"Miss Granger, a moment please." Professor Dumbledore said as his Transfiguration class filed out of the classroom.
"What can I do for you professor?" Hermione smiled charmingly at him.
Such a sweet child. Albus though. "I notice you hand out with Tom Riddle and his friends."
"They're such sweet boys." Hermione gushed. "I even go home with Cantankerus since my parents died."
"Have you noticed anything… odd about them?" Dumbledore questioned.
"Odd?" Hermione frowned and tapped her chin. "I'm not sure what you mean professor?"
"Were they talking about Myrtle's death?"
"Everybody was, professor." Hermione summoned a few tears.
Dumbledore frowned, but rejoiced on the inside. "Why are you crying, my dear?"
"It's just so sad." Hermione lied. "I know I wasn't friend with her, but she went here and now she's dead. Killed by that half-giant with a thing for dangerous animals."
"There's no proof he killed her." Dumbledore's eyes hardened.
But professor!" Hermione widened her eyes. "The Prophet said he did, quoted the Minister of magic and everything!"
Dumbledore sighed. What an idiot. "That will be all, Miss Granger."
"Thank you, sir!" She beamed at him before skipping of down the corridor.
"Well?" Dumbledore asked the empty room.
"Nothing." Minerva appeared out of the shadows. "Even while in class her head was an empty space, her most intellectual thought was whether Riddle or Dolohov looked better naked. Of course she called them Tommy and Anton."
Dumbledore sighed. "You can't be serious."
"Unfortunately." Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose, they had thought the Hermione was going to be their in to Tom's gang. "Now what?"
"Now?" Albus smirked. "Now, we go finish what you started this morning."
Minerva sashed her hips as she past Albus on her way to their bedroom.
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"So Dumbledore suspects you." Lord Nott sighed, scrubbing his forehead with his hand.
"But not me." Hermione smirked. "Dumbledore and McGonagall think I am an airheaded idiot."
Cantankerus spluttered. "How can anyone thing that?"
Fluttering her eyelashes, Hermione simpered at him. "Cantan look at you, so muscular, so pretty."
"Mia." Tom growled, eyes flashing.
"Tom." Hermione gave him an amused smile.
Lord Nott chuckled at Tom's blatant jealousy and his son's obvious uncomfortableness at being put into the situation.
"I was making a point, Tom, I find nothing appealing about Cantankerous." Hermione smiled apologetically at Lord Nott. "No offense."
"None taken." Lord Nott spread his hands in front of himself.
"I'm offended." Cantankerous muttered.
Tom snapped his head toward the other boy. "No one asked you."
Hermione placed a hand on his thigh. "Be nice to the boy." Placing a quick kiss on his cheek, she leaned back but didn't retract her hand.
Lord Nott raised an eyebrow. "Why, Miss Granger, I didn't think you were that kind of girl."
"I'm not." Hermione rolled her eyes. Her boys had gotten used to her displays of affection when they were alone. And Lord Nott was of the older generation, he would be ashamed for Abraxas if he knew what the boy got up to. (He'd be scandalized and appalled if he knew what a certain professor did with one of his students.)
"You're courting, are you not?" Lord Nott asked. "You should not be acting like a woman with loose morals."
Hermione snorted, summing her magic to the surface – her hair crackled and black wisps encircled her arms like snakes. "You do not tell me what to do. I can rip you apart and there will be nothing you can do to stop me. So don't you dare presume you can tell me what to do."
The thing that scared Lord Nott the most was not the (dark) power radiating off of her – which was much more than he ever thought possible – but that she was able to threaten him with such a cold voice. She did raise her voice or even change its pitch, it was level and calm; and that was what scared him the most. Every practitioner of the Dark Arts he had met, had an aggression problem; but neither Granger nor Riddle seemed to have an anger problem.
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"I can't wait to go leave Hogwarts." Dolohov sighed. "And we still have two more years left."
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Stop whining."
"He has a point." Tom flicked her forehead.
"Your education is very important." Hermione exclaimed, rubbing the stop where Tom had flicked her.
"And no one is arguing with you, Mia." Tom kissed the back of her hand, before twining their fingers. "Our plans can't take place while we're at school. We're going to have to gather followers, make alliances with various creatures…"
"They're going to have the same rights are wizards, right?" Hermione asked, more liked told.
Avery winced, their Lady was the only one who could interrupt Voldemort without punishment.
However, Abraxas sighed heavily, before getting elbowed in the ribs by Dolohov. Antonin had discovered he liked muggle violence just as much as hexes and curses.
Tom, ignoring the by-play, chuckled. "Yes, Mia."
"Good." Hermione nodded her head sharply. "Perhaps relaxing restrictions on Dark Magic will force wizards to see creatures in a better light."
Rosier rolled his eyes, for as ruthless as their Dark Lady was, she was a bleeding heart.
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A/N: Hope this isn't too dark. However, there will be chapters that are DARK. There will be a warning at the top of those chapters. But your reviews let me know how you are taking it.