Semper Infinitum:
A/N: Thank you so much for clicking on my story. It's been two long weeks in writing this story. This chapter has been a bit difficult for me to write because I'm not the best at conversation but I'm learning though! If you have any suggestions or want to give a few ideas of your own please feel free to inbox me or leave a review, I'm open to any type of criticism.
Thank you to my lovely beta, XxRebelwriterxX who's been so freaking awesome and patient has really helped to shape and mold this chapter. Please go check her out, she's an amazing writer herself and a fantastic person.
Disclaimer : No AI was used in the creation of this story. I don't own Harry Potter. The Harry Potter characters and plot are in ownership of J. K Rowling and publishers. I only own the plot of this story as well as the OC's that I have created. No money is being made from this story.
Summary: He grabbed her wrist painfully and jerked her towards him, the charming mask dropped from his face as he looked down at her threateningly. " What is it you plot, Black?" he hissed. Hermione smiled up him sweetly,
"Scared I might be hiding something grand? Don't fret, we both know the crown of deception has one owner and it's you."
Chapter 1: Reincarnation:
February 9th 1942
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
It was a cold Monday morning, the windows of the infirmary fogged up with early February chill. It had been an entire week since Hermione had woken up in Hogwarts infirmary as the younger twin sister to Alphard Black. At first it had felt like a post death hallucination but as the days ensued she'd decided that it must have been a sick joke the universe had played.
And it was terribly unfunny!
Never before had she heard of a case of reincarnation, let alone back into time. When she had woken up from her first dreamless slumber, she asked to see a copy of the Daily Prophet and sure enough, the cold eyes of Gellert Grindelwald stared right back at her. The publishing date at the top right corner read as:
'February 3rd 1942'
Hermione then realized that her theory had been correct and she somehow managed to time travel nearly over fifty years into the past. She didn't know how it had happened, only that she couldn't afford to make any mistakes that could potentially harm the time-line; her friends' futures depended on it.
She was relieved to finally be discharged earlier the following Monday. After a full body examination, Madame Duhane said that there was no reason why Hermione couldn't return to her studies. She'd been stuck in the infirmary for so long that she was tempted to just blast a hole through the castle wall and escape, consequences be damned! Her only saving grace was her two siblings that visited her daily. Alphard was like a breath of fresh air she didn't know that she was missing; his larger than life attitude could make all the dark clouds in the sky disappear. He'd reminded Hermione so much of Sirius that it physically hurt to look at him and realize it wasn't the Marauder's playful eyes staring back at her, but his dead uncle's instead.
Alphard had taken every opportunity he could to see her and sometimes snuck in late at night to bring her the treats he'd stolen for her from the kitchens. Alphard took her memory loss in stride and spoke to her as if nothing was different. Judging by how easily he'd gotten along with her, they must have had a very close relationship. It broke her heart that she couldn't remember anything about him.
Walburga was an interesting character to say the least. Although she was aloof and strict, she was surprisingly funny and her dry humour had Hermione in a constant fit of giggles. Her sister was nothing at all how Hermione had expected her to be and she found herself growing a strange fondness for the eldest Black. Walburga had also ensured that she was kept in the loop with all the things happening at Hogwarts ( It was her job after all, she was Head Girl this year) and brought her some of her books to keep herself occupied during the day.
Irma and Pollux had visited over the weekend. They had been livid that it had taken the Headmaster so long to get contact with them about her accident and demanded to know the full details. They were extremely unimpressed at Dippet's nonchalance over the matter and her father angrily threatened his position as Headmaster if he ever tried to smooth over anything concerning one of his children again. Dippet paled three shades lighter and profusely apologized,reassuring the Black patriarch that he would keep that in mind. Her father just smiled at the quivering man coldly, satisfied at his agitation.
Her mother was whispering sweet nothings into her ear as she stroked her hair affectionately. She assured her that they would get her memory back. They were the opposite of everything she'd dreaded and in many ways they were just as affectionate as Jean and Graham Granger had been, only more wealthy and politically powerful. She'd thoroughly enjoyed them and, to her dismay, she found herself not wanting them to ever leave. Unfortunately all good things had to come to an end and after about two hours, her parents left, promising they would visit her again soon. Dippet then followed them out hastily, sucking up as they walked back to his office.
Hermione used the bathing chambers attached to the infirmary to wash up and got dressed into her Ravenclaw school robes. While she was slightly disappointed that she wasn't a Gryffindor anymore, she was thankful that she wasn't a Slytherin either. She didn't think she could handle lounging about the cold dungeons all year long. After she had finished tying her blue and silver tie into a perfect knot she stared back at her reflection in wonder. The face looking back at her had been completely unfamiliar; her usual golden blonde frizz had been replaced with silky dark brown curls that cascaded over her shoulders effortlessly and stopped just under her bra strap. Her eyes were a beautiful dark brown instead of caramel and her body voluptuously filled out in places she'd once been petite. Hermione, like Alphard, drew more to their father's side unlike Walburga who favoured their mother instead.
( If you're trying to picture Hermione think of a young Natalie Portman)
After about five minutes of staring, she rinsed her face and put her hair up in a high ponytail before brushing her teeth. She planned on going to the library later that day to search for answers to her predicament and with some luck, she might find something insightful. Mondays were her favourite after all! When she exited the bathroom she saw that her brother was already waiting for her with her book bag slung off his shoulder. He'd assumed she needed his help to find her way around the castle and offered to escort her to meals and classes until she was able to do so herself again. Hermione agreed easily enough only because she didn't have the heart to say no to him. Alphard gave her a dashing smile upon seeing her.
"You're looking smashing today Mina, I'm sure you can't wait to get back to your classes. Don't worry, I took notes for you so you won't fall too behind." He jested, winking at her playfully while offering her his arm. She rolled her eyes and slipped her arm around his, "Yeah, yeah can we please go to breakfast now? I'm bloody starving!" she exasperated and pulled him towards the exit. On their way out Hermione shouted a goodbye and thank you to Madame Duhane who smiled at her kindly and told her to come back again if she needed more pain-relief potion.
The pair walked to Great Hall engaged in a light banter, "Ole Sluggy's been annoying me about you ever since the accident, but we all know the only thing that git is worried about is if you've lost your talent for potions." Alphard said disdainfully. Hermione smirked at him, although she performed relatively well under Snape, her grades had taken a sudden 180 when Slughorn had become her new teacher. His classes were extremely dull and boring causing Hermione to struggle with following his vague explanations. It also didn't help that Harry had managed to temporarily become the Jesus of potioneering after snagging Snape's personal copy of Advanced Potions.
" I think I might ditch potions for Households anyways, it sounds so much more promising don't you think? " Hermione jokes, Alphard looked down at her horrified. Households was an additional subject 6th and 7th years could take if they decided to drop a class. It is derived from teaching young witches how to be good housewives, proper housewife etiquette alongside cooking and housekeeping spells and charms. The majority of the girls in her year had taken it, including her sister. The professor who'd taught it was a bitter old woman who had a constant look of constipation on her face. If Hermione had managed to even score a P, it would've been a miracle. She was terrible at cooking and only knew a few basic cleaning spells. Her focus always leaned more academically towards DADA and Transfiguration.
Hermione saw his traumatized face and laughed at his distress, "I'm only joking, calm down," She said and he visibly relaxed, then teasingly pinched her nose telling her she wasn't funny. She simply beamed at him as they entered the Great Hall. Hermione instinctively clung tighter to her brother's arm. The enchanted ceiling shone brightly above the heads of the students inside, their eyes trailing after her as Alphard led her past the Ravenclaw table and to the Slytherin one instead. Their indiscrete whisperings buzzed in her ear as the students followed her every move, causing panic to swell within Hermiones chest.
"Alphard I can't be here, I'm a Ravenclaw remember?" Hermione hissed, trying to pull her arm free from her brother's vice grip. She really didn't want to be the centre of attention at the Slytherin table but Alphard ignored her pleas and forced her to sit down. The Slytherins looked at her curiously but didn't say anything. Hermione felt a deep blush creeping up her neck and she frantically searched for her sister who, to her dismay, hadn't arrived yet.
"Lighten up Mina, there's no rule in school that says students can't sit at another houses' table." Alphard said lightly, bumping his shoulder playfully against hers. She smiled up at him realizing that he was technically right, nowhere in Hogwarts: A History did it state any rule opposing that fact. She'd know if it did. A beautiful blonde Slytherin took a seat next to Hermione and smiled at her prettily, "Good morning Hermione, I'm glad to see that you're back on your feet again, I've been terribly worried about you."
Hermione nearly had a heart attack when saw the dark eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange staring back at her. She couldn't stop herself from jumping in surprise, reeling back. The blonde gave her a strange look before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I'm so sorry I nearly forgot! You may be wondering who I am, my name is Druella Rosier. " The girl said kindly and held out a hand for Hermione to shake.
She felt herself relax. That's right, the girl sitting next to her wasn't Bellatrix but her mother Druella Rosier instead, hence the strong resemblance. Hermione shook her hand, giving her a small smile in return, "It's a pleasure to meet you Druella." She said politely and Druella beamed at her.
"You must've been bored out of your mind being surrounded by four walls all week long. I'd know since I'd landed myself a two day stay in the infirmary on Valentines day in second year, after a first year accidentally gifted me puking peppermints instead of the regular ones. " She said breezily and helped herself to some scrambled eggs. Druella seemed like a likable person much like Andromeda had been; she was kind and soft spoken and nowhere nearly as unpleasant as her eldest daughter who was a raging lunatic.
Hermione nodded in response and eagerly stacked her plate to the brim, she was quite hungry. It had been a while since she had access to proper food. Being on the run with Harry had not been easy. They quickly burned through their food supply in the first 3 months and had to resort to hunting and foraging in the local area to survive. She would sometimes go days without food so there would be enough for Harry and Ron, only eating when she was close to passing out.
"Merlin Mina I know the food in the hospital wing was utter shite but do you really need all of that? "Alphard teased between bites. She rolled her eyes and bit into her toast, preparing to give him a snotty reply, when someone abruptly cut her off.
"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full, it's distasteful Alphard," a melodic baritone chastised. Hermione huffed, annoyed that a stranger had spoken over her and glared up from her plate to see the most angelic boy she'd ever seen in her entire life join the table. He had dark eyes rimmed with long lashes, his dark waves were neatly combed into a typical 1940's style that curled at his nape attractively, contrasting against his pale skin. His nose was straight and rounded at the end, his lips were full and enticingly pink.
Alphard quickly swallowed the mouthful of food and mumbled an apology to her but she was too busy staring at the Adonis sitting across from her to even care. The boy caught her gaping at him and gave her a smile so breathtakingly beautiful she'd nearly choked on her toast.
"Good morning ladies. I trust you both have slept well?" He asked charmingly and reached for the kettle to pour himself a cup of tea. "Hello Tom," Druella said shyly and smiled at him dreamily.
The food in her mouth instantly turned to ash and she felt her attraction dissipate like smoke in the wind when Druella called his name; A sheet of ice slid down her spine as all the breath had been knocked from her lungs. Hrr heart began to pound wildly against her ribcage.How could it possibly have slipped her mind that in 1942, Lord Voldemort was in his 6th year at Hogwarts? Of course she was bound to run into him sooner or later and thanks to her shitty luck, she'd unfortunately met him sooner. Tom met her gaze and gave her another attractive smile.
Hermione stared back at him terrified.
Alphard noticed her sudden discomfort and asked if she was okay but he sounded distant as the room closed in around her. All she could think about was the knife twisting in her chest, and the monster this boy would become and all the people he'd eventually murder.
Tom's smile slowly turned into a frown.
The corners of her vision blackened and she tore her gaze away from his to stare down at the food she had on her plate. The slices of buttered toast now lay before her cold and unappealing.
"Are you alright, Miss Black?" Tom asked her politely and she looked back up at him. He was looking at her worryingly but she knew better, she could practically see the boredom that swam in the depths of his eyes. She had to give it to him though, he was really good at putting up a front, so good in fact that if she hadn't known who he truly was, she would have also been fooled by his fake concern.
Hermione clenched the fabric of her skirt to still her shaky hands, "I'm fine thank you, just a little lightheaded." She replied softly. Tom's eyes clouded with suspicion but he thankfully didn't press the matter and went back to serving himself some breakfast. Never in a thousand years did she think that she would be sitting less than five feet across from Lord Voldemort as he casually added sugar to his tea and engaged in a polite conversation with the rest of the students at the table. She now understood why Ginny was so enamoured by him; the guy was a panty dropper!
She found it hard to think that he would look so horrid, fifty years from now, how he would cease to be anything of his former self. Shortly after Tom had arrived another boy had joined them at the table and sat down next to him. The newcomer had shoulder length blonde hair and cold silver eyes. His aura dripped with arrogance, he didn't even need to introduce himself for her to know that he was a Malfoy. He met her eyes, "Good morning Miss Black. I am rather surprised to see you here. I was unaware that your discharge had been today, " He said pleasantly, placing a hand to his chest to incline his head at her politely.
She gave him a tight smile and a soft "Good morning," before pushing away her plate, her appetite now gone. She was not in the mood to put up with another Draco when she was still recovering from the shock of meeting Tom. She sighed as she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee, wondering what she had done in her past life to deserve this shit show of a new one. Hermione watched Tom as he fixed himself another cup of tea and again added alarming amounts of sugar to it. He had dropped at least nearly six sugar cubes in his cup. She cringed. It was a miracle that his teeth were so perfect considering all the abuse he put them through with all that sugar.
Hermione wasn't a big fan of sugar herself, not because she grew up as the daughter of two dentists but because she didn't really like sweets unless it was dark chocolate. She watched as Tom contently drank his tea. How could he even enjoy that? Could that even be considered tea anymore? Not with that deadly amount of sugar, it was more like a concoction for instant diabetes.
Well maybe she'd end up lucky and he'd die from a heart attack.
Tom caught her staring at him again and smiled at her charmingly. Hermione felt a stab of annoyance at his act. Although Malfoy was a prat, he made no secret of it. Hermione glared at Tom in disgust, only breaking her stare when Alphard slipped her her timetable. It had all her classes and their scheduled times charmed onto it. She scanned over them quickly and was pleased to see that they were more or less identical to the ones she took back in her time, the only difference being that she hadn't taken advanced charms. The classes she needed to attend were: advanced Transfiguration, advanced Potions, advanced Herboloy, advanced Arithmancy, advanced DADA and advanced Charms. They all added up to six subjects in total.
She could manage that.
" Mina, are you sure that's all you're going to eat? You've hardly had anything. I was just joking, you know, you can eat the school's entire pantry bare and I couldn't care less!" Alphard prompted in an attempt to coax her to eat more but her churning stomach made her decline. "Well seeing as you're not going to eat anything else then, I think it's best I take you to class, you have a double Transfiguration starting in twenty minutes," Her brother said and he got up, offering her a hand. She stuffed her time table into her bag and allowed Alphard to pull her to her feet. She looked at Malfoy sitting next to Tom, "It was lovely meeting you all, thank you for allowing me a seat at your table" Hermione said graciously.
"You've always been welcome at the Slytherin table so come over anytime you want even if it's just to say hello," Druella chirped, Hermione beamed down at her happily and agreed. Alphard said his goodbyes and took her arm in his.
" We better leave now Mina or else you're going to be late for class. Dumbledore isn't exactly Slytherin's biggest fan right now and I don't want to give him another reason to dock more points. Our chances of winning the House Cup this year are screwed enough as it is and I don't need Malfoy or Nott giving me more shit about it." He whined and she rolled her eyes at him. He could sometimes be such a baby about things but it just made her love him more. He'd been sour about a seventh and fifth year duelling each other in the Slytherin common room, over a girl they both liked and apparently it had gotten so bloody that Dumbledore had to personally step in and separate them from each other after Slughorn had failed in doing so himself.
And according to Alphard, Dumbledore had been so angry that he'd docked nearly a hundred points from Slytherin because of the severe spells they'd used against one another. This then led her brother to pay them a visit in the infirmary and threaten them with loss of limb if they cost Slytherin one more point. Her brother could be quite terrifying, much like their father when he was pissed.
Alphard was the captain of the Slytherin team and was very passionate about it. He played beater and it was during their weekly practice that she'd gotten hurt after he'd knocked Nott's bludger off its course and accidentally sent it towards her instead of at Malfoy like intended. Alphard blamed himself harshly for the accident and said that it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't nagged her to come to the practice in the first place. She had told him multiple times that she'd forgiven him but he still carried the guilt.
"Fine, fine let's go then, I don't want you chewing me out for being the reason behind Slytherin's loss this year ." Hermione grumbled, pulling him by his robe sleeve toward the exit. He stumbled after her, whining that she was being too rough but she just told him to suck it up. Hermione was too busy arguing with her twin to even notice the pair of eyes glaring knives at the back of her head
OoO
Tom hurriedly made his way towards the Great Hall. He'd just come out of an emergency prefects meeting regarding the Easter school dance. He'd nearly missed the entire thing due to waking up an hour later than usual and was not at all pleased to find out that the meeting in question had been a complete waste of his precious time.
The stupid meeting nearly made him skip breakfast all together but he decided he was hungry enough that morning to opt against it and made his way towards the Great Hall instead. Upon entering, he headed immediately toward the Slytherin table and noticed irately that a familiar looking brunette sat in his usual spot with her back turned towards him. Upon closer inspection, however, he'd noticed that he'd recognized her as that idiot Black's Ravenclaw sister.
Of course, he thought arrogantly, no Slytherin with any sense of self preservation had the nerve to take the spot he'd claimed for himself since first his year.
So he decided not to make a fuss over it and moved to sit across from the trio instead. Alphard was once again eating like a pig, speaking to his sister with his mouth stuffed. Tom's nose crinkled in disgust at the show of indecency, "You shouldn't speak with your mouth full, it's distasteful Alphard." He commented lightly when he sat down. Tom was satisfied with how the older Black nearly jumped out of his seat at his sudden arrival and hastily swallowed his mouthful of food. The fear he'd ignited in his Knights never failed to please him.
Tom was then caught off guard by a pair of warm chocolate eyes that glared at him vexingly and decided to remedy it with a flash of an attractive smile. It seemed to have worked as he watched the witch widen her eyes in surprise. Witches like her were just too easy to please. "Good morning ladies. I trust you both have slept well?" He asked charmingly, although he couldn't have cared less.
He had a reputation that he needed to upkeep after all.
He reached for the kettle to pour himself his morning tea, "Hello Tom," Druella greeted him shyly and gave him a pretty blush. Ah, Druella Rosier. He had had a few good turns in the sack with her in the past and although she was rather beautiful, she wasn't really his type. She was far too meek for his tastes. Tom then noticed curiously how the younger Black had suddenly stiffened at the mention of his name.
What was her name again? Ah, that's right, Hermione or something along those lines.
Tom felt a stab of confusion at the brunette's sudden change in demeanor. He'd personally had little to do with her since she'd only shared about three of his classes, and stuck herself mostly anyways, so Tom hadn't even bothered to pursue her. He already had a plethora of more suitable girls to bide his time with. Still when she met his gaze again, he gave her yet another enchanting smile that would certainly have her swooning and giggling like all the other witches did.
But she only stared at him in terror instead.
Tom frowned at the notion, he couldn't recall doing anything that could have possibly frightened her. He always played the role of the perfect student. Surely she hadn't caught onto his true personality. No one could possibly see past his act, except for that fool Dumbledore of course. But that was a whole other matter. Nothing about this girl was special, nor could she have been that clever.
As he pondered, however, the puzzle pieces slowly slid into place. He suddenly remembered that Alphard had briefly mentioned her temporary memory loss before. That would explain why she looked so misplaced and uncomfortable. There was still a small part of him that wondered why exactly she would look at him as if he were the cause of all her past trauma, but he brushed those concerns aside. There was no possible way she could know him and it was unlikely her idiot brother would divulge Slytherin secrets. He was many things, incompetent being top of the list, but he was a loyal follower.
Tom settled with watching her amusingly, forgoing any suspicion he might feel. The girl in question was nervously fixated on the plate in front of her, which was packed with enough food to feed an entire village.
'Is she really going to eat all of that? ' He scoffed to himself in disbelief. Tom thought back to when he first entered the Great Hall, how she and her brother had been stuffing their faces without a care in the world. It was a miracle that she even had suitors like Malfoy and Avery pining after her considering those atrocious manners of hers. She was not behaving like a pureblood lady should. Ultimately he chalked it down to her memory loss.
Tom masked his indifference and forced himself to ask her if she was alright, to which she gave a soft reply that she was fine. Tom felt his suspicion rise once more as he watched her hands start to shake before she clasped them in her lap to hide them. In the end, he decided not to press the matter. He was starving and his first class of the day was due to start in the next half and hour. He honestly couldn't be bothered about the trials of some silly girl. He helped himself to a delicious looking roast and politely conversed with some of the students at their table.
Tom ignored Malfoy when he sat down next to him and rather chose to engage in a gallant conversation with one of the fifth years about the upcoming school dance. Tom felt himself die of boredom as he pretended to listen with enthusiasm and in an attempt to soothe his rising annoyance, he fixed himself another cup of sweet tea and sipped it. He hadn't had many sweet things back at the orphanage so he tried to enjoy as much of it as he could whilst he was at Hogwarts.
As the minutes ticked by, he felt the weight of her gaze on him and inwardly smirked. Of course she would be gawking at him, all the girls did, he was the most attractive guy in school after all. Tom shifted his eyes back to hers and smiled at her charmingly. No witch had been to resist him so why would she be any different? Astonishingly, instead of a blush or a giggle, she gave him a sudden look of revulsion. He masked his surprise, feeling a slight awe that was soon squashed by an overwhelming feeling of anger. How dare this witch look at him in that way? Who did she think she was?
She only broke her gaze when Alphard slipped something over to her across the table.
He watched with clenched teeth as he felt rage boil in his chest. She looked over the piece of parchment in her hand, now completely ignoring his presence. Just who did this insolent bitch think she was? His hand itched to grab his wand and curse her. The most remarkable thing about her was her being from a wealthy and prestigious pureblood family. Other than that she was just forgettable and disposable as every other witch at Hogwarts. Sure, he'd admit, she was prettier than average and sported some sort of intelligence based on the classes she took but still, there wasn't anything special about her to write home about.
Not that he had someone to write to anyway.
Tom felt his annoyance rise to an all time high when she had gotten up and had the audacity to look right past him and at Malfoy. She gave him her thanks for being allowed to sit at their table, despite it being himself who'd been gentlemanly enough to graciously give up his seat for her. Tom watched her reproachfully as she continued to disregard his presence all together as she laughed and joked with Alphard, who hastily said his goodbyes to escort her to her classes.
His glowering was interrupted when Malfoy leaned in closer towards him to whisper. "The others want to know when the next meeting will take place," Tom sharply inhaled and raised an ireful brow at the Malfoy heir. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with this idiot.
" Haven't I asked you lot to stop pestering me about the meetings?" Tom asked coldy, setting his cup down onto the table abruptly. Malfoy recoiled at the dark look Tom was giving him and lowered his gaze submissively. "Of course my lord, it won't happen again!" Malfoy said quickly and bowed his head.
Tom felt a swell of satisfaction watching the blonde squirm under his gaze. He would have felt a ton better if he'd cursed the Malfoy heir, but unfortunately they were in the public eye and there were still some students lounging around. It was for the best that he refrained from doing so and that it was now time for him to start heading to class.
"See that it doesn't, I might not be so forgiving next time round!"He hissed wrathfully at the cowering boy then moodily slung his bookbag over his shoulder, before swiftly leaving the Great Hall, only stopping long enough to grab an apple on the way.
Hermione sighed tiredly as she entered the Herbology classroom. Her previous classes had been a blur and she felt very mentally exhausted. She prayed for lunchtime to arrive quickly so she could just catch a break. The syllabus was thankfully identical to the one she had in sixth year so it had been an easy sail for her so far, it just didn't feel right that she had to share her classes with strangers. Students were gathered in pairs of two around the large rectangular desk that sat centre in the room. Hermione shuffled around nervously, looking for an open spot. It seemed everyone had already been partnered and she was the only odd one out.
"Over here Hermione," A whimsical blonde Ravenclaw smiled at her and waved her over. Hermione sighed in relief and hurried toward the open spot. She was happy to not be alone again as she had been in all her previous classes. However when she'd gotten a closer look at the blonde, she abruptly stopped mid step. The uncanny resemblance the witch shared with Luna made her eyes swell with instant tears. A picture of Luna's lifeless eyes flashed suddenly in her mind and she felt her heart start to race. Her chest ached so painfully she clenched her fist and bit her lip to stifle a sob. She couldn't do this here.
With great effort she pulled herself together and continued walking toward the empty spot.
The Ravenclaw smiled at her quaintly when she reached the table. "How are you feeling today? I'm terribly sorry about your accident. I wanted to come visit you but when I heard about your memory loss, I didn't want to cause you any more unnecessary stress." The girl said dreamily. Hermione gathered that they must've had some sort of friendship in the past and shook her head at the girl's distress. "It's fine really! I think it was probably for the best that you hadn't," She agreed and reached inside her bag to grab her notes and display them neatly on the desk.
"Well in that case I would like to introduce myself, I'm Ophelia Lovegood," she said and offered Hermione a hand, which she happily shook. "I'm pleased to meet you." Hermione said with a warm smile. In the corner of her eye, she saw Professor Bailey enter the classroom carrying what seemed like a pot in her soiled hands. The plant inside had a thick trunk that extended into thin and long swaying branches. Professor Bailey then stood at the head of the table with a kind smile on her face as she scanned the class.
"Settle down children, settle down." Professor Bailey said gently and the students fell silent and listened expectantly. Professor Bailey then held the plant up for all to see and asked mischievously, "Can anyone tell me what this plant is?" The students stared in awe at the lethargic swishing of its branches. Hermione stared at the plant with a wry smile. Of course she knew what it was; she had many encounters with one herself. Hermione waited to see if anyone would answer the question before raising her hand shyly. Professor Bailey spotted her and smiled at her fondly. "Ah yes, Miss Black?"
Hermione felt her face heat up when every student glued their eyes to her, "It's a Whomping Willow professor, they are deciduous plants meaning their branches function like arms. They are extant and known to be incredibly violent and dangerous and will attack anything within range of its branches. For that reason, people tend to station them in locations they wish to protect, Furthermore the Domare charm is the only known charm that is used to quell a raging Whomping Willow." Hermione finished and professor Bailey beamed at her. "Yes, that is indeed correct Miss Black, twenty points to Ravenclaw," Professor Bailey then sat the pot down in front of her and, with a quick wave of her wand, each pair suddenly had a baby Whomping Willow of their own.
" Today we will be learning about Whomping Willows and how to tend to them. I want you all to keep in mind that baby Whomping Willows are just as dangerous as their fully grown counterparts and if you do not subdue them correctly, you will get hurt. " She said sternly before clasping her hands excitedly. "For now you will work in pairs to practice subduing you Willow. Once everyone has accomplished this task, we will then move on to treating and tending to an injured one. Do not feel discouraged if you can't manage it on the first try, just keep practicing and you will get it eventually. " She said, reassuringly.
After a quick demonstration from Professor Bailey, the class got started with their Whomping Willows. Hermione drew her wand and pointed it at the thrashing plant in front of her. "Domare." She quietly sang and the violent jerkings of her Willow instantly ceased. Ophelia raised a surprised eyebrow at her. "Wow, I didn't expect you to get it right in the first round, Hermione. It's a rather advanced spell. " She said, impressed.
Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and waved her wand canceling her spell. "Oh, it's not that hard really, anyone can do it if they try hard enough. " She replied modestly, then stuffed her wand back into her robes. She watched as Ophelia furrowed her brows in concentration, her wand now pointing at the Willow. "Domare." She said softly and the branches shook in resistance against the magic attempting to restrain it before finally breaking free, whipping around more fiercely than before. Hermione gasped and quickly pulled Ophelia's hand back.
"Careful, those lashings can get rather intense." Hermione chuckled with a knowing look and wryly thought back to the ass kicking both she and Harry had received from the fully grown Whomping Willow back in third year. The blonde gave her a sheepish look and sighed. "Sorry, I didn't think it would break free so easily." She smiled timidly. 'Her smile is so much like Luna's. ' Hermione thought sadly before she pushed away her brewing thoughts and drew her wand again. "Before you cast your spell, envision your magic weaving intricately between each and every branch, weighing it down like a heavy blanket, "she raised her wand and a white spell washed over the angry Willow, once again the violent thrashing branches relaxed and swayed lazily. Opheila starred in bewilderment. She then tried casting the spell again, this time succeeding and smiled in excitement at Hermione.
"See, I told you that you could do it." Hermione grinned, the class came to a finish shortly after and Hermione packed away her things hastily. She'd already spotted Alphard waiting for her with his body leaned lazily against the opposite wall. Hermione said goodbye to Ophelia and flashed her brother a toothy grin as she approached him. "I see you're getting on just fine. Was that Ophelia Lovegood you were just talking to?" He asked and smirked flirtatiously at a group of giggling girls that walked out of the classroom after her. She rolled her eyes at his antics. "You're being gross," She quipped and slightly shoved his shoulder, his smirk only widened, "I know." He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully, which caused her to burst out laughing.
Alphard then led her to the dungeons, "I bet the ole Slug is going to be over the moon when he sees you." He jibed with a snicker drawing a groan from her, she was not at all bent for Slughorn's overbearing personality. 'I just have to survive Potions then I get to go to lunch. ' she thought, trying to cheer herself up. The walk to the dungeons had been brisk and in less than 15 minutes they were at the entrance of the potions classroom. Alphard handed her back her bag and she planted a chaste kiss on his cheek in thanks. He waited until she had entered the classroom before jogging down the hall towards his own.
When Hermione entered the classroom, she sighed heavily. Just her luck, It seemed that Potions was going to be a Slytherin-Ravenclaw class, which was rather odd. Ravenclaw almost never shared classes with the Slytherins. She quickly scanned over the area for an open seat and saw two open ones at the front of the class. She hurried to it before someone claimed it and she sat down. She prayed that Riddle didn't take Potions, she really didn't want to be in any vicinity of that snake. She had planned on avoiding him as much as possible whilst she was still at Hogwarts, she couldn't afford him to take any notice of her because if he did, it wouldn't take him long to figure out that she was an imposter. She could under no circumstances risk the future of her friends, she needed to be smart about this and handle the timeline with delicacy or something will go horribly wrong. Suddenly someone sat down in the empty seat beside her and interrupted her pondering, she tensed wishing that it wasn't Riddle or Malfoy. When she finally raised her head to see who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully the Slytherin who'd joined her at the table was not either of the two but Druella instead.
Hermione smiled at the pretty blonde cordially, who was looking at her with an amused glint in her eyes. "Blimey Hermione you look exhausted,you couldn't possibly be this tired, it's not even lunch yet. " She teased lightly and Hermione placed her head onto the table and only groaned in response. Druella gave an airy laugh and pulled her notes from her bag, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten something. I'd also feel the same if I'd only had about two bites of toast to hold me over for half of the day." Druella quiped and Hermione looked at her out of the corner of her eye, about to reply, when she felt another person drop into the seat behind her.
"You are completely right, Druella, it seems like Miss Black will need to eat more if she wishes to recover sooner." A familiar voice commented smoothly from behind her. She almost jumped ten feet into the air. Damn did he always have to sneak up on a person?
'Great, just fucking great! Out of all the available seats, trust and believe that The Dark Lord will choose the one right behind me!' She cursed inwardly, a vulnerable feeling pooled in her stomach at the thought of having to sit with her back toward the enemy, she shoved the feeling down and turned to scoff at him. She ground her teeth in annoyance at the innocent smile on his face. Yeah right, nothing Voldemort does is remotely 'innocent '. Who the hell did he think he was, commenting on her eating habits, when he'd been the reason she lost her appetite in the first place.
She squared her jaw and looked up at him defiantly "Thank you but I don't need my eating habits being discussed by the likes of you." She reprimanded haughtily, watching in satisfaction as the once warm look in his eyes instantly grew cold and distant. "My apologies, I didn't intend to offend you, Hermione." He replied calmly, but she could hear the tinge of animosity in his surprisingly even tone. His eyes flashed angrily but the inviting smile on his lips never once faltered, she shuddered at the way he was looking at her and quickly turned around back around. She decided then and there that she wasn't going to engage with him any further, it would only give him a reason to come after her. No, she would simply ignore his presence all together and hope that he would quickly lose the sudden interest he gained in her. Druella watched the interaction between her and Riddle curiously but said nothing.
The tension was so thick that you needed a chainsaw to cut through it.
Slughorn entered moments later and she released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. At least with a teacher present he wouldn't dare do anything to her, it would affect his 'perfect student ' status. Slughorn wobbled up to the front of the classroom. "Good morning to all of you and a special welcome to Miss Black." Slughorn said, beaming at her kindly. "I'm most pleased to see that you've returned back to class." He then turned on his heel and made his way to the board at the far front of the classroom.
"Do any of you clever children happen to know what the main ingredients of the Draught of Living Death are?" Slughorn asked casually, the chalk he'd enchanted now hovered inches away from the board awaiting an answer. Hermione's hand shot up at the same time as Riddle's. Slughorn looked at her surprised before he gestured to her to speak.
"Sir the eight ingredients of the Draught of Living death are as followed: Standard potioneering water, powdered root of Asphodel, infusion of wormwood, valerian root, a sophophourus bean, a sloth brain, moondew and a flower head," She answered confidently and Slughorn looked at her appeasingly. "That's correct Miss Black, five points to Ravenclaw." He praised before he shifted his gaze to Tom. "Ah, Mr Riddle, could you elaborate on the The Draught of Living Death purpose and the exact steps in brewing it?" Slughorn challenged lightly. Tom smiled at him timidly as he answered in a polite tone that had Hermione rolling her eyes.
What a teacher's pet…
"Certainly professor. The Draught of Living Death brings upon its drinker a very powerful sleep that can last indefinitely. This draught is extremely dangerous if not used with caution and should be executed with utmost care." Tom paused momentarily to catch his breath before continuing, " Furthermore in order to recreate this potion flawlessly, the sophophorous bean, which is the main component of the Draught needs to be harvested correctly. In order to effectively extract the bean's juices, the bean has to be cut into three equal parts. If the juices have not been extracted fully out of the bean, the potion will undoubtedly fail and when consumed will be fatal to the drinker."
Slughorn smiled at Tom "Very good Tom, twenty points to Slytherin." Hermione scoffed, twenty points for knowing that basic stuff? Impulsively she shot her hand back into the air, "Sir if I may argue, cutting the sophophorus bean is, in my opinion, not the best method to extract the juices; instead, crushing it has proven to be more effective and time saving." Hermione added. Slughorn raised his eyebrows at her, impressed, and he went to reply but was cut off by an arrogant chuckle that instantly made her hackles rise.
Hermione whipped around and glared darkly at Tom. "What are you laughing at Riddle? " She hissed and he smirked at her amusingly. "I'm merely finding your folly enduring Miss Black, you seem to have misread the passage. Borage clearly states that the bean is to be cut not crushed but no matter, it is an easy mistake" He replied amiably but she saw the gibe in his eyes and narrowed hers at him. That arrogant prat, had he just politely called her illiterate?
Hermione scowled at him nastily, "I never mentioned Borage's book Mr Riddle, maybe if you had paid attention earlier when I spoke, you'd realize this instead of jumping to conclusions." She replied coolly.
Her eye twitched slightly at the conceited smirk that never left his lips. "My apologies, please enlighten us where you've learned this fascinating information from?" He challenged and raised a brow at her expectantly. Hermione's confidence instantly plummeted. Shit! She hadn't expected the conversation to go this far. She couldn't prove her statement without earning a trip to St Mungo's insane asylum.
" I-I, well I… " She faltered and flushed scarlet in humiliation at the annoying smirk Riddle gave her. He sent her a faux look of pity. "You do realize that your personal opinions do not automatically become factual based on feelings alone. Without proper evidence to support your theory, it remains just a theory. This is no matter, however, as I understand you've suffered quite the accident and I'm sure after a few tutoring sessions you'd be on the right track again. We can discuss my availability during lunch if you'd like. "Tom said innocently and smiled at her condescendingly, which drew a couple of laughs from the Slytherins behind him.
That little snake! Slughorn tried to interject again but hot white anger pooled in her stomach causing her to interrupt.
"So what if it is? Don't blame me for your lack of ingenuity to think of practical solutions for your problems. " She bit back, glowering at him sourly. She didn't feel comfortable taking credit for Snape's work but she wasn't going to sit back and let Riddle degrade her. Tom's smirk vanished and his eyes flashed angrily. "Are you calling me an idiot, Miss Black?" He asked in a low, dangerous tone.
Alarm bells sounded off in her head, but she couldn't stop herself from smirking at him smugly. "If the shoe fits, lace it up and wear it Cinderella." She said stroppily, using a reference she knew only he'd understand. She watched as a look of slight surprise washed over his face. He probably hadn't expected her to be knowledgeable about muggle literature. "That's enough from the both of you!" Slughorn exasperated with a flustered look on his face. "You both make fair points. Miss Black, as curious as your theory is, I agree with Mr Riddle, it still remains a theory until proven otherwise. However, you are most welcome to put it to the test today whilst brewing your Draught." Slughorn suggested and Hermione grinned happily at the offer. Slughorn then reached into his robes to retrieve a thin vial Hermione had recognized as Felix Felicis.
She knew where Slughorn was going with this but this time she'd been prepared.
"Today there will be a bit of friendly competition. Whichever pair manages to brew the first perfect Draught of Living Death gets to keep this vial of Liquid Luck, " He said with a wink and waved it in front of the class. The class broke out into enthusiastic chatter and Hermione turned around to smirk at Riddle competitively who stared back at her impassively.
'It's just you and me now Riddle'
Slughorn gave them the go ahead and Hermione sprinted to the storage room, with Riddle right behind her. They both reached the entrance at the same time and nearly bumped into each other. Riddle narrowed his eyes at her before chivoriously stepping aside to allow her to enter first. She huffed at this, what the hell was he playing at?
She then stormed past him and grabbed the first half of ingredients before quickly returning to her desk Hermione prepped and added them vigorously by memory into the simmering pot in front of her. She stirred the mixture twice counter clockwise then anticlockwise after each added ingredient. Druella had noticed her foul mood and opted wisely to stay clear of Hermione's war path, silently watching from the sidelines instead, only fetching additional ingredients when Hermione requested.
She wiped the sweat from her brow. It had taken less than an half an hour and she was already half way done with her potion. Snape's method had helped tremendously in speeding up the process. Hermione took a moment to glance over her shoulder to check Riddle's process and unsurprisingly she noticed that Riddle was relatively advanced in his potion and was quickly closing in on her. She wasn't panicked though, knowing that the preparation of the sophophorous bean would take him a while considering his chosen method.
She chuckled at that, she would be finished long before him and her potion would be perfect.
'Get your tissues ready Riddle you'll need them after I'm through with you! ' Hermione smirked evilly and added the wormwood infusion. "Druella, slice the valerian root down the middle for me please?" she asked and Druella complied, then handed her the sliced root. Hermione added it to the pot, the steam rapidly rose, the mixture bubbling as she gently stirred it.
Now it was time to add the bean.
Hermione laid the kidney shaped bean on the chopping board and used the flat side of the knife to crush it. The bean's hard pearl white shell cracked under the force, instantaneously releasing the valuable juices which she then added and counted a minute in her head before she stirred it. Druella watched inquisitively before asking,"Why did you wait before stirring it?" Hermione looked up from the pot. "Because my dear Druella, waiting a minute allows the juices of the bean to be fully incorporated into the mixture," She answered breezily with a smile.
After the third stir, her mixture turned the usual color it did at the halfway point. She then quickly added the rest of her ingredients and spelled the heat down to a simmer. She stirred the mixture continuously as she watched as the pale lilac color turned clear and she knew it was ready. She raised her hand to inform Slughorn that they were done with their potion.
Slughorn approached her desk and put his glasses on to peer into the cauldron in front of her, "It's perfect Miss Black, how wonderful! Class Miss Black has done it!" Slughorn announced proudly and she turned to shoot Riddle a shit eating grin. He stared back at her in cold rage, his plump lips pressed into a thin line. He really wasn't used to losing was he? Figures, the big baby! Hermione cackled inwardly and happily accepted the vial of Felix Felicis from Slughorn.
Winning has never before felt so sweet!
She turned and offered it to Druella who looked at her wide eyed. "No Hermione, we only won because you did all the hard work." She slyly declined, Hermione rolled her eyes at her and laughed merrily as she gently placed the vial in her palm. "No, you take it. You deserve it more after having to put up with me. It can get rather difficult when I'm being competitive." Hermione quipped, and Druella smiled at her tentatively. "Well okay if you insist," she then closed her hand around the vial and stuffed it into her robes with a blush.
The class drew to an end and she stuffed notes into her bag with abandon. "Thank Merlin I could use a break." Hermione sighed relieved and slung her bag over her shoulder, coolly ignoring the vexing look Riddle gave her. She waited until Druella had gathered all her things and walked with her to the exit, giggling. She saw Alphard's eyes light up when he saw her. "Did you actually enjoy potions for once?" He jibed and took the bag from her.
She beamed at him and opened her mouth to inform him of her triumph but stopped when Tom came storming out the classroom like a bat from hell. 'Fitting,' she thought indriffently. Alphard whistled, "What's got him so worked up?" he asked dubiously
Hermione smiled at him victoriously. "I'll tell you later, " she chirped and slipped her arm around his. Alphard then gallantly offered his other arm to Druella, which she bashfully accepted and led them out of the dungeons to The Great Hall for lunch.
Granger 1, Riddle 0
Thank you for reading!
-Thehauntedmirriors