Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Precious Mudblood	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 79302 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-Precious Mudblood
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 20
- 21-Ch 21
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 25-Ch 25
- 26-Ch 26
- 27-Ch 27
- 28-Ch 28
- 29-Ch 29
- 30-Ch 30
- 31-Ch 31
- 32-Ch 32
- 33-Ch 33
- 34-Ch 34
- 35-Ch 35
- 36-Ch 36
- 37-Ch 37
- 38-Ch 38
- 39-Ch 39
- 40-Ch 40
- 41-Ch 41
- 42-Ch 42 (edited. longer)
- 43-Ch 43
- 44-Ch 44
- 45-Ch 45
- 46-Ch 46
- 47-Ch 47
- 48-Ch 48
- 49-Ch 49
- 50-Ch 50
- 51-Ch 51
- 52-Ch 52
- 53-Ch 53
- 54-Ch 54
- 55-Ch 55
- 56-Ch 56
- 57-Ch 57
- 58-Ch 58
- 59-Ch 59
- 60-Ch 60
- 61-Ch 61
- 62-Ch 62
- 63-Ch 63
- 64-Ch 64
- 65-Ch 65
- 66-Ch 67
- 67-Ch 67
- 68-Ch 68
- 69-Ch 69
- 70-Ch 70
- 71-Ch 71
- 72-Ch 72
- 73-Ch 73
- 74-Ch 74
- 75-Ch 75
- 76-Chapter 76
- 77-Ch 77
- 78-Ch 78
- 79-Ch 79
- 80-Ch 80
- 53
- 54
- 55
A/N - <blows
raspberry at all those who internally ranted that apparition to the other side
of the world was not humanly possible>

�we steal
it from muggles� she stated as if it were
obvious.�

Tom looked at her uncertainly. �is that really wise?.. the aurors come down like a ton of bricks on wizards who take
advantage of the muggle monetary system using magic.��

She shrugged.� �we need money.� Muggles have money.� Magic can give us what they have and we
need.� It�s easier than trying to get it
from any source in the wizarding world.

Then all we need to do is stay in the muggle world till it�s time to go to
Hogwarts.�

They�ll trace the money if we try to convert it to galleons but if we steal
small amounts of cash from a lot of different muggle sources then spend it on
board and food and the like, nobody is likely to be the wiser.�

If you want we can take the money from a lot of different places around
Britain.� I�m feeling up for a spot of
leapfrog.�

I feel..actually.. great, in
fact.� I could just jump about with
energy.��

He seemed to consider this.�

�Or..�
she hesitated. �Or I could just take us to Hogwarts now.� Or.. I could take us
to the Malfoys or..maybe the
Blacks.�

I don�t know anyone else�s address to apparate to. �I could take us to..um..
Riddle manor..��
�

Tom looked up at her with furious eyes.�

She thought again.�

�Or.. or i
have another idea.� If you don�t want to
mess with money � we could simply steal food.. and then take up roost in libraries all night.��

We only have ten or so days to spend.�
Libraries generally don�t have guards.. they�re nice and warm.��

Tom looked quite piqued at this idea.�

�Food isn�t traced like money.� I�ve
never been inside a muggle library.� We
can transfigure everything we need except food.� That is what we will do.�� He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her
nose lightly.��

They lazed about in the field for
a while longer as the cows meandered about.�
Then they stood and Hermione ended the transfiguration on the
grass.�

Tom pointed out an orchard visible in the distance down in the valley and so
instead of apparating away immediately they wandered down there and
disillusioned themselves to pick a quantity of apples and stow them in a
satchel Hermione transfigured from a leaf.�

After that they apparated to London and wandered through some shops
disillusioned, summoning various items into the satchel, at which point they
too became invisible.�

Tom seemed barely able to restrain his excitement at being able to wander
freely through the city and have any food he liked.�

It was so..unlike..his
collected, controlled, older self, Hermione mused.� Unlike him, but somehow
adorable.

They filled the satchel quickly
enough and Hermione suggested they leave it where they planned to stay.� They decided on the national library to begin
with and walked in like regular library patrons with their �shopping��

Wandering around for an hour or so they found a nice quiet spot in the very
back of the mythology section.� They
placed their shopping on the top of one of the dustier shelves and placed a glamour over it to blend into the grey wall behind.�

Then Hermione pulled Tom close again and apparated them both to Brighton.� He smiled when they arrived, not having
expected the jump.�

�I�ve only been to the beach once
before� he remarked. �

She recalled suddenly when that
was and cursed herself inwardly.� Of all the memories to dredge up.�

Nevertheless the beach was very pretty and peaceful.� All in yellow and pale blue with gentle
waves.� �As it was midday on a weekday and most of the
children were either in school or away in the rural areas, the beach was empty
except for one or two solitary elderly men walking for their constitution.�

�Do you fancy a swim then?� she
asked cheekily.� �Might
as well you know.��

He looked hesitant.� �We have no bathing costumes.. no towels.� It�s probably freezing.��

She snorted.� �Magic?!� Transfiguration and a
warming charm.� Come on.. I bet you�ve never swum in the sea.��

He relented after five minutes of
begging and, ducking beneath the pier and hunching into the shadows, she
allowed him to transfigure what he considered �appropriate� bathing
attire.�

She looked down at herself and immediately transformed the rather long frumpy
costume into something more streamlined and feminine.�

He seemed about to say something but then held his tongue and simply pulled her
close, running his hands down the black silky skin covering her.�

�We will be underwater I suppose�
he sighed.� �and
the beach is empty.��

She nodded and pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and
kissing him.��

An older man who stepped down onto
the sand in that moment happened to see them both and they jolted apart
guiltily at his huffed �hwell I never!�

Hermione tossed her nose in the air at him, laughing and, uncaring, jogged down
the beach to the water, splashing in until she was thigh deep.�

She turned to see both Tom and the old man standing watching her gap
mouthed.�

Frowning she yelled �are you
coming?!� It�s not that cold!� I promise sharks won�t get you!��

Tom walked more sedately down to
the beach and the older guy slowly turned away and walked off down the beach,
turning and ogling her several times along the way.�

�You are an absolute menace. �You do
realise that, I hope�� Tom
tossed at her flippantly.�

She laughed.�

�And that coming from you!��

He seemed reluctant to get into
the water now that he was down at the edge.

�Come on� she urged. �its not..that cold.� The north sea is
always a wee bit nippy but you�ll live.��

Reluctantly he stepped into the
water to his midcalves, adjusting his footing over
and over again as the sand shifted beneath him.�

She waded back up into the shallows and took his hand and literally dragged him
in further to the sound of �Wait.. not
so fast. Damn it, girl.� Its cold!��

She laughed and pulled him on.�

When they were waist deep he
looked decidedly nervous.�

She frowned at him.� �Whats
wrong?��

He shook his head.� �Nothing.. it�s...lovely.��

She tilted her head and puzzled at
him.� �You don�t like it, do you?��

He swallowed.�

�I can�t.. actually
swim.� My life has not involved a lot of
swimming thusfar.��

Oh.� Oh!.� She understood suddenly.� Not only did Tom Riddle despise admitting
that he did not know something, but as one who desired control at all times,
the ocean with its shifting bed and tugging currents would be quite
discomforting.� Not only this, but, she
gathered, he fancied her and was having to confront this situation in front of
her. She realised that it probably said quite a lot that he had consented to
come in at all.

She bit her lip, not wanting to embarrass Tom, and then had an idea.�

�I�m going to cast the bubble head
charm on you, ok?� That way you will be
able to breathe even if you�re underwater.�
And then I�ll show you how to swim.��

He looked slightly panicked. �I don�t
need to know how to swim.� It�s not
necessary to swim.��

She scoffed.

�What would they say if they thought that Lord Voldemort was afraid of a little
water.� It would
be ridiculous if you couldn�t swim.�

I�ll teach you, then you�ll know.� You won�t drown.� I would never allow you to be harmed.� I ...don�t want you to fear the water..��

She thought back to the memory of
the ministry of magic that Harry had shown her and Ron in the room of
requirement. He had watched Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort duelling as he
crouched in an empty floo chimney. �At
one point Dumbledore had captured Voldemort in a huge sphere of water.� �

Looking at the face of this very handsome.. but very young and unnerved Dark Lord she knew that she
couldn�t let him continue to fear drowning.�

If he did � Dumbledore might win.� She
couldn�t be sure..but he might.�

�Ok?� she asked, hopefully.�

He frowned distractedly.� �Why do you care whether I swim or not?��

She bit her tongue.� �Look. You just need to, ok.��

His eyes widened microscopically
although he straightened his face immediately and donned a casual discomforted
grimace.�

�Well if you insist.� Perhaps..I will allow you to teach me to swim.� You may begin today and we will practice
further when we return to Hogwarts.�

If it is so very...important to you.. how could I possibly refuse my
saviour a boon.��

She smirked.� �Yeah.� That�ll do.�
Do it for me��

She nodded as if the matter were
settled and flicked her wand out, looking around, paranoid, before casting
first a notice me not charm and then a bubblehead charm.�

Tom tensed and raised his hand to probe at the membrane around his face, then
calmed down immediately and, tentatively, exploratorily,
pushed his face into the water, holding it there for a minute or so.�

When he raised his bubble coated head he looked relieved and much more
comfortable.�

�You must teach me this charm� he said and it almost sounded like a suggestion.�

She nodded.� �You have to remember to refresh it about
once every half hour or so, but it can be refreshed underwater.� Its
quite useful.�

Otherwise there�s also gillyweed..
if you need to be underwater longer and want to swim
faster.� That will give you gills and
flippers but its a bit..unpleasant..
when you change.�
A bit like polyjuice.��

He nodded, looking at her
amused.�

�Anyway.� Why don�t we start underwater.� Then you can get used to the idea of moving
in the water and not drowning, ok?��

He agreed and she cast a bubble
head charm on herself and ducked down, pushing off and dog paddling.�

The water was quite murky and sandy, she got up and summoned a large handful of
sand and transfigured two sets of goggles, handing one to Tom, who had not moved
to dive underwater yet.�

He took the alien looking plastic things.�

�These are clearly not from this
time, Maia..� he started to say.� She waved him off. �We�re under a notice me
not anyway.� Who cares?!� I hardly think you�ll distort the course of
history with goggles.��

She put them on and Tom
imitated.�

�They aren�t very comfortable� he groused.

�No.. but better than salt water in the eyes� she responded and
tugged his hand, lowering herself back under water.�

Now, when she swam under the surface she could see and she felt no need to go back up for air.�

Tom drifted rather helplessly beside her.�
She let go of his hand and turned to look back at him.

He seemed a bit tense but was
looking about him with great interest.�

She tapped him and pointed down at a crab moving along the sandy bottom.� He pulled at the water with his hands automatically
and dragged himself closer.�

Watching his fascination gave her a warm feeling.�

Till he pulled
his wand and cruciated the poor creature.�

She frowned and dragged him up.

�What did you do that for?!� It was just
a bloody crab.��

He smirked at her, looking
ridiculous with the blue plastic goggles on.�
�It attacked me.� I returned the
favour.�

She pushed him over and he wheeled
with his arms.� �Enough
diving then.� I�ll teach you the
backstroke.� I�m sure the creatures of
the ocean will thank me.��

He scoffed.�

�It was merely a crab �as you say.�
Muggles eat them, don�t they?!�

She pursed
her lips. That wasn�t the point.��

She taught him the kicking and
paddling movement associated with the backstroke.� He started to get it, to the point that when
his bubblehead charm died out and she didn�t refresh it, he continued swimming
on his back.�

She kept pace with him.� They remained in
the fairly shallow water.� He could see
by her jogging along beside him that the water was not deep.�

She smiled. �You�re really getting it.��

After she tried to teach him to float on his back and he sank once, sputtering
and coughing to the surface he demanded she teach him the bubblehead charm immediately.�

She complied reluctantly, afraid he might rely on it
and not learn to swim. He seemed relieved though when he had cast it three
times in a row without problems.�

The sun hung low on the horizon
and she started to get a bit cold, despite warming charms so they called it a
day.�

Tom seemed pleased with himself, if a bit distracted and introspective, as they
walked, cold and salty, back to the dark shadow of the pier to dry off and
change their clothing back.�

He had kept the �goggles� she had
transfigured and was clutching them determinedly as if she had offered him a secret
weapon of the future.�

She hid her smile and sniffed slightly, her nose running a bit as he stepped
close and wrapped his arms around her.�
Sneezing once, she apparated them back to the hidden corner of the national
library.�

It was closed now apparently.� Casting
tempus, she was surprised to find the time nearing nine pm.� It was high summer, apparently and the days
were long.�

The library was dim and shady and
silent.� She cast a small yellow light
orb to hover over their corner and sighed, relaxing.�

�You know� she said musing �I think I could live
in a library.��

He didn�t respond but summoned a large number of books and transfigured them
into soft pillows until a large mound was formed.�

It reminded her very strongly of Rodolphus� room and
she felt a bit sad for a moment for how he had treated her the night she had
been thrust back in time.�

She hoped he was happy with Lucius.�

And then it hit her.�

She needed to find a way to remove
the blood bond with Rodolphus or she would die in a
few short weeks. �

She froze and tried to stay
calm.� Rodolphus
couldn�t bite her from fifty years in the future. She would sicken and die if
she didn�t do something.�

She steeled her face to neutrality while her mind fluttered panicked.

Tom was summoning their bag of goodies from atop the bookshelf and she tossed
herself into the mountain of pillows pensively.�

Perhaps she could use raw magic to destroy the bond.�

She wasn�t sure what that would do to Rodolphus.. or if she should really care
anymore.� She�d have to find a place to
try and be careful not to get caught. �

Or.. or maybe she could pull Rodolphus here..

or at the
worst maybe she could actually kill him from here?�

Would she do that?� She wasn�t sure she could make herself even
if it were possible.� �

If she couldn�t do any of those things .. she should probably tell Tom.� Perhaps he�d be able to help...

but.. not now.�

The angelic looking young man was smiling, going through the many packets and
cartons and sweets they had filched earlier with a face like Christmas
morning.�

He looked to her and suddenly said.. �You know.. I think this may be
the happiest I�ve ever been��

Surprised, she smiled as if he had
given her a gift.�

He had.. in a way.� It was a powerful thing to be responsible for
Tom Riddle�s happiest moment.�

�There will be better days� she
mumbled, smiling to herself..� He nodded distractedly.�

She summoned a book on the Loch Ness
monster and transfigured it into a warm fluffy blanket while he perused their
stash.�

�Biscuits?� Cake?� Or bread with
jam or treacle or cheese or smoked bacon?�
Or.. or rock
candy?��

She grinned.� �I�ll have an apple please and a stick of
rock candy��

He tossed her them.� She flicked out her
wand.

�Accio jane Austin � pride
and prejudice�� she
called.�

Nothing immediate happened.��

Tom made himself a sandwich with
butter, hard cheese and smoked bacon and ate it with enormous relish.� When he was almost finished a book whizzed
past his nose and floated in front of Hermione.�
She took it with every bit as much relish as he had his sandwich. �

He frowned.�

�Why are you reading that idiocy?!��

She sniffed.� �I admit.. It�s a
bit of a girl�s book.� I like it.��

He appeared to make an internal
black mark next to his impression of her.�
She ignored him and started to read.�
After a while, he took a stick of rock candy and joined her in the
pillows, enlarging the blanket further and nestling down.�

�Accio
Nietzsche � Also sprach zarathrustra�
he called after some thought.��

Hermione curled her top lip in
disgust. �Seriously?!�
Good grief...��

She opened her mouth to launch
into an extensive monologue criticising the arrogance, bigotry and idiocy of
the man but realised there was no point and in fact, Nietzsche�s ideas had
probably been quite influential to Tom.�

She had to accept that she wasn�t here
to change him or make him a better person.�
He had already become who he
became.�

If he utilized ideas presented by philosophers she personally did not agree
with, that was just the way things had been.�

She sighed and returned to
Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.�

They both read silently, entirely
absorbed for hours.�� Hermione was the first
to yawn and decide to sleep.��

She forced herself to wake up and got up, walking to the end of the long row
and casting a sequence of five proximity wards over the front doors and wider
library space to ensure that they would have more than adequate warning in the
morning and would be able to apparate away before
they were discovered.��

Finally she cast a large notice me not charm over the entire row they
occupied.�

Tom watched her over the top of
his book thoughtfully.

She returned to the pillow nest and,
after consideration, put the Jane Austin book in the transfigured tote bag
along with all the other supplies, tossing Tom another stick of rock
candy.� He took it up without thanking
her but smiled a small pleased smile at the book held in one hand before his
face.�

When everything was packed up she came back to bed and crawled under the
blanket, snuggling in to the soft lumpy mountain.�

�Stay dressed tonight, just in
case we have to run� she muttered sleepily, her eyes already shut, head resting
on a pillow placed over her crooked arm.�

�Mm.� Tom
agreed absently.�

She tossed and turned a bit but
then drifted off into a peaceful sleep, barely waking when Toms arm later
wrapped around her and he too went to sleep clutching her to him tightly.�

Hermione jolted awake unpleasantly
at the sound of the ward screaming in her head.�
�Ugh..� she groaned and turned to Tom.� He was already awake.�

She mused on how the man always seemed to wake up as soon as she did.�

Even here..

She wondered how horrible his childhood must have been that he was instantly
awake at the smallest sign of waking life around him.�

�They�re over the other side of
the main room� she grumbled. ��but we should probably get ourselves moving.��

Her tone of voice made this sound like a very unwelcome prospect.��

Tom, irritatingly enough, seemed
awake and ready to go.� He got to his
feet nimbly and pulled her up by a hand, then summoned the tote and drew his
wand, restoring the pillows to a large pile of books.�

Hermione looked at them heaped and felt mild guilt but it really wouldn�t be
wise to send them all whizzing back to their places.� They would just have to be a mystery to the
librarians.�

They probably weren�t damaged, she consoled herself.�

Tom grabbed the tote and pulled
her to him, his expression betraying eager anticipation.� She flicked her wand into her hand and,
sighing, disapparated them.��

They appeared in a patch of bushes.� It
was still dark outside.�

Tom looked around,
disorientated.� �Where are we?��

She yawned.� �A little library in Leeds� she mumbled.� �We can leave the tote here tonight.� Did you finish Zarathrustra?�� He nodded.�

�Hm.. well.. if they don�t
have what you want here.. we can maybe stop and pick
up a stack from a better library.� The
advantage of this one is that it
doesn�t open till later.��

Tom snorted, disparaging this
reasoning..��

They walked up to the glass and
wood doors.� �Sorry..
I�ve been inside in my time.. but
I didnt know if it would be the same.� It isn�t..��

She took his arm and apparated them through the doors, pleased at the lack of
electronic alarm systems in rural public buildings in the forties.�

They wandered through the tiny library till they found a corner that seemed
suitable and stashed the bag.�� Hermione
couldn�t seem to stop yawning.�

�Now what..�
she muttered.� �Sun isn�t even up.� Any wishes?��
�

Tom brushed her hair to the side
of her face.� �How far can you apparate?� he asked, genuinely curious.�

She rumpled her nose tiredly

�Not as far as you will be able to
one day.�� She answered.� �although...�

She mused internally.. She was fairly sure she could apparate..much.. much further than
Australia if she ever let the raw magic flood her like it had when she had
landed here.�

�Although?�
Tom enquired.�

She shook her head
��Doesn�t matter. Stupid
thought.� Why.. where do you want to go?�
I can go..um..�

she focused.� How far could she apparate without using the raw magic boost.�
�maybe.. as far as
Norway, France, Spain��

He snorted slightly.� �You do realise Europe is at war, don�t
you?!��

She gifted him with a wry
grin.� �Where did you want to go?� Australia?�
Antarctica?� The
moon?��

She raised a dubious eyebrow ignoring the small excited little voice inside her
that was yammering �Yes yes let�s go to the moon!� We can simply apparate
a bubble of air around us and ward it in.. do it! Do it!� She stamped it down with iron boots.� It was about three inches away from Tom�s
joke about the centre of the sun or the bottom of the ocean.� She stabbed at those ideas trying to kill
them before her mind started to produce hypotheses on how it might be possible.

Tom sniffed.�

�I was merely curious how powerful you are.�

She managed with difficulty not to
burst out laughing.� The tiny worrying
little voice inside her jeered.. �more
powerful than you.. more powerful than anyone.. the most powerful.��

She shook her head simply.�

�I�m 18.��

He pulled her close and kissed her
possessively. �Take us to Berlin.� He commanded on a whim.�

Her eyes widened to dinnerplate size.

�Are you insane?!� What did you just say
to me about ten seconds ago?! There�s
a bloody war on!!� Besides.. I can�t go further than France, I said.��

He snorted.� �It�s not so
very much further.� I�m certain you
can manage it.� We won�t stay long.� We�ll just look and then you can bring us
back.�

The fundamental factor did not
escape her, that if she was to rely solely on natural apparition, she probably wouldn�t be able to just zip to the
farthest limit of her distance abilities and back again.� She�d be severely depleted when she got
there.� Of course..
if Tom was 16 and hadn�t had the chance to take
apparition yet and get his license, possibly he wouldn�t know that.

Either that or he didn�t believe her when she said she couldn�t go further than
Spain or France...� ��

�What day is it today?�� She asked resignedly.

He tilted his head.� �28 August 1944��

Hermione wracked her brain.�

�I don�t remember.. We didn�t learn about Hitler and
the muggle war at Hogwarts � which is ridiculous, if you ask me.�

I only know a few of the bigger dates.. I know that
March and April of 1944 Berlin was heavily bombed.� And in 1945..�

she frowned at him and shut up, then continued with reluctance.� �I don�t remember if anything happened today
in Berlin.�

It might have but just not been important enough for me to hear about it.� A lot of terrible things happened constantly
in World War 2.�

Tom�s blue eyes glinted
dangerously.� �So we�ll go then?��

She bit her lip.� �Where do you want to go in
Berlin?!��

She felt herself shivering inside as this stupid idea became more and more
likely.� Tom had warmed to it apparently
and was looking at her as if she were impressing him
again.

�You would know better than I,
where the safest and most interesting place to visit might be��

She grimaced

�This is a very bad idea� she said worriedly.�

Tom smiled wider. �We�ll stay only
a few minutes.� How strong is your nerve Maia?.. Show me!..��

She swallowed against her dry
throat.� �A few minutes.� Only.��
she said weakly, feeling like being sick.� Tom nodded agreeably.

She found she was breathing hard and hadn�t even done anything.

Antsy she first glamoured both of
their hair blond and her own eyes blue.�

�How good is your German?� she
asked.� �Mine is..ok
for understanding.. but my accent isn�t good.��

�Keine sorge, kleine.� Ich komme damit zurecht,
sollte es noetig werden� (don�t worry
little one, i�ll be find with it, if it becomes
necessary)

She blinked.� Tom�s accent was perfect.

But then, she supposed, everything he got it into his head to learn, he learned
perfectly.� �

She sighed uneasily.

�..Ok.� A few minutes. Then
we come back.�

She frowned and, on top of the
glamour cast a strong notice me not charm on the both of them�

Tom pulled her close and kissed her hard.

�Whenever you�re ready� he goaded.�

She took his hand in a deathgrip and wrapped her arm around him.�

�Ok... ok.. alright..� we�ll do it.�

She tensed and concentrated on the
exact place she wanted to appear.� They
compressed into a tiny point and vanished.

They popped back into existence in
a large round stone room. �There were
holes in the walls where the light shone through.�

Tom was looking about himself
greedily, almost drinking in every image.�

�Dies ist es?� (this is it?)

She nodded.�

The large stone crumbled rubble
filled area seemed empty.� Hermione cast a detection charm just in case and then crept to the nearest
hole in the wall casting disillusionment charms on them both and peering
out.�

There were quite a few people walking down a broken partly destroyed street,
stone rubble lay on the side of the street in some places.� Many buildings had holes and damage.��

There was no one close enough to hear them speak she felt.�

�We�re in a church.� It was bombed last year.� it was called the
Kaiser Wilhelm church. ��

It..it is never repaired.. it
remains as a memorial.�

It apparently had very beautiful stained glass at one point.��

They both looked up at the empty
holes of the church windows.� Some tiny
shards of coloured glass lay in the rubble on the far side of the ruin.�

�What is outside?� Tom
whispered.� She hesitated.

�It�s ..it
was one of the most affluent shopping streets in Berlin.� If we were to walk down that street we would
come to Brandenburger Tor.��

And if we were to follow the street straight past that we would come to the
Reichstag � the ceremonial seat of government.

�But.. at this time.. the real centre is
probably not in Berlin anymore.� Germany
is losing the war on the Russian front.��

She went back to the broken hole
in the wall and nodded at a red and green ornate oriental looking gate.� �That was a zoo.� An amazing zoo � it was built a hundred years
ago.� After world war
..after the Great War I mean.. they built an
aquarium.� But now..
it�s full of army contingents.� They are a defense
force against the red army.��

Tom whispered incensed.� �You brought us to a populous area in the
centre of the city, virtually on top of a heavily fortified armed force?��

he grinned at her.

She swallowed. �Well.. you wanted to see
something.� Can we go now?��

Tom snorted. �Not even remotely!� Let us walk down to Brandenburger
Tor!�

Hermione fought to stop herself from punching him.�

�NO!� she hissed.� �Look.. we�re pushing our luck.�
We should leave!�

Tom took her hand and kissed the
knuckles, grinning.� He peered out the
hole and then transfigured his clothes to resemble those of a man walking past
in the distance.�

He modelled hers on those of a young girl in a summer dress, giving Hermione
the same dress in a different shade with a thin long sleeved cardigan.�

Hers was forest green and black rather than yellow and black.�

She clutched at Tom�s hand. �Please.. let�s go.. the
sun will be coming up at home.��

He smirked at her and took her
hand, ending their disillusionment spells and tugging her toward the half
collapsed door of the round church building.

�We�ll just go for a little morning walk, Maia.. work up an appetite.�
Hush.�

In her head she found herself
screaming. �Oh god � he�s fucking HARRY.�
It�s Harry all over again.� He
wasn�t joking. He said he was like Harry and he bloody is!..� this is insane!� Why are we here.� I should just apparate
us back.��

Tom pulled her close and whispered in her ear �You promised to obey me...� Walk with me to Brandenburger
Tor. Then we�ll go home.�

She gripped his hand as if she wanted to crush the bones.� He smiled and tugged her toward the door
again.� She followed reluctantly.�

They were only steps outside the
broken door when an angry voice barked at them officiously �Halt.. ihr da � was habt ihr
da drinnen gemacht.?! (stop. You there.� What were
you doing in there?!)�

Hermione very nearly wet
herself.�

Tom turned them and his blond blue
eyed face was the very image of angelic regret and repentance as he made an
apology in German, explaining he had only wanted to steal a kiss and that they
wouldn�t do it again.

The brown uniformed man with a cruel sneering mouth looked them both up and
down

�Siehe zu dass ihr hier
weg kommt.� Sollte ich sowas wieder
erleben, werdet ihr auch was erleben..� (see that you clear off.� If i discover
something like this again, you�ll both get what for.)�

Hermione trembled and clutched Tom�s
hand.�

He agreed and thanked the man and turned away and walked with her down the
street as if it were nothing.� As if they
were merely two teenagers caught kissing in an inappropriate place.�

�War das nicht aufregend?� (wasn�t that exciting) he asked her a minute later, sounding
amused.�

She looked at him as if he had two
heads.�

He snickered softly and turned his
face up to enjoy the morning sun � the blonde hair suited him, strangely enough
� it made him appear less threatening.��

They walked on.� When they came to a
bakery he sniffed and sighed regretfully.�
She knew if they had money, he would be in the bakery now purchasing
bread.�

Admittedly the bread did smell heavenly.�

Bread didn�t smell like this in England.�
She wondered how they even managed to get the ingredients here.��

They meandered down the street and
he actually stopped them to look in store windows that weren�t destroyed at
fashions on display.�

�Ist doch
chic, oder?� (its
stylish, isn�t it?) he asked as they looked at a long
black gown with crystals sewn into the hem.�

It looked more than stylish, Hermione
thought � it looked otherworldly.� She
would love to wear it.�

But then these things were so unimportant. If she wanted a gown like that she
could transfigure herself one.�

Tom seemed to examine it closely.� Then
he walked on with her.

They could see Brandenburger
Tor in the distance now.�

Tom smiled, wide eyed and she had
to snort at how ridiculously Aryan he looked.. and so..pretty.. butter
wouldnt melt in his mouth.�

Tom looked at her and appeared to
be thinking something not too dissimilar.�
�Su siehst so anders aus� (you look so
different) he whispered.��

They were almost at Brandenburger Tor. Its stone facade reared tall perhaps two
hundred metres down the road and she felt the first faint fleeting flickers of
relief flood over her.�

A black statecar
pulled over to the side of the road ten metres or so in front of them and she
looked with mild interest.�

Tom looked too.� He swung her hand in his
slightly and she smiled, knowing he was doing it purely for her benefit. Tom was
not a natural hand swinger.�

The driver of the towncar got out, walked around the back of the car and
opened the door outward.� A few seconds later
a beautifully coiffed pale blond woman emerged, taking the driver�s offered
hand� Diamonds dripped from her ears and
she wore a pristine white dress that fell to mid calf and hugged her ample
curves.�

She stepped out, holding a small clutch purse and waited.� And then a man followed her.�

She saw the curly blond hair as he unfolded out of the very muggle car and it was like a massive twenty
car pileup with an exploding gas tanker happening in slow motion.�

She stopped.�

Tom had stopped also.� He looked uncertainly from her face to the
man emerging from the car.�

If Tom had been a good enough legilimens at this age he would have been holding
his hands to his head deafened.�

Hermione was shouting in her mind at top volume. �GRINDELWALD!!!
GRINDELWALD. SWEET SALAZAR�S SYPHILYS ITS FUCKING GRINDELWALD.�
WHY DID I LET HIM TALK ME INTO COMING HERE.� GRINDELWALDGRINDELWALDGRINDELWALD.� I�M WALKING NEXT TO THE DARK LORD AND GRINDELWALD
IS IN FRONT OF ME. MERLIN PROTECT ME.� DON�T LET HIM SEE ME.� G R I N D E L W A L D !!!��

And as if reality heard her
desperate plea not to be noticed, the man himself turned his head toward them
in that very moment. �He glanced at them
mid step and then- then �he turned back to them and looked at them both
again.�

Hermione screamed inside.� Outwardly she
held Tom�s hand and stood in the middle of the pavement with a friendly neutral
smile on her face.�

Tom looked at her worriedly. �Was ist es?� Was hast du?� (whats is it?� Whats wrong?) he asked quietly.�

She turned to him and whispered in
a voice that had no breath �Grindelwald..��

Tom�s face stiffened slightly and he turned back as did she and then they both jumped because the tall powerful
man with curly blond hair was standing less than a metre in front of them.�

Hermione fought not to shake in
terror and failed miserably.�

Grindelwald
looked curious and amused. �When he spoke
he had a deep rich melodic voice with a slight Slavic accent.�

�Woher kennst du mich, Schaetzchen?� Ich kenne dich
gar nicht, zu meinem pech.� Wie heisst du den?.. und.. dein
freund?� Dein mann?� Wage ich es zu hoffen
� dein bruder?� (where do you know me from sweetie. Unfortunately for me, I don�t
know you at all.� What is your name
then?� And your
boyfriend?� Your
husband?� Dare I hope � your
brother?)�

Grindelwald raised a large rough hand and stroked the
back of his forefinger down her cheek.

She shook harder and her hand clamped on Tom�s like a vice.�

�Gellert?!�� the woman standing on the pavement back by the car called
demandingly.

The pale blue eyes of the tall man before them clouded with irritation. �Gehe vor,
Claudine!� Ich
bin, wie du siehst, beschaeftigt.� (go on ahead Claudine.� I am, as you see, busy) he ordered without
affection.�

Hermione darted a look at Tom.� For the first time he actually looked like he
might be out of his depth.�

Grindelwald was turning back to them.� She reacted before she could second guess
herself, dragging Tom closer and turning, apparating them both away.�

She caught the expression of bemused anger on Grindelwald�s
face as they popped away.��

They popped back into existence at
Brighton but Hermione didn�t stop there.

She nearly broke the bones in Toms hand as she apparated them in quick succession
to a beach on the coast of France, a beach in Wales, a beach in Ireland.�

There she ran forward, dragging him five steps and then apparating again.�

They appeared on a small mountain in Ireland and she pulled him a short way
again and then apparated once more.�

This time when she apparated she
pulled raw magic and the power ramped up dramatically.�

They appeared on the beach in
Australia.�

The sun was just dropping below the horizon and the sand was bluish purple and
firm ��

She walked a short distance and
turned, not letting go of Tom�s hand.� He
was looking green.� They were both
panting.�

�Where are we?� he choked
out.�

�Australia.� She bit out.�

He almost fell over.�

She chewed her lip looking at the
sand where they had just appeared.� Daring it to produce a
curly haired, genocidal, dark wizard.��

Tom looked at her and looked at
the sand incredulously.� �There�s no way
he could follow us he-��

and then a crack announced Grindelwald�s appearance
on the sands.�

He looked around quite surprised and spoke in accented English.� �Well that was quite a leap..�� You are a powerful little thing..� Now..you will answer
my questions.��

Tom was looking beyond alarmed.�

Hermione considered.. seriously
considered the moon.� The
bottom of the Marianne trench.��

But if she did that she might as well just announce to the two darkest wizard ever to have lived that she was a conduit.� Australia was at least still within the realm of possibility for someone as
insanely powerful as Grindelwald or Voldemort.�

Tom had apparated to Australia.. had
apparated others to Australia second hand.�
It required massive levels of power.. but not inhuman
power if the blonde wizard currently standing before them could do it..� Grindelwald had
apparently not met many witches who could accomplish it, to judge from his shining
covetous eyes right now.�

She tried to think.� Away...
away.. How to get away.�

The thought of drawing on Grindelwald was
insane.� The man hadn�t even drawn his
own wand, so confident was he that they would not even try.��

She gulped ��I learned of you from my professor�
she said very softly. �Professor Dumbledore��

Toms hand tightened slightly on hers.�
She thought it might be a nervous flinch.�

Grindelwald angled his head slightly, ruefully.� Hermione continued.� �He showed me a pensieve
memory of you.� My name is Maia
Schiller.� This is my friend Thomas Marvolo��

The man before them laughed
low.�

�Do not believe everything dear Albus tells you..� he
advised.�

�the man has a very selective memory and a skill for
persuading one to accept his skewed view of things��

Hermione personally agreed with
this.� She saw Tom smirk out of the
corner of her eye.� No no no.. she wasn�t
bringing together the two most dangerous men on the planet.� She WASN�T!

Grindelwald
continued to move closer to them both.�

�This is a ..pleasant.. location..�
he said.� His choice of words seemed
somewhat unnatural, as if he were having to construct
the sentences block by block.�

She took a breath and tried to persuade the currently reigning dark lord politely
to let them go.�

�We are very sorry that we ran
into you this way.� It was accidental.� Thomas wanted to see Berlin and I.. I should have known better.�

We were a little desperate for an adventure since school is starting up again
in a few days.� This is..
more than we planned for.�

We�re sorry!� Will you please let us go
home, sir?� We didn�t mean to disrupt
your affairs or cause any offense.�� She
bit her lip, holding her breath.�

Grindlewald
stood directly in front of them again.�

He smiled but it was a knowing powerful smile and he reached out a hand
suddenly, cupping her jaw and freeing her bottom lip from her teeth with his
thumb.� She flinched, aware of the slight
tensing of Tom next to her.�

�I am not sorry I ran into you Maia.. and Thomas.� My
girlfriend had a need for still more jewellery.�
I swear the woman must eat
diamonds when I do not look. Your running game
was a welcome escape.�

And now I find you..both..interesting.� I would know more about you.� Won�t you join me for lunch.� We will.. talk.. drink tea.�

It will be better than shopping.. and I may then bid you good
afternoon.��

Tom looked at her and she wanted
to swear.� He was arching a blond brow as
if this was a wonderful idea.�

She tried to think of some escape but short of revealing herself she could find
none.�

�Where would you like to go?�� she asked,
resigned.� Grindelwald
smiled wider.�

�We will go to my castle, I
think.� I can trust the servants there
not to try to poison me.��

An entirely new chorus of panic
burst forth within her.� She wasn�t
merely going to lunch with Grindelwald.. she was going to the place where
he was strongest of all places in the world.�
Nurmengard.

She opened her mouth to say something.. to suggest somewhere else.. but no
words appeared in her mind.�� She closed
her mouth.�

Tom, seeing her dismay leapt in.�

�Thank you Sir for the kind invitation.� Maia is ..overwhelmed..
by your..generosity �
clearly.�� His small smirk belied the
words utterly.�

Grindelwald� raised his eyebrows and laughed,
thoroughly entertained.� �She is.. isn�t she?!��

He looked back at her and she could almost hear
the clang of cell doors in the greedy sweep of his eyes over her.��

�Do not worry, Maia. I am pleased to
have you both as my guests.� I will even apparate us all.��

He reached out quickly and grabbed
Hermione and Tom�s held hands and separated them, taking one in each hand.�

When he apparated it felt like someone had threaded a string through the length
of her body and folded her up suddenly like a concertina.

They arrived in a white room.� It seemed to be made of glasslike rounded
edged white blocks.� It reminded Hermione
of sugar somehow.. or
ice.��

Grindelwald
released their hands only long enough to turn and take them again, standing
between them both and leading them forward through a tall arch.��

The area they walked into outside the room reminded her of nothing more than a
larger, grander version of Malfoy manor.�

Everything was white and gold and grandiose in dimensions.� Doors were two and a half lengths of a person
high.� Stairs were carved filigrees of
icy glass and wire, hanging precariously.��

Grindelwald
whistled and a small brightly coloured parrot of some kind flew down and
perched on his shoulder near Hermione.�

She looked up at it in wonder.� It
chirped and sang.�

�Would you like to hold him� he
asked, smiling.�

She nodded.� Yes.. she really thought she would.� �Does he bite?� she asked.� The man laughed low.� Not if I tell him not to.� Hold out your hand.��

She held out her free hand and Grindelwald let go of Tom�s hand, placing it before the
parrot, which climbed onto his finger immediately.� He transported it down to her much tinier
hand.�

The parrot chirruped and Grindelwald whistled
something at it.� It climbed amiably onto
Hermione�s hand.�

Its feet were warm and scaly and wiry.�

He released her other hand and she tentatively stroked the bird�s royal blue
breast.� It sang.�

�Look.. he likes you�� The
curly haired dark wizard exclaimed, pleased.��

She looked past him at Tom.� Tom was
smiling peaceably but Hermione had spent enough time with him in all his forms
to know that this impression was very much in opposition with his actual
feelings at present.� She looked back to
the small parrot, stroking it gently.��

Grindelwald whistled something at the bird and it
suddenly flew away.� She followed it with
her eyes as it fluttered away up into the dizzy pearly heights of the castle
and disappeared.��

�Come.. we will sit and take
tea and small cakes�� The robust man
announced and strode off.�

She exchanged a look with Tom and
they followed, cautiously moving closer together again.��

Grindelwald
led them through several opulent, tasteful if somewhat heavy rooms and then
finally out onto a large open balcony.�

She gasped.� Tom appeared startled too.� The view was astounding.�

The balcony looked out over seemingly endless snowy peaks and jagged rocky
climbs.��

She knew they were somewhere in Russia.� Nurmengard was
supposed to be in Russia, but this was breathtaking.� The view could be at the top of Nepal or the
middle of the swiss alps.��

It was also warm!� The temperature out
here should have been far below zero with icy gusting winds, yet the balcony
was warm and still.�

A glassy white circular table�
surrounded by pearly velvet chairs was the only decoration on the
balcony.�

There was no wall to break the view.� The
balcony simply ended in a sheer drop.�

Looking at it made Hermione slightly giddy.. afraid of falling.. afraid of being
tossed over the edge.� Tom looked wary too.�

Grindlewald
held out a chair, looking at Hermione, smiling.�
It was parallel to the edge of the balcony.� When she sat he helped her closer to the
table.�

Tom snorted wryly and took the chair that backed up against the sheer
drop.�

He met Grindelwald�s eye as the larger man took his
seat on the castle side of the table.�

Immediately a house elf popped
into being next to the table.� It wore a
gold and white uniform and looked at Grindelwald
expectantly.

�Lemon tea and honey.�
Cakes.� A selection.��

The elf bowed and popped away again.�
Seconds later tea and cakes appeared on the table without the elf
reappearing.�

The tea was presented in an elaborate golden service.� A porcelain teacup leafed in intricate golden
fleur de lis patterning with matching saucer sat
before each of them. It was so fine that it was practically translucent.� The three layered tray with many different
tiny cakes on it was equally ornate and perfectly crafted.�

She looked at the table and
actually felt inferior to an selection of inanimate
objects.�

Grindelwald
poured the tea for each of them and offered them each the honey.� Hermione used the wooden plunger to drop a
goodly measure of honey into her tea.�

Tom politely declined.

When they had all taken a sip of their tea Grindelwald
began to speak again.

�So you were looking for
excitement in Berlin� he observed, looking at Tom.�

Tom nodded politely. �Maia is
older than me and was able to gain her apparition license last year.�� She stayed with me for the last few days and
we began to find things a little tedious as the new school year
approached.� We only thought to visit the
city for a moment or two.. but
I challenged her to walk down to the Brandenburger Tor
with me.��

Grindelwald
nodded.�

�I take it that you.. have
more of a taste for excitement than your friend��

Tom looked somewhat sheepish. �Hermione detected it as one of his �innocent�
expressions, however and was once again unpleasantly reminded of Harry.

�Perhaps..� he admitted. �

Grindelwald nodded, smiling.� Then without warning he raised his hand and
blasted Tom off the edge of the balcony.�

Hermione didn�t even have time to
think before she flicked her wand out and captured Tom in mid fall, levitating
him carefully back onto the balcony close to the castle wall. �

Automatically, she placed herself in front of Tom, between him and Grindelwald.�

Tom looked down at her with a pleased expression and wrapped his arms
possessively about her.��

Grindelwald
in contrast tilted his head appraisingly.�
�You are formidable.. but
the boy is not your friend.. is he?!��

Hermione looked at the blonde man
fiercely and said nothing.� �

Grindelwald smiled broadly.�

�You are wearing glamours.� Remove
them.��

It was Tom who drew his wand and
waved aside their glamours, revealing a black haired
blue eyed boy and a mahogany haired amber eyed girl.�

The blonde wizard raised his
eyebrows at them both.� �You are still pretty things� he observed.��

He looked at Tom with hard, absolutely merciless eyes, the jovial grinning man
faded into the background.�

�I will have your witch, Thomas Marvolo.� There is something about her.� She will be mine.��

I want her to defend me with this
fierceness.� She is a worthy
creature.��

Hermione backed up closer against Tom
who held her tighter.�

�You can�t have her��
he said flatly.�

Grindelwald
rose to his feet slowly and now he did draw his wand.� It was a black glassy looking rod that almost
shone with malevolent intent.

�There is nowhere to run� he
said.� �The entire region is covered by
anti apparition wards.� You cannot
leave.��

Hermione bared her teeth.� �Then we�ll fight.�� She flicked up her strongest shield, wrapping
it around both of them and feeding trickles of raw magic into it too tiny to be
noticeable but enough to continually replenish it.�

Tom seemed to take her announcement in stride and immediately began flinging curses through her shielding, as if they
had fought together many times before.�

Grindelwald
had, however, also immediately thrown up a shield and the air clashed and
banged with the sound of their spells rebounding and failing..�

The dark wizard measured the curses he sent, obviously still seeking to acquire
her alive and intact.� Tom did not and
she could not even identify
everything he cast at the German.�

Grindelwald
looked both shocked and impressed and was forced to seek to avoid some of the more
penetrating spells.�

Almost all were lethal and some were designed to make shielding difficult; a
suffocating smoke that he dispelled it with a green wind; trillions of tiny
specks of darkness that crawled all over the outside of his shield and ate at
its energy which he thrust off with a second shield and an implosive reversal
between them.�

Without warning her, Tom threw fiendfyre and Grindelwald had to
summon frozen air, solidifying it into layers of ice that wrapped around the
flame, stilling it.�

Hermione grew nervous.� The blonde man was not flagging and his own
curses began to be slightly more vicious.�

She raised her left hand and transferred maintenance of the shield to it..at least visually for the two men with her.� In truth she was maintaining the shield amost entirely through raw magic now.�

She joined Tom in casting through the faint oily translucence.�

The impact of twice as many curses and the variety that they came up with in
combination finally began to exasperate the man.��

She cast almost without realising
a very dark curse she had read in the same book as the spell to destroy souls. �She hadn�t even consciously tried to remember
it but it popped into her mind now. �

A sphere of distortion began to materialize in a one metre radius around the
outside of Grindelwald�s shield.� He sought to dart away but the distortion
followed him as if part of his own shield.�

Then it thickened and rippled, tightening.�

She saw the man within begin to panic, his eyes flying to her own, wide in awe
and tinged in panic.�

�Fine!� Leave!��
he cried, dropping the anti disapparition
wards as quickly as he could with the sphere still shuddering and tightening
around him.�

As soon as he has managed it he disapparated and his
absence caused the sphere to collapse violently, sending a massive shockwave
roaring out in all directions.�

Hermione didn�t hang about �
turning, she grabbed Tom and disapparated them.� They appeared in the forbidden forest near a
stream.� By the light it seemed to be
midday, yellow rays dripping faintly through the thick canopy�

Tom turned to her his eyes wide
and triumphantly jubilant.�

She growled at him and grabbed his
hand, tearing him along after her as she ran at full tilt through the forest
till she emerged at the edge of the woods near Hagrid�s
hut.

�It was definitely still mid morning to
midday here.�

She disillusioned them both,
knowing that the charm would only work imperfectly in this light and they crept
up the hill toward the castle.� As she started
toward the main doors Tom pulled her to the side.�

�There is another way in.. a Slytherin way into the dungeons.� He hissed.��

He led her close to the side of� the building until they had passed a
rounded base of a turret.� In the dark on
the other side of the round he pressed a sequence of six stones and the wall
next to the turret slid open with a grinding noise.�

He ushered her inside and the wall closed.�
It was pitch black.�

�Light will not work in here.� Don�t let go of my hand� he said quietly,
pushing her behind him. �

He took a very peculiar pattern forward
in the dark, sometimes walking diagonally, then horizontally back to the wall
and once he turned and lifted her then jumped forward quite a way.�

Eventually in slow progression they came to a wall in the dark and here he
pressed another sequence of six stones, completely invisible in the
darkness.�

This wall slid aside like the other and she found herself in what could only be the Slytherin common room.�

It was outfitted, she realised
with slow amusement, quite similarly to the Dark Lord�s study and sitting room
combined.�

The greens and blacks and silvers without the blue.� Leather sofas, large
fireplace, bookcases.�

There was a large oval window sunk into one wall. It was deep green and
shimmered faintly.� Movement behind the
glass alerted her to the fact that the window opened out into the deeps of the
lake.�

She looked around the room and felt a strange sense of comfort.�

It reminded her of Tom.�

Younger Tom suddenly embraced her
from behind.. he whispered
into her ear �Do you realise that not only did we walk through the heart of
Berlin, we also visited Nurmengard and fought and won against Grindelwald
today?!�

And it�s not even midday..� I can barely wait to see what you do next..��

She hunched her shoulders slightly
at the reminder.�

�God.. what have we done?!..
Why did we have to go to stupid sodding Berlin, Tom?!� He�s never going to stop!�

I told you.� I have an unfortunate effect
on wizards that come in contact with me.. particularly for a long period.. and
especially if they touch me. It�s worse, the more
powerful they are.�

Grindelwald is going to be a huge problem!��

�And now you want to put me in
this castle.. with hundreds
of boys.. with your servants!�

Will you share me with them all when they start to come after me?� she
painted the image intentionally.

Tom released her and spun
her.�

�I will not allow anyone to touch
you.� You are mine.� Mine alone.��

She laughed bitterly. �Wait and
see then.� It will get out of
control.� And I�m absolutely certain that
we haven�t seen the last of Goldilocks.��

She groaned.�

�Seeing him just essentially removed any choice I might have had about staying
in Hogwarts. �If I go outside the wards
here.. he will find me.��

Maybe I should give up.� Hundreds of teenage boys or one dictator with a parrot.��

She gasped and clutched her arm in
pain, falling to her knees as Tom stood over her with a dark mien..

�You. Belong. To. ME.
Maia.�

You are beginning to irritate me with the insinuation that I will be unable to
defend you from a hoard of little boys.�

And clearly, as you have demonstrated today.. you are not totally
defenceless either.� I will expect you to
send any suitor packing with his �tail� tucked between his legs � are we
clear?!�

She looked up at him.� He was different in this room than he had
been outside Hogwarts.� Darker.�

She had the feeling that he was usually the Dark Lord in this place.�

�Yes my Lord� she whispered,
holding her hurt arm to her chest.��

Tom smiled and stroked her
check.� �You have attended Hogwarts in
your time?��

she responded in the affirmative.�

�Which house were you sorted
into?��

She bit her lip. �Gryffindor, my
Lord�

He snorted. �Well this time around
I will expect you to ensure you are sorted into Slytherin.� I will be very disappointed with you if you
are sorted into a different house.��

She nodded but it was less certain
this time. �

He frowned. �What is it?��

She shifted uneasily.� �It�s ..unlikely that I will be sorted
into Slytherin.��

�..I am not a half blood as I told you when I said my name was Maia Schiller.� I... I am a muggleborn.� There has never been a muggleborn in Slytherin.� If the others find out they�ll-...��

she quieted darkly, her face expressive..

�If they find out there will be problems...and the hat will know...it won�t
want to put me in Slytherin because of that.�
Even if i ask.�

Tom was very still.� �You are a mudblood?!..��

He snorted in irritation and stalked away, pacing to the unlit fireplace and
running his hand across the lintel. He bowed his head and remained there for minutes.�

At last he sighed and paced back to her, his face slightly darker but resolute.
�

�It doesn�t matter.� You are the most
powerful witch.. no you are
the most powerful being, with the possible
exception of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, beside
myself, that I have ever met.�

Your blood status is trivial.� You will
be a Slytherin because your presence in this great house will be an asset and
because I require you to be one.

No student in this institution will dare to speak against you.� I will ensure it.�

It should not ever become an issue to begin with as you are Maia Schiller, you
are 16 and you are a half blood.� This is
your truth now.��

She looked down. �Yes my Lord� she
intoned flatly. �

�Get up� he commanded.� �We need to go to the room of
requirement.� It is one of the few places
in the castle where we will not be found should..certain
professors.. suspect that unexpected guests have
entered the castle.� We will have to travel
there disillusioned taking all hidden passages possible.� Perhaps we can avoid the paintings
sufficiently.��

She nodded again, sighing, �and Tom walked to
the stairs that led down to the boys dormitory.�

�Follow me.� Stay close.��

He stroked down an uninteresting
stretch of wall and swiped up at the end of the stroke and the bricks suddenly
fell away, crumbling to either side in an organized chaos.�

Author note.

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Precious Mudblood