Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Hello everyone! I decided now was a good time to update this story. Thanks to every beautiful reader who took the time to R & R! Love u all.

Just the moment

"This can't be." I got closer to the painting. I touched the canvas, the rough feeling under my finger tips did not help my confused mind.

I paled and grabbed my stomach. Was I pregnant?

"Seriously Jane, in times like this I can't help but wonder if you didn't fake all of your grades. A simple pregnancy spell would've sufficed to indicate you are not currently pregnant. From what I gather I left you in the hands of this Lucious. Do you honestly believe I would allow for you to carry anyone's child but mine? I can easily tell, you still have the remains of a powerful contraceptive potion on your system."

I looked at him. His tone of voice was so indifferent; he might've been talking about the weather. He accepted every detail of my torture as if it was the normal course of action to be taken. He was a monster.

I walked up to him and stared deep into his eyes. Our noses were almost touching. I let him see all the pain, anguish and sorrow he had caused me. He turned his face to the side as if he had been burnt by the images I had shown him.

"Tom dear, did I hurt your feelings? See how my parents were murdered? How I was beaten almost to death time and time again? Is it too much? Tom, you do not love me. You do not know the meaning of that word, never have and never will. You will always be the sad little orphan. I've had enough of you…"

He looked at me. His eyes were like acid to my soul. His gaze so intense, for the first time I was truly afraid of him. I ran. Just before I got to the door, it shut.

He started speaking, his tone so harsh I could feel the sound hit my back with an intense cadence.

"You are an insolent girl! Don't you see you forced me into all of that? If you would just let me love you. Stay with me, that's all I have ever asked of you. You betrayed me. You tried to leave me. You cheated on me, or have you forgotten we never broke up? You stole my heart! I never asked to fall in love with you. Life was so much easier before you showed up. I've done everything in my power to make you happy. I built you the most perfect replica of Hogwarts. I became the best wizard alive. All I ever did, I did it for you."

I grabbed the doorknob, "Tom, don't lie to me. You always wanted power. You haven't committed the crimes you have, just for me. Had I never existed you would've lived your life exactly the same."

I heard his footsteps. He stopped when he was standing just behind me.

"You are mistaken little one, had you never shown up in my life I would've done some much worse." He kissed my left shoulder, "There are things I won't do because I know they would part me from you forever. You would never stand being in my presence again if I were to follow all of my impulses to become a reality."

He caressed my arm, till he had his hand over the hand I had on the doorknob.

I shuddered.

"I never want to see you afraid of me again. You are safe by my side. I would never let harm come to you, besides the occasional lesson. I left you to one of my followers because I could never inflict the pain myself. I simply can't. You are my one weakness. My beloved girl, it pains me greatly all I've done to you. But I think it was necessary. Otherwise you would've married that Potter boy. "

I rested the back of my head against his shoulder, "Tom I can't go on like this. I'm tired."

He hugged my waist and put his mouth to my ear. "Give up. You don't have to continue fighting me. Fighting your feelings for me, I would make you happy. We would have a beautiful family. Eternity would be ours."

"That's where you are mistaken Tom. Even if I stop fighting you, one day, perhaps not today or in the next ten years, but one day someone would get rid of you. Nothing lasts forever. Besides if I were to give in, it would destroy me. I can't be happy while you torture people and kill innocents. I might be able to ignore it for a while, but it would eventually drive me insane."

He kissed my cheek. I could feel the smile on his mouth.

"You are tougher than you know. Why does everything have to be either white or black with you? I have a very sound theory regarding your person. I know why you avoid the grey areas. You fear yourself. You dread that if you linger too long in those places you might not want to dwell in the white areas anymore. I know you, my love. If you just wanted to, we could do so much together."

I tried to get some space between us, all to no avail. "Perhaps you are right, Tom. Too bad everything that was black or grey has been bathed in the blood of my friends, my parents, and innocents. Perhaps at some point in my life I could've felt the pull of the Dark Arts. I'll give you that."

He opened the door and let me pass.

"Would you care to join me for dinner?" his eyes were above my head.

I turned my back to him, "Given the circumstances I don't think I've got much of a choice, do I? Do you get actual food in here? I would hate to eat just air."

"Never underestimate me, Jane. The girl I once knew wouldn't have made that mistake. I really can't phantom how you became so good a caster without getting yourself killed. Your instincts have diminished greatly."

I didn't have to look at his face to know there was a smirk written on it. His words were right, my comment had been thoughtless. I dreaded being so at ease in his presence. I had to be more on my guard.

He turned his back on me and started walking. The idea of walking behind him was insulting, so I walked faster till we were side by side. As we descended the stairs I looked at the house I had always dreamt of inhabiting. The man I loved was by my side, but still nothing was as it should've been.

We sat in a small table with fine cutlery and lighted candles. The food appeared in front of us and I couldn't help but wonder if he had trapped house elves in this place. Was that even possible? If not who made the food?

"My dear girl, please stop looking at your food like as if it were a living crime. I don't have house elves here," his dark eyes shone like melted cobalt.

"Then how…"

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled fondly at me, "Like I would tell you, if I do you will find a way of making me regret it. Love I do learn from my mistakes. For example, did you not get the inspiration to learn all the spells you sent my way from a conversation we had regarding the Magical Library of Alexandria? You are using my own knowledge to fight me. It isn't all that wise, is it?"

A devious smile on my lips, was all the sign of the twisted cheerfulness I felt at his realizing that. "Well, I did get that piece of advice from you. Wouldn't it be ironic if I end up defeating you with something you let slip?"

Contrary to what I expected he smiled, "Women are so manipulative. Just like Eve was the downfall of Adam you could be mine. The big difference my love is I am the one who is pulling your strings, not the other way around. If I'm not mistaken you had to do some pretty dark things to gain access to Alexandria. By knowing what you know, I am certain you've crossed more than a couple of times into the Dark Arts. I couldn't have a wife who wasn't versed in the Dark Arts, now could I? Besides, I'm but a part of myself and still you weren't able to do much more than keep me still for some time. I must admit I'm quite disappointed I expected you to do so much better with that knowledge."

I lost my appetite at his words. My knife and fork started pushing the food around the sipped into my face.

"You have been cornering me. Shoving me towards the places you want me to visit, pushing me to go beyond my limits"

I clapped, "Bravo! Here I was thinking it was all a jealousy fit. Now this is more according to you, the real you. I'm feeling kind of sick. Would you mind if I cut this visit short? Not that I'll be seeing you ever again, that is."

I stood and aimed my wand at him.

"Love we both know you won't kill me. If I'm not mistaken this age I'm in was one you dearly wanted to spend by my side. Severing this piece of my soul, I made sure you would be incapable of obliterating it."

"Don't sound so cocky Tom; I am capable of doing a lot of things you wouldn't believe. Perhaps you've pushed me too far."

He remained sitting and continued eating his dinner, "Then by all means go ahead, hit me with your best shot."

"Fight me!"

He didn't spare me a glance.

"Tomorrow we should have pork for dinner or perhaps some ribs. Love, you aren't going to harm me so drop the act."

I hesitated. If I killed him a part of me would die with him. Time had a way of passing differently inside an object. Perhaps I could stay here and live with him for a couple of years, enjoy this place where he couldn't harm innocents and murder people. It would be just him and I. No past, no future, just the moment.

I lowered my wand just a fraction without the slightest intention of using it and took a step towards him.

Before I took another step, a green jet of light passed an inch from my arm, hitting Tom square in the chest.

I turned to look at the caster.

"Good thing I got him before you did. The bastard owed me or will owe me. Whatever, let's get out of here. This place will start crumbling soon."

As if on cue a chandelier fell from the ceiling, the walls started melting. My dream world started banishing.

"Come on, Hermione!" saying this Malfoy forcefully grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the main entrance.

As we crossed the threshold there was only one thing on my mind. His hair was the exact same shade as his father's. Platinum.

After everything was behind us, only a black scorch mark the size of a tennis ball showed there had once existed Slytherin's locket.

"Are you ok, Hermione?" The frown on his forehead was disconcerting.

My Tom was gone. The Tom I would dream of raising children with. He was no more.

"Answer me!"

"Sorry Draco, I am fine. Not a scratch on my being. Would you mind if I rest a little?" I didn't wait for an answer.

Just as I started going up the stairs, Draco´s voice stopped me.

"Not so fast."

With forceful steps he came to stand just in front of me and in a deadly quiet voice whispered.

"If you ever try to leave me out of another mission, I will make sure you regret it. We are in this together Hermione. I didn't sign up for being your puppet. So either we work together or I leave right this second."

I avoided his eyes.

"Draco…"

"I want your word Hermione, I want a magical promise you will work with me to bring him down."

In a wave of anger I said, "I Hermione Jane Granger, swear to work with Draco Malfoy to bring about Lord Voldemort's death. I will never exclude him from a mission, information or secret. If I were to do so I hereby accept losing my magic forever."

He looked baffled for a second, before he recovered. It was as if he hadn't expected me to yield so easily.

"Now that we are clear on this respect, we have a little problem." He turned his back on me and headed towards the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen stood a young man, with intelligent eyes and long blonde hair.

"I am glad you got her out safely, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco inclined his head and served himself a scotch. He drank it all and refilled his glass.

"So how old was Tom inside that object," inquired the youth, turning his back to me.

"I didn't really look at him for long. He must have been in his mid-twenties," Draco answered between glasses of scotch.

The stranger walked a little absentmindedly.

I took the opportunity to come closer. The stranger's presence was welcoming and comforting. I felt as if no harm would come to me while he was there. It was the sort of certainty that comes from instinct, unexplainable but real.

With a renewed sense of calm I stole Draco's glass and drank it. As I was in the process of refilling it, the stranger looked at me for the first time.

He stood straighter and came towards me. Draco took the glass from my hand and drank it.

The stranger continued to approach me. His eyes were a disconcerting shade of violet. As I looked at him my mind thought, he isn't human. After a moment the idea seemed ludicrous. I had done too much in one day.

"Forgive my manners. It slipped my mind to introduce myself. My name is Antoine Gagnon, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Granger. I've heard so much about you throughout the years."

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