one of my best friends. I want nothing to do with you."
A menacing gleam darkened Tom's blue eyes. "I told you that Regulus Black was a weak coward. How you're still clinging to him is disgusting."
"How dare you even speak about him?!" Hermione yelled at him.
"Maybe it's time you got over him?" was Tom's callous reply.
She couldn't believe her ears. "Do you even hear what you're saying?! Merlin, you know what? You're insane." She shoved against his chest, making him stumble a step away. "Your parents were right to lock you away. The only mistake they made was letting you out again."
Tom's jaw was clenched as he glared at her. In trepidation, Hermione noted how a terrible red light seeped into his eyes. His voice was soft but for a threatening undercurrent as he replied, "You shouldn't say things like that."
"Or what?!" Hermione snapped, ignoring her racing pulse.
A strand of Tom's magic viciously tugged at her Dark Mark, making her hiss in pain. "I'm not crazy," he insisted in a low, menacing voice. "You're doing this to me."
"I'm not doing anything," Hermione yelled at him in outrage.
"It doesn't matter." His eyes bored into her, the red gleam now even more pronounced. "You came back to me."
"I didn't," she repeated in frustration. "I have to deal with something at Hogwarts. It has nothing to do with you."
"I don't care what you say," Tom decided. "I'll keep you."
Hermione didn't know how to reply to his insane claims anymore. Tom didn't care and ordered sharply, "I want you to promise that you stay with me, Hermione. You're never going to leave me."
"Penny," she reminded him mordantly. "The name's Penny."
Tom's face contorted with anger, red eyes burning up, "I don't care what you call yourself! Are you going to promise?"
"No!" she snarled. "Why would I want to stay with you? You betrayed me in every way possible. I hate you!"
"No, you don't," Tom replied snidely. "You love me. You said so yourself."
Hermione stared at him incredulously. "That was before you went and tried to destroy my life. Before you murdered Regulus. Before you split your soul and turned into this monster."
Tom glowered at her, obviously not at all convinced. So, Hermione continued firmly. "It's pretty obvious that you don't want a girlfriend. You want your little slave girl back."
"That is not at all true," hissed Tom through gritted teeth.
"What do you want then? For me to come back to Hogwarts, so I can pretend to be a Pureblood again?" Hermione asked. "I'm not a Pureblood. I'm Muggleborn. Asking me to pretend otherwise is an insult. I'm with the Order now. I'm fighting so that no one has to pretend anymore." She threw him a pointed look. "I'm fighting for you as well."
The murderous red smouldered in Tom's eyes, balefully glowing in the dark room. "I don't care about the Order or your friends. I want you. And only you." For a moment he just stared at her. Then he simply said, "If I have to, I'll kill every single one of them."
The threat was stated so casually, Hermione had trouble believing her own ears. She stiffened and her voice shook slightly as she said, "W- what are you talking about?"
"You're mine." An insane smirk curved Tom's lips and he grabbed her by her shoulders. "You belong to me. I need you. I want you. You can't leave me. If you do, I'll find every one of your friends, one after the other, and I'll murder them."
Hermione's breath hitched. Her previous anger deflated and panic squeezed around her mercilessly. "You c- can't."
Tom smiled a terrible smile. "Oh, I can. I assure you. And let me tell you, I'll enjoy it the same way I enjoyed cutting Black's throat."
Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "No… no."
Tom laughed, red eyes gleaming, and he wondered sadistically, "I'm not sure who's going to die first. Your little Weasley friend? I've always hated that red-head. Or I'll start with her brother. I didn't like how he always undressed you with his eyes." Still holding her by her shoulders, he bent down and whispered, "Now I know, the first to go just has to be Sirius Black."
Fear swimming in her eyes, Hermione stared at him. "N- no. Please... Why are you doing this to me?"
Tom's hands left her and Hermione sagged into herself, trembling all over. The Slytherin scanned her through ruthless red eyes. "You are pushing me. I'm not making idle threats. If you don't do what I say, if you don't stay with me, I will murder them. You know I can. I won't make it easy for them either. They'll suffer."
Fear consumed her as Hermione looked up at the dark wizard. She could only plead pathetically, "Please, don't hurt them. I- I- You can't force me to stay. It's not going to be the same. What we had… it's gone."
"No!" Tom yelled at her, making her flinch. "It's not."
Red eyes burned up frighteningly. Still, there was a hint of desperation wrapped around his voice as he hissed, "It's not over. I'm not letting you go. Never. I told you, I love you."
The last words from his mouth perversely sounded like a threat, their meaning deformed and twisted into something repulsive. Wrong.
Hermione didn't know what to do. Terror wrapped around her so tightly, she could barely breathe. She stared up at Tom and the red colour blazing in his eyes was testament to his mutilated soul. If he had ever loved her, it was gone now. Consumed by this broken shard.
How could he still use those words, when he had no understanding of them? How dare Tom threaten her friends? Fearful thoughts clouded Hermione's mind. Suddenly, her wand was in her hand. Feelings pelted down on her, squeezing around her, making her choke. She raised her wand and panic bent her magic into a direction she'd never taken before.
"Crucio."
Tom hadn't expected this and she couldn't blame him for this lapse. She hadn't expected this herself. Her aim was true and the red flash of light crashed into Tom's chest. He sagged down on the floor and curled in on himself. Hermione watched as he twitched on the floor, screaming in pain. All the things he had done to her flashed by her mind's eye. The curse flowed through her wand and she felt powerful. Superior.
He deserves this pain.
Just as that thought formulated in Hermione's mind, her wand sank. The Torture Curse was interrupted. She staggered a step away from Tom, eyes wide in shock. He was breathing heavily, but managed to stand up. A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, running down his chin. His whole body trembled with the after effects of the curse. Her curse. Hermione watched Tom's struggles, heart racing in her chest. He had to lean heavily on the wall to keep his balance. What had she done?! As Tom turned his eyes on her, they were still red. Despite this, Hermione knew she shouldn't have hurt him. Never. Not this curse. It was wrong. She stared at him, horror ripping at her, and she wanted to apologize, wanted to make sure he was okay.
Hermione was paralysed, though. She took all the guilt and horrible shame and sealed it behind a thin wall of ice. Voice tightly controlled, she informed Tom, "People depend on me. I have a mission to accomplish."
With that she turned away from Tom. Carefully measuring her steps, she left the room and slammed the door shut behind her. Then all composure left her and she ran.
.
Tom's whole body ached as he watched Hermione leave. He didn't care about the pain from the Cruciatus, though, because as the girl walked out the door the stabbing headache returned to him. His head swirled and once again, his own thoughts got blurred. Tom couldn't concentrate, couldn't think.
He stumbled and had to lean against the wall as to not lose his balance. A shuddered breath escaped his lips. He felt sick. Confused. He couldn't focus. Hermione was gone again. And he couldn't think. Something was wrong.
What had Hermione done to him?
He needed to follow her. If she left, he'd be stranded like this. Weak and confused. If she'd taken his wand, he wouldn't have felt more crippled than he already did. Disgusting. Tom tried to push himself away from the wall's support. Instantly, his head swirled even more and he sagged back. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his cheek against the cool stone wall. Merlin, was this really her doing? What was wrong with him?
.
Hermione trembled all over as she dashed away from Tom. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. The curse still burned through her even though this time she hadn't been the victim. How could she do that? To anyone? Even Tom. He didn't deserve this. As Hermione finally managed to calm her panicked thoughts, she realized that she stood in front of the headmaster's office. Pulse still racing, she stared at the door.
Why had she come here?
Nervously, Hermione worried her lip. Then she checked her watch. She still had time… but why should she try? Tom was a monster already. There was no point anymore. Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, feeling painfully alone. She hated herself because she still cared. After all this, all the things he had done to her, she didn't want Tom to hurt. Hermione's gaze wandered back to the entrance to the headmaster's office. She just couldn't allow him to continue. There was no way she would let him attack her friends. She knew she had to warn them. Her gaze wandered over the door. She could do even more than that.
Hermione pressed her lips into a firm line. Then she opened the office. Apparently, Dippet hadn't change his password yet. Unimpeded, Hermione could step into the headmaster's office. The room was plunged in darkness only the moonlight hesitantly flittered through a window. Hermione's gaze immediately went to the shelf standing behind the desk. Proudly displayed, a moth bitten old hat lay on that shelf. A small smile curled Hermione's lips. She remembered how she'd arrived at Hogwarts for the first time, scared out of her wits. That hat had been there and had told her she truly belonged here. She. Hermione Granger. Not Hermione Rookwood. Confidently, the hat had placed her into Gryffindor.
Just as Hermione pulled the hat from the shelf, she was interrupted by a voice, "Hermione, it's nice to see you again."
She startled and whirled around. The office was still empty. A relieved breath left Hermione as she recognised the speaker. One of the Headmasters' portraits was awake. She stepped closer to the man. Auburn hair and beard, his clear blue eyes beamed at her. A small smile appeared on Hermione's lips.
"Albus."
The man inclined his head in greeting. Then his gaze wandered over her. "You look a lot better than last time we met. I hope life treated you well?"
Hermione's smile turned into a wide grin. "I got away. I'm not working here at Hogwarts anymore."
"Good for you." A happy twinkle appeared in Albus' eyes. "But then, what made you return?"
"I'm still hunting down the Founders' objects." Hermione raised the Sorting Hat. "I already managed to get Hufflepuff's Cup."
"Oh, how absolutely wonderful," Albus exclaimed merrily. "How did you manage that feat?"
"I had help," Hermione replied, enjoying the man's enthusiasm. "The Baron knew where it was hidden."
"The Bloody Baron helped you?" The portrait eyed her, looking quite impressed. "I must say you are full of surprises, Hermione. That man is not known to be of the helpful kind."
Her cheeks burned a bit under his praise and Hermione nervously fiddled with the hat in her hands. Albus' blue eyes wandered to the Sorting Hat and he arched a questioning eyebrow at her.
"Now you've returned to retrieve Gryffindor's Sword?" He stroked over his long beard. "I remember you told me about Ravenclaw's Diadem and Slytherin's Locket." His smile dulled as he added, "I also remember the reason why you collect the Founders' most prized possessions."
Hermione averted her eyes, all her trepidation rushing back to her. She wasn't sure what she felt about it as the word fell from her lips,
"Tom."
"Hm, yes. The dark wizard in your tale," Albus mused thoughtfully, his clear blue eyes regarding her calmly. "Judging by your continued efforts to claim the Founders' objects, you couldn't convince Tom Riddle to abandon his dreams of immortality."
Something heavy wound around Hermione's chest. She breathed in deeply as her thoughts danced around the wizard she had just left behind. She wondered what Tom was doing now. Nursing his wounds? Chasing after her?
"I tried everything, Albus," Hermione said softly as she stared at the hat in her hand. "I talked with Tom. I tried to reason with him. I literally begged him to stop. He never listened."
She gently put the hat on the desk and turned to the portrait. Albus observed her attentively, a sad glint in his blue eyes.
"I couldn't convince Tom," Hermione told the portrait. "He split his soul. I was too late." She inhaled deeply. Then she admitted, "I think I've given up on him."
At first Albus didn't reply. He just continued to contemplate her over his half-moon spectacles. Then a small sigh escaped him.
"I see."
There was sadness in his voice but by no means was he being reproachful. Hermione leaned against the desk behind her. She furrowed her brow in contemplation then she said,
"I did my very best to stop Tom from killing someone. I failed." She ran a hand through her curly hair. "If he really wants to commit murder, I won't be able to prevent that."
Albus nodded his head, sadness shining in his clear blue eyes. "No, you won't. Sadly, I speak from experience."
Hermione threw him a soft glance, but her voice was firm as she said, "Still, Tom certainly won't use the Founders' objects as Horcruxes. I destroyed Slytherin's Locket and I have Hufflepuff's Cup. The sword," She gestured the hat. "is right here. Ravenclaw's Diadem… I think he already turned it into his first Horcrux."
Albus tilted his head as he watched her. "Taking the Founders' objects won't stop Tom from using another object to place his soul in."
"No, it won't," Hermione agreed. Her gaze was hard as she looked down at the hat. Then her eyes snapped back at Albus. "but there's nothing I can do."
He nodded at her and replied in a heavy-hearted voice, "It's very unfortunate, but I think you are right. You have struggled with enough burdens already, you shouldn't add another one. Tom probably doesn't even know how much you did to save him. How grateful he should be. I'm afraid when he realizes this, it will be too late. The soul, like the body, can be wounded. Sometimes such injuries are even more painful than anything that could be done to our flesh."
Hermione bit her lip as she heard it. "I can't help Tom anymore."
Albus' gaze lingered on her. "What Tom has done left behind a huge wound. That wound has been ripped into his soul by magic. No amount of time can heal such an injury and it will continue to fester forever. It is a very high price he has to pay."
"It was his own decision," Hermione whispered.
She averted her eyes from Albus and swallowed thickly. Her hands tightened around the brim of the Sorting Hat.
"Whatever happens to Tom, now," Albus' kind voice said. "never blame yourself, Hermione. You did more for him than most people would have done."
"Yes, I probably did." A humourless laugh escaped Hermione.
For a moment neither of them said anything. Albus regarded her with a soft smile on his lips and Hermione was immersed in her own thoughts. After a while though she spoke up again.
"Albus?" she said and the portrait blinked curiously. "After tonight, I can't come back."
Understanding dawned in Albus' eyes, still he asked cautiously, "Hogwarts?"
Hermione nodded. "And more."
"What do you mean?" Albus asked.
"I loved this school." A smile flittered over Hermione's face. "I loved coming here, learning new things. It was a nice life. I fit in. I had friends …but I never was me."
Albus raised his eyebrows. "Not Hermione Granger?"
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not welcome. I'm not even recognized as a human being here. Finally I can understand how wrong that is."
She breathed in deeply and had to avert her eyes from Albus' soft blue ones. Only then could she admit, "Sometimes, I think this world deserves to be burned down. And I find myself wishing I'm the one to hold the match."
Her brown eyes hesitantly wandered back to the portrait. "I'm too bitter. We shouldn't burn it, but this world needs a new beginning." A tentative smile curled her lips. "I finally found my place. I don't know if I can change anything, but I'll try."
Albus scanned her for a moment, then he said gently, "I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to meet you."
Hermione's smile brightened. "I'll never forget you, Albus. You are one of the few things in this world that convinced me it's not completely rotten."
Then she raised the Sorting Hat, put her hand into the hat and closed her eyes. This time she didn't doubt, she didn't hesitate. There was something solid in the hat, a handle. Hermione grabbed it. With one swift movement she pulled a silvery sword from the hat. With huge eyes she adored the beautifully crafted sword. The handle was adorned with rubies, gleaming merrily in the light. Its blade glinted and was razor-sharp. If there had been any doubts about the owner of the sword, the name 'Godric Gryffindor' was engraved below the hilt. Albus applauded her in delight. His eyes were full of pride as he looked at Hermione.
"I always knew that you could pull the sword from the hat."
Hermione smiled at him as she stood there with Gryffindor's sword in her hands.
"I think I've been right." Albus grinned. "You really are a lot like Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. Please, watch over the sword, will you?"
Hermione inclined her head. "Don't worry. Tom will never get his hands on it. I promise."
†
Gryffindor's Sword was securely strapped to Hermione's back as she finally entered the kitchens. Despite the late hour, the Muggleborns were still awake, cleaning up and preparing food for the next day. A strange knot formed in the pit of Hermione's stomach as she walked through the kitchens. She remembered how devastated and scared she'd been the first time she'd been here.
"Hermione."
A smile spread on her face as she spotted Dobby walking towards her. The man grinned and wrapped his arms around her in greeting. Hermione gladly returned the hug.
"It's good to see you."
The commotion made the other Muggleborns look up from their work. Hermione blushed as they started to crowd around her curiously. There were a few familiar faces. Mina waved at her smilingly. Winky stood right beside her. There was an angry glare on the woman's face. Hermione swallowed nervously and tried to hide her insecurity behind a shaky smile.
"So? This is it?" Dobby arched his eyebrows. "You're here to get us out?"
Hermione's attention shifted back to him and she nodded her head. "Yes." Her gaze flittered over the assembled Muggleborns. "How… how many of you want to leave?"
Hermione felt shaky under the other Muggleborns' watchful eyes. Maybe at least a few wanted to leave? Winky's hostile look didn't exactly heighten Hermione's hopes.
"We decided that the vote needs to be unanimous," Dobby said, voice unreadable. "We can't have some of us leave, while others stay behind. The ones left-behind might get punished."
"I see," Hermione whispered, hopes dwindling even more.
A grave look shadowed Dobby's face. "We've all been thinking long and hard. Your offer is very appealing. Yet also quite risky."
Hermione's stomach flopped. "I know. So… you don't want to leave…?"
Dobby stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "There was some opposition," His gaze wandered over the assembled Muggleborns and the smile returned to his face. "but in the end we really didn't have a choice. Of course, we'll come with you."
Hermione instantly brightened up. Laughing softly, she said, "I'm so relieved to hear that. I promise, you won't regret it."
"I'm sure we won't." Dobby's eyes glinted merrily. "So, what do we have to do next?"
Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "I'll explain." She turned to the other Muggleborns, addressing them all. "I'm glad you decided to trust the Order and me. Let me explain the next steps. We think it's best to get you out via Floo." Hermione gestured at the kitchens' huge fireplace.
Winky scrunched up her face. "This fireplace isn't connected to the Floo."
"I know," Hermione replied patiently. "But we managed to get a Floo connection. It won't be open for long, so we have to be quick."
"Wot d'ya mean?" Mina asked. "We leev now?"
"Yes, we have to leave tonight." Hermione nodded and a murmur went through the crowd.
Dobby butted in, trying to calm his friends, "Come on, people. We talked about this."
"I'm sorry it's at such short-notice," said Hermione. "But it couldn't be helped."
"It's not like we own anything that needs packing anyway," one of the Muggleborns said, grinning slightly.
Feeling a bit better, Hermione continued, "I need you all to split into groups of around ten to fifteen. I'll open the Floo for each group to leave. You'll all leave for different locations."
"So now, we're not even staying together?" Winky sneered, looking disgruntled.
"I'm sorry," Hermione replied kindly. "You have to split up for the time being. It's much safer travelling in smaller groups."
"What're we going to do when we arrive at the other side?" came a question from the back of the crowd.
"People are waiting for you," Hermione tried to reassure them. "They're all members of the Order of the Phoenix. You don't have to worry, they'll take care of you and get you to a safe place."
The Muggleborns had a lot more questions that needed answering. As the time to open the Floo finally rolled by, Hermione already felt exhausted. Still, she was content with how things developed. Smiling slightly, she turned to the fireplace, raised her wand and waved it at the fire. A relieved breath of air left her as the fire turned green. Shacklebolt had kept his promise and the Floo was open. Hastily, Hermione checked her wristwatch. From now on, they only had thirty minutes to get everyone through the Floo.
"Okay." Hermione waved at the first group. "Please, step over here. You can leave now."
She watched as, one by one, the Muggleborns stepped into the green flames and disappeared from Hogwarts and towards safety. The minutes still ticked by, but Dobby and Hermione managed to stay on top of it. A tentative smile formed on her face.
"Looking good, doesn't it?" Dobby grinned at her.
"Yeah."
"How're you going to get out?" the man inquired while he helped a mother and her young child into the fireplace.
"I'll leave with the last group," Hermione replied and with a wave of her wand closed the Floo connection behind the woman and child.
Dobby laughed softly. "Yes. Me too."
As there was a little under ten minutes left all groups, save for one, had left. Feeling the excitement of triumph bubbling up in her, Hermione again brandished her wand and the flames burned up in the familiar greenish colour. She indicated to Dobby for his group to come to the fireplace.
"Okay. Let's do this then," Dobby smiled at her.
No more than two people of their group had managed to leave as the doors to the kitchens were thrown open loudly. Hermione whirled around, adrenaline rushing through her. In horror she watched how several men, wands drawn, flooded into the room. They all wore the same uniform clothes, black cloaks threateningly falling over their broad shoulders.
Before Hermione could react at all, one of the men slashed his wand through the air. A powerful curse rushed towards the Muggleborns. With a loud crack it impacted heavily with the wall right beside the fireplace. The curse ripped a big whole into the stone, debris pelting down. Winky cried out in pain as a stone fragment cut into her arm.
The men now all attacked and more and more curses were flying towards the Muggleborns. Hermione frantically waved her wand to cast a shield over the Muggleborns and the area around the fireplace. She flinched as the curses aggressively tore into her shield. Quickly, Hermione pushed more magic into the defence and turned to Dobby. The man was trying to help Winky, her arm bleeding heavily.
"You need to leave!" Hermione yelled at him, gesturing at the still active fireplace. "The shield won't hold for long."
Dobby nodded at her, eyes wide. Quickly he started to assist the Muggleborns through the fireplace. An especially potent curse crashed into Hermione's shield, making it flicker weakly. She bit her lip as she felt the shield slip.
Just as the shield flickered out of existence, the attacks abruptly stopped. Beads of sweat ran down Hermione's forehead as she watched her attackers form a protective semi-circle around the entrance door. Another person stepped into the room. Hermione's blood froze over as she recognized her. High-heeled shoes clacked loudly on the stone floor as the woman confidently strode into the room. Her short, plump body was clothed in a garishly pink tweed suit with an equally pink cardigan on top. A ridiculously tiny little hat sat on her mouse brown hair. Hermione flinched as the woman's beady eyes came to rest on her.
"So we meet again, little Mudblood," Madame Umbridge said, horribly sweet smile curling her thin lips.
Something constricted around Hermione's throat and she could only stare at the woman. Still smiling, Umbridge's gaze wandered over the Muggleborns who were huddled against the wall, terror on their faces. Unaffected by their misery, Umbridge's attention shifted back to Hermione and she reproachfully clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth,
"Still stirring up trouble, I see? Such a naughty little Mudblood."
Hermione couldn't form a reply, her whole body trembling. She registered that someone had stepped beside the woman. Fat smirk on his face, Draco Malfoy watched Hermione gleefully. Umbridge raised her thin brows and told Hermione in her terribly saccharine voice,
"I suggest you put down that wand before you hurt anyone. You and your little friends are certainly not getting away."
{{{{{{{{+}}}}}}}}
'So flash'd and fell the brand Excalibur:
But ere he dipt the surface, rose an arm
Clothed in white samite, mystic wonderful,
And caught him by the hilt, and brandish'd him
Three times, and drew him under in the mere.'
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
(*1809 †1892)