authorsnotes: inspo flows and flows, and this one is back!
I do hope you enjoy! I enjoyed writing this, and am already enjoying writing the next chapter!
lemme know your thoughts, I love your feedback. fav/follow and all that if you like.
songrecs: stay - the kid laroi/justin bieber (the acoustic version the kid laroi just performed is phenomenal, check it out)
When she woke up, he was gone.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she was instantly on high alert in the two seconds it took for the day before to return to her. She had no lazy, stretch like a cat, wake up. No, she was bolting to sit upright, her eyes tracking around the room, hand pulling her wand from under her pillow.
And when she turned her head to look next to her, he was gone.
His side of the bed was made, the corner of the sheet pinched and tucked to a better standard than her usual throw the duvet over the bed and keep the pillows off the floor. Otherwise, there was no sign he'd slept there, none, and that had her to her feet.
She felt like an idiot, as wand in hand she hurried for the stairs, not stopping to change out of her aggressively red and gold pyjamas, not pausing to run a brush through her hair or even put socks on her feet. She is running down the creaky staircase, wand in hand, into the living space before she has even properly rubbed her eyes and woken up.
Though she feels awake, she is on high alert.
She is quick on her feet, thundering down the stairs, loud, not trying to conceal her hurried flight into the living room. Her eyes are wide, her hair crackling with magic, where is he?
She doesn't even remember the spell he cast on them, the flick of his wand that bound them both to apparate back here if they got too far. She doesn't remember that he has an interest in being here, that based on their duel alone yesterday there was no way he was going to stopped if he wanted to leave, he is here to get answers, she doesn't even consider any of that, just has a frenzied panic that he might have left.
She can't let him leave, he has the answers to what happened when Harry died, to what remains of his forces, to how this is all happening in the first place. This isn't just her curiosity; this is life and death.
Real life and death, no melodrama here, if Tom Riddle walks, many people could and most likely will, die.
Hermione is risking it all, being here, leaving her friends, no idea what has happened since the battle, no clue as to how it turned out. She is risking it all for a reason, to find out how evil incarnate has come back to life.
And as she hurries into the kitchen, said evil incarnate is sipping coffee and has one on the breakfast bar for her, the air is notably less dusty, and as always, he is smirking.
She wants to slap that smirk right off his face, would, if she didn't almost fall in her skid into the kitchen, and need to steady herself, before glaring at him. She's always hated smugness, hated the lilt of the mouth that makes a smirk, hated the look in a person's eyes when they feel better than you. It reminds her so much of the Slytherin crowd, Malfoy and his cronies mocking her, making her feel like she didn't belong. Some girls found a shark like grin sexy, to her it was just annoying.
It makes her fingers itch, the want to slap it away from him, she only just doesn't, no doubt one day she'll try it, but today is not that day.
"Everything okay?" Riddle asked her, an expression of innocence, and now she's glaring as she ignores the steaming coffee he made her to make herself another, even going so far to pour out the kettle water and refill it. She'd be an idiot to accept anything from him.
"Come on now Hermione" His voice is full of disdain, which she ignores as she bustles about making herself a new coffee, smothering a yawn, "If I wanted you dead poison would be my last choice"
"What would be your first?" Why she asks she doesn't know, curiosity killed the cat, but she's always been a curious girl. Her strength and sometimes weakness.
Only Tom Riddle could doubt her thirst for knowledge, it makes her hate him more.
"Something easy" She near jumped out of her skin as she heard him close behind her, and whirled around quickly, wand in hand, on the defensive, and yet as she did so, jabbing her wand into his neck, he only laughed, and with a flick of his own disarmed her before she could even think of getting a shield up.
She hates to admit it, but he is far better than her, far better than anyone she's seen and that is certainly saying something.
"The killing curse is my preferred method" Riddle said, as though talking about the weather, not one of the literal unforgivable curses. She remembers Moody's words, 'They buy you a one-way ticket to Azkaban' and yet he talks about them as though they are nothing, a shiver runs up her spine before she can stop it. "A cruciatus if I need to make a point"
"Give me back my wand" She doesn't want games, no, today she needs to start searching for answers, she doesn't need him messing with her for the fun of it, as she knows that's why he does it. She may not be as good as picking people apart as he is, but she can read people, and she can tell Tom is the kind of man to fry ants with a magnifying glass just to see what happens and smile in their pain, she won't let him do the same with her.
"You act just like a muggle" She knows she doesn't imagine the twist to his lips or the sneer he has when he says that, nor the disdain in that posh voice, the one she knows he learned "Take it from me"
"With what?" She is grinding her teeth, a horrid habit her parents hate, hated … she flinches internally, she doesn't need to think about her parents right now, half a world away, though she is thankful once again for the precautions she took to protect them, especially now.
She knows what he's doing, did it when they met, it's no nicer now than it was back then, he's playing with her, ants in a magnifying glass.
"You say you're a witch" He turns from her, and she's sure if her gaze could burn, he'd have a hole in the back of his head, that would be simpler, "That doesn't mean you need a wand"
Wandless magic? Just like in the forest, though this time she doesn't hesitate, flicks her fingers, 'intent of will' echoing in her ears, courtesy of Professor Snape, as her mind always yells at her when she tries to do wandless, as he drawled in their defence lessons, if only he'd taught her Occlumency too.
Her wand jerks in his hand, but he holds onto it, her only comfort is that he only just holds onto it, before tossing it back to her, smirking as always, insufferable and infuriating. Slightly better than last time but still not enough.
"Proving a point?" She grinds out, knowing the answer, knew it before, catching her wand, and then raising it, levelling it to him, the roll of his eye's stings, he literally see's her as not remotely a threat, even though his wand isn't in his hand. It would be insulting, if she didn't know his skill, she does, it's one of the few things she knows about him.
Part of her knows she needs to rectify that, find out more about Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort, she knows some of course, courtesy of Harry, but not enough, she needs to learn more, to know who's she is dealing with, and more importantly how to deal with him going forward.
It does strike her as a knowledge area she is really lacking. They are stuck with one another, isolated from the outside world and she has no idea really who she's dealing with.
What does she know?
She knows he's a sociopath, knows he had a messed-up childhood, and has a skewed perspective because of it, knows he hates muggles, likely because of said childhood and origins. Knows he's extremely magically talented, a descendent of Slytherin, speaks Parsletongue and wants to take over the wizarding world, and damn near came close to doing it; twice.
She knows this version of him (whatever that means) was in his 7th year, Head Boy badge giving that away, knows he's not quite yet Voldemort but has already killed, is already Tom Riddle and on his way to a new moniker. She knows he's too far gone now, and she's not stupid, there's no notion here of 'turning him good', how ridiculous; all she can do is try to understand why he's back before getting rid of him.
"Stop scheming" He drawls, before he flicks his fingers and then her wand is jerked violently out of her hand, too much for her to hold onto, and then he catches it before immediately tossing it back to her, proving a point indeed, just as he did before, seems he can't help himself.
"It's challenging" She says, glaring at him, "I missed my 7th year"
"Dropout?" He asks casually, but she notices his wand is in hand now, and she regrips hers.
"Hunting you" She throws back, he can pluck it out of her head, why not be frank? She doesn't like lying, at least his talent for legilimency makes it somewhat unnecessary.
"Hmm" Is all he offers, and then he picks up his coffee and turns his back on her, slipping his wand back in his blazer. He doesn't feel any fear in turning his back to her, none, and she glares again, her permanent expression at the moment. Perhaps he finds it as annoying as she does his smirking.
He makes his way to the sofa, and she notices a book in his lap, 'Horcruxes: Theory and Practice' in his lap, she hurries over before she can stop herself, coffee forgotten, and stands in front of him, hands on hips, accusing in a second.
"Where did you get that?" She asks, eyes widened, remembering then, he shouldn't be able to come and go, but it doesn't surprise her.
"You don't need to know that" He says, not offering anymore, before he nods his head to another volume on the table, 'Rebirth and Life, Horcruxes and Their Limits', "Get started"
She doesn't need to ask why, though she wants to ask more, but the book is thick, and it's been so long since she could research, and she knows he's got them for a reason, for them to understand all of this. She doesn't need to ask why, but she still does.
"Why?" He glances up at her, over the top of his book, his expression bored now.
"Why ask when you already know?" He throws back.
"Answer me" Another smirk, itching in her fingers.
"We need to understand what happened, surely it's linked to my plans for immortality" He wiggles his hand then and her blood runs cold as she see's the ring on his finger, the stone uncracked now, the black setting undamaged. Her eyes widen, and the breath is near stolen from her, and she forces herself to sit down on the sofa next to him, either that or fall.
"Good to know" He says, but she doesn't hear him, only feels the book placed in her lap, and notes Riddle going back to his reading, "Get started Granger"
What else is there to do? She opens to page one but pauses.
They destroyed his horcruxes, and yet one sits on his hand again. Has he made anymore? What's is all of this? She looks down at the book…
'Horcruxes are complex magic, not for the faint of heart, prone to challenges and easy to fail'
'However, they do unlock the secret to eternal life if you can abide by the method'
She reads on, what else is there to do? She is as in the dark as Riddle in. She only knows a few things.
Harry killed Voldemort.
Voldemort killed Harry.
Harry killed, or the rebound of the killing curse killed Voldemort's most loyal at the same time.
Tom Riddle, a 7th year, Head Boy Tom Riddle, then appeared.
They destroyed all of Voldemort's horcruxes, including the ring.
Tom Riddle, this Tom Riddle now has the ring back on his finger and intact.
Tom Riddle is extremely dangerous.
That is all she knows, and so as the shock settles down, as she realises this is just another mystery she needs to solve … she reads on.
Two books, four cups of coffee and a lukewarm bowl of soup later, and they are no further.
They both read through the four books Riddle retrieved, 2 each, and there's nothing.
There's talk of the creation of horcruxes, lots of dire warnings about how hard it is, lots of theory on the effect on the soul (because apparently no one actually knows if it splits it forever), and in depth, detailed instructions on how to create them. There is nothing on what happens when they're all destroyed, at least not about it being anything but death. They are empty of anything useful, and Hermione only feels the urge to shower after reading such dark magic, she feels none the more enlightened.
She can see Riddle looks a touch frustrated as he re-checks a paragraph, as he makes another round of coffee, she drinks it now, for he's right, she knows if she dies at his hand poison won't be the doing. So, she drinks the coffee, still settled on the sofa, in her pyjama's, hair like a haystack, on the opposite end to Riddle, a blanket over her knees, a fire roaring in the hearth not doing enough against the snow outside.
"Nothing" He says, half an hour later, after she's rechecked, he's rechecked and they both sit back, mugs drained, both of them a touch drained.
"Nothing" She repeats, not quite believing she's agreeing with him, but she is, just this once.
"We need more material" He says, and she nods, they are alike in that regard, their study habits, their thirst for knowledge, not that she acknowledges any similarities, she hates him too much for that, logic be damned for once.
"Can you get more?" She asks, and he shakes his head.
"No, that was everything. Where would more be held?" He asks, and she knows, she knows instantly, and yet she doesn't consider concealing it, she should, but she doesn't even think to.
Curiosity killed the cat…
"I took them out of my bag, all the books on horcruxes, I left at Hogwarts" She glances at her bag on the kitchen counter, she'd left a load of stuff in the Room of Requirement; in case she didn't make it, she didn't want everything to be lost, she regrets it now.
"Then we go to Hogwarts" He stands immediately, and she scrambles up, eyes widening.
"Are you insane?" She asks, she considers it's a possibility he is, but not at this age, not at this point in his life.
She supposes she knows one or two more things about Tom Riddle, that before his first death he'd apparently been sane, charismatic, charming, handsome, he is now, though only the first and last, though she now debates the first.
"The answers we need are at Hogwarts" He says it like he's stating the obvious, and she supposes he is, but that doesn't make it any less insane, "Get dressed, we'll apparate to the bounds and walk in"
"We have no idea what state Hogwarts is in" She chokes out, still aghast.
"Then we find out, two birds and all" He drawls, "I can do disillusionment charms, strong enough we won't be seen"
She glances at her bag again, she's got something better, but she doesn't say anything, keeps her gaze away, the invisibility cloak will remain in her beaded bag, keyed only to open to her, Harry, or Ron, and it won't be coming out.
Not whilst she's alive.
"It's too dangerous" She says, and he shakes his head.
"What is dangerous is not knowing" She catches his gaze then and hates that she agrees with him, that principle that has been her life's principle, how dangerous a lack of knowledge is. Perhaps they are alike in some ways, she pushes that thought aside and just nods, turns, and makes for the stairs to shower and change, he's right, but she doesn't need to say it out loud.
"We are you know" He says, before she takes her first step up the stairs, "Alike"
She doesn't turn back, only makes her way up the stairs to get ready, to get ready to go to Hogwarts.
She feels a touch sick then at his words, as she makes her way to the main bathroom, locks the door, turns on the shower and has to take a second, just a second back smacking against the door, falling to sit down, knees up. Back to Hogwarts, where her best friends' body is, where she'll find the remnants of war, and most terrifying of all, where she suspects she'll find that they lost.
soooo thoughts?
ahhh poor hermione D: our girl has gone through the ringer, and it's only starting...
anywho, I do hope you enjoyed, next we go to hogwarts! drama ensues...
do leave a review, fav/follow, and check out my other tomione fics!
speak soon
