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
- 67
- 68
- 69
She woke again slowly.� The room was bathed in soft yellowish
light.��

The boy whose face was on the pillow next to her stirred.� He had one arm thrown heavily over her, as if
to make certain that she couldn�t run away.�
She could smell him.. the
warm..lovely scent of his skin.. all
over.�

�Go back to sleep..� he muttered.�

She wondered how it was that he always woke
when she did.�

She also wondered vaguely why he wasn�t propelling her out of bed and downstairs
to get ready for class.�

�Um... It�s Tuesday.. she
said pointedly.

Tom�s eyes flicked open and he
stared straight ahead, wide eyed.�

�Damn it� he hissed and cast tempus wandlessly.�

�9.37� shimmered in the air on a translucent clock face.�

Tom was vertical in a small
fraction of a second and practically leapt to the wardrobe, scourgifying
himself rapidly and dragging out a new uniform.

�Move, Maia!!� he yelled back at
her.� �We missed transfiguration
yesterday.� If we are not in classes this
morning someone will-�

There was a knock at the door.

Both their heads turned toward it
with similar horrified expressions.�

The silence hung thick and heavy
until it was broken by another knock � this one a bit louder.

Hermione looked at Tom, feeling panic and mortification rising.�

It could be one of his knights!� Or.. or just a student.� It didn�t have to be-

�Mr Riddle... are you there?��

Oh god.�

Dumbledore.

She exploded from the bed and
raced around summoning the various bits of her uniform and underwear and diving
into the bathroom.

She heard Tom open the door a few
seconds later.

�Good morning, Sir.� I�m sorry � It seems
I overslept.� I can�t think what-�

�Tom.. have you seen the new student?� Maia Schiller.� She was absent this morning also.� You were both.. absent from class yesterday I
noticed.. It seemed rather an odd coincidence when I noticed you both missing
this morning also.�

Dumbledore apparently was not in
the mood to beat about the bush this morning.�

Hermione swallowed, straightening
and charming her uniform fresh.�

She had to go out there.

She couldn�t not go out there.. Hiding in the bathroom was not an option.� �

She had just realised why Tom had allowed her to stay. ��

She chose to believe that it was not
the reason he had woken her in the night and declared their future monogamous
status, however it did not escape her that an official relationship was fairly parsimonious with the
probable reason he might have chosen to allow her to stay all night in his
room.

She was his alibi.

The news with Slughorn would come
out today.. if it had not
come out already.. and anyone who had showed odd
behaviour yesterday would be implicated.�

They had both definitely showed ...well.. Ok.. Tom had
showed odd behaviour. He never missed classes.�
Whereas, she had already been known to.. in this time. �She had
skipped astronomy and Dumbledore had stopped her from missing arithmancy.

To be fair, she hadn�t intended to
miss class purely in order to avoid class.. there had been other variables involved.. but
still..

She steeled herself and opened the
bathroom door guiltily.

Dumbledore did not look overly
surprised to see her.� His gaze was
unreadable as she padded over to them both.�
Tom, on the other hand, looked as if he were mortified to physically
painful levels.� She supposed it was his
reputation.. his precious
hard won reputation being incinerated before his eyes.�

�I�m sorry, professor..� she said, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks

�We..kind of..

it.. um..

...after defense yesterday..
we.. were
talking and kind of..lost track of time..

er... a lot of time...

sort of.. up until a few minutes before you knocked,
sir.�

She had the decency to look
ashamed and lower her eyes to avoid the piercing pale blue scrutiny.

�Miss Schiller..
I had, I admit, rather hoped that I wouldn�t find you here.�� Dumbledore sighed.� �I had..thought.. perhaps that you might feasibly both be ill with some form
of flu.� Or that there were some other explanation for this..�

Tom frowned slightly and stepped
closer to her.� She moved even closer in
response.�

Dumbledore�s eyes scanned over them both and his lips tightened marginally.

�I would appreciate it, if I might
speak with you in private, Miss Schiller.�
If you would accompany me to my office, I will excuse you from first
period.�

Tom.. I would recommend you hurry to class.� No doubt Professor Kettleburn
will have marked you down as late already.�
The lesson did begin a half hour ago after all.�

Hermione looked up at Tom in
poorly veiled horror.� She wanted to
cling closer and refuse to go.� He
blinked at her slowly, the appropriately flustered, concerned and embarrassed
expression still on his face.�

�It would be best if you went with
the Professor, Maia.� I..I�m
sorry.. �I didn�t intend to put you in this position..� I..� Come and speak with me later... please?
..If you still wish to..�� He trailed off sounding more disordered and
confused and regretful than she�d ever heard him sound before.� He was a bloody amazing actor if he wasn�t feeling at least a small portion of
those emotions, she reasoned.

She blushed even more profusely
and she didn�t have to fake it.� It was
horrible to be in this position with Dumbledore looking at her like everyone�s
favourite disapproving father figure.

He was looking at her with disappointment
for goodness sake.� Good God the man was an expert at emotional
manipulation.

�I�m s-sorry too, Tom.� You�re a prefect.. I didn�t mean to...�
That is...I didn�t think!.. And.. oh
god.. Abraxas... I shouldn�t have.. we shouldn�t have.� He�s going to be so hurt... What have we done?!!�

Dumbledore frowned slightly and
stepped back, sighing.�

�I will give you both a moment, perhaps..� he conceded
unwillingly.� �Miss Schiller, I will wait
for you outside�

He walked calm as anything to the door and let himself out, closing it behind
him.

Tom�s first act was to place a
finger to his lips and point to the door.

�I think we..
got somewhat carried away..last
evening..� he said in a guilt ridden uncomfortable voice.

�Just a bit..�
she said slightly sarcastically.� She
smirked at him and he smirked back slightly and stepped closer, brushing her
hair out of her face gently.

�I...don�t regret it� he murmured
as if against his will.� �I am ..sorry..that Abraxas will be
upset... but I don�t regret kissing you..or...anything else that happened last night..��

He was playing to an audience,
obviously.� She sighed and wrapped her
arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.� �So .. you don�t want to pretend this didn�t happen?� she asked
uncertainly, with an edge of hope in her voice as if she had feared he might do
exactly that.

�No, Maia..�� I..did not..would not.. lead you
on... My words.. my actions
last night were earnest demonstrations of my feelings toward you..

I hope you feel about me as you appeared to feel last night..
�I don�t think I could stand being
without you now..

...The thought of Abraxas kissing your hand makes me physically ill..

I will speak with him..� Don�t worry, Maia..
I will explain the situation to him.��

His hand stroked down her back slowly.�

She shivered and snuggled closer, considering how best to respond.

�Oh Tom..
I was so frightened you would take it back!� she whimpered dramatically
��I..� after you sent me
away from your group.. I thought..�

�No.� I sent you away in your best
interests, Maia.� I had hoped you would
find a place in a less visible
clique.�

I am not..universally
liked at school, you know, despite...how things may sometimes appear, I suppose.�

There are those who think very badly of me...and others who would be
jealous.�

I knew there would be gossip if you were to immediately circulate with myself
and my friends.��

He traced patterns on her back
with a fingertip absently while he spoke.�
She realised that they were actually his initials in the stylised
cursive that was his normal handwriting.

�I couldn�t exactly prevent Abraxas from speaking with you
however.. and if you are to
be gossiped about.. forgive me please.. I would rather
it is because you are with me.�

I..wanted to know you from the moment I saw you in Dippet�s office.� I
was so pleased you were sorted into Slytherin..

It was..agony
to watch him court you... I couldn�t bear it any longer..�

She knew that his words were for Dumbledore but she couldn�t quite
prevent the fizzy joy bubbling up inside at them.

�I felt the same way.. I asked the sorting hat to put me in Slytherin just
because I hoped to meet you.� I...
Abraxas is nice..
I get along with him well.. as a friend...but..I think I only let him carry my books and flirt
with me so that I could be around you..� I�m a terrible person!!�

�No!� No you aren�t Maia..
Please.. It will all be well from now on.. We�ll speak to him.�
I don�t care what anyone else thinks.�

He hesitated as if worried.� She was
still inspecting his previous statement which was obviously a barefaced lie. �When he continued, his voice sounded insecure
and troubled

�...Please....� please don�t listen to Dumbledore if he wishes you to- ... if he.. tells you-..�

Don�t make any decisions before you allow me to defend myself..
please Maia..�
I know that he dislikes me!�

�She snuggled against him harder and scowled at
the thought that she would have to leave him very soon and go off with the man
who seemed to see right through people.�
She really, really, didn�t
want to be alone with Dumbledore if she could possibly avoid it.

�I promise, Tom.�� She said softly and inhaled deeply against
his shirt.� He always smelled so damn
good.

�You�d better go..� He is waiting.� ��I...
we�ll speak later.� Professor Dumbledore
is right.� I should go and apologise to
Professor Kettleburn.�

She nodded reluctantly and pulled
away.�� His deep blue eyes were glittering in delight.�
She wouldn�t put it past him to be full of schadenfreude
that she had to go and continue acting with Dumbledore while he could escape to
magical creatures. ��His eyes hardened
momentarily and she knew he was
warning her not to fail.

Dumbledore was silent and seemed
quite preoccupied as they walked through the corridors toward his office.� She glanced at him nervously.� She didn�t expect him to talk about the issue
in the corridors, necessarily, but this silence was making her jittery and
worried.� Probably that was why he forbore to engage in any kind of
polite conversation, - it was probably the point
to make her nervous and put her off, she mused
pensively.�

He let them both into the tiny
cluttered room and gestured for her to seat herself in a rather more comfy looking chair than the one that
had been in here last time she was being tested.� She lowered herself into the pale blue chintz
chair hearing him close the door quietly.�

�I..have
been following your progress since you have arrived here Miss Schiller...� he
said with a heavy tone.�

�I was...rather hopeful when I first spoke with you. �Your performance on the entrance exams was
phenomenal..� I
believe there are few students at Hogwarts who could compete with you in your
chosen subjects.. and indeed,
your standard of work in your classes.. not to mention
the groundbreaking achievement you have made in transfiguration.. �it is..was.. all..very encouraging...��

he trailed off leaving a precise �however� shaped gap at the end of his
compliments.

�However-� he
said, confirming her apprehension �The things that I have heard the students saying about you have been...of
concern to me..in the least � not to say disturbing.

�I will tell you that I was disappointed when you were sorted into
Slytherin.� Not particularly surprised..but disappointed.�

I had hoped...�

He sighed long sufferingly, shaking his auburn
locks.�

Looking up at her he pushed his round glasses up his nose in a way she found
disconcertingly familiar.

�You were not entirely truthful
when you spoke of your background and identity.. were you, Miss Schiller?�

Hermione blinked, her mind
blanking in panic.� This was not the direction she had anticipated
this conversation would take.� It was
supposed to be about persuading her to stay away from Tom..
perhaps even about asking her about Slughorn..

What was she supposed to say to that.

She looked back at him anxiously,
keeping her eyes fixed on the bridge of his nose and trying her hardest to wipe
the fear from her face.

�I see that you were not.�� Dumbledore observed quietly. �Although you
are merely confirming what I had already realised.

Perhaps you might..begin..with
your connection to Grindelwald..�

Her jaw dropped

She blinked, stunned.� He knew about that?� How?

That bloody buzzard!�

Either he had seen Mencius or ..possibly.. Grindelwald himself had dropped him a friendly little
threat letter.

�What is your true name, if I may
ask� he said in a quite amiable voice.

�Maia Schiller� she managed
through her shock.

�Very well..
if you insist.�
A name is perhaps not so important.�
What is your purpose here?�

Her brain spun.

um..

�Shagging Tom Riddle� probably wouldn�t cut it.

�I�m hiding from Grindelwald� she said uneasily.� �He�s trying to-..� That is..I ran into
him in Germany..and he took a shine to me.. he tried to trap me.. I
escaped and ran here.�

It was better to stick to the truth, she told herself.� And indeed, Dumbledore was nodding pensively
as if he believed her too.

�Perhaps you might fill in that
account with somewhat more detail, Miss Schiller�

She swallowed.

�Um.. I..� I was in Berlin..

�and he was
there.. shopping..
with some blonde woman..�

�He came over to me on the
street.� He spoke to me.. he
invited me back to his castle for ..for..tea and cakes.. of
all things...� I was afraid.... I ran..� I hid...�

His..his bird is always looking for me.� It found me when I arrived at the gates.� I thought it would catch me..
take me to him..�

�I wrote him a message.� I told him to leave me alone..

Since then he keeps writing back..� Trying to get me to come to him willingly..�

Dumbledore�s face had paled
somewhat.�

�Yes.. he is a rather
persistent individual.�� He said quietly,
seeming deeply perturbed.

�Have you any idea what he... well..� what
I mean is � Do you know what he
wanted from you?�

She shot him an �are you an idiot�
look.� He smiled weakly and shook his
head.

�Ah.�

�I�m sorry I lied.� I thought..
Headmaster Dippet might not let me stay..let me hide here.. if
he thought it might bring Hogwarts under threat.�

Dumbledore massaged a youthful
temple with his fingers, looking concerned.

�Has he expressed anything to that end?� Has he threatened the school?�

She looked away, kicking herself
for having said that.�

She chewed on her lip.

�no.� she lied.

The older wizard frowned at her in
mild irritation.

�Miss Schiller..�

�Ok.. yes.. alright.� He said he would come and get me by force if
I didn�t see reason.�

He said...He said he was closer than I knew... He ..he�s
known things about what I have been
doing which he couldn�t possibly know.�
He has someone in Hogwarts.. I�m almost certain of it.�

Dumbledore got to his feet
abruptly and paced away to the back of the room, inspecting some spinning dohickys and softly glowing stones..� He clasped his hands behind his back and
turned away, pensively, seemingly internally preoccupied as he paced to the
fireplace and then faltered, pacing back.

�Do you still have any of his missives?�� he asked anxiously..
She shook her head.� The memory wasn�t
exactly a missive.�

�I ..will
have to inform the Headmaster of this..��
he said reluctantly.

Swallowing, she asked in a
pleading tone �Can�t you do anything,
Professor?!� Can�t you -I don�t know -write to him or something and tell him
to leave me alone.� I mean.. I�m no one. ..
Surely there are plenty of other girls he could..�

Dumbledore looked thoughtful, as
if this idea had not occurred to him.� He
seemed to sigh after a while.

�I sincerely doubt that my discouragement
would change anything, Miss Schiller.� Gellert Grindelwald is many
things, but �easily dissuaded from an action he has decided upon� is not among
them.

�Then.. we could fight
him..� she pleaded.

�Tom... You..� Surely ..�

Dumbledore looked at her in
horror.

�Please do not tell me that you have ensconced yourself in Tom Riddle�s affections in order to gain
protection from Grindelwald?!� Have you ever heard of the phrase � from the
frying pan into the fire, Miss Schiller?!�

She frowned at him, mildly
insulted.� �No..
I haven�t.� I..like Tom.. He�s..he�s brilliant... How could I possibly not want to be with him.� I never expected he would be interested in me.�

Dumbledore paced wearily back to
the desk and lowered himself back into his chair with an extremely troubled
expression.

�Miss Schiller... You are an intelligent young lady.� Everything I have observed of you thusfar has led me to the conclusion that you are logical..inciseful.. capable
of reasoning.�

Please believe me when I tell you �
Tom Riddle is a dark wizard..� He is a most..dangerous..boy.
He has been responsible for monstrous acts in this school before..

I am almost certain that he articulated his darker nature once again last night, although I doubt that
any evidence for it will be found.

Hermione stopped herself from
gulping although the lump stuck in her throat.�
He did know.� He had simply assumed it was Tom.� Probably because it was
so cleanly achieved.�

�Are you talking about what ..we did together?!�
she said in her tiniest voice.

�I�m sorry!� It wasn�t Tom.� We were talking and ..I
couldn�t stop staring at him.� I wanted him to kiss me..
and then.. he did � and I was so ...and it was.. and then we just sort of.. kept kissing..

But.. But... its not that bad ...surely..
I mean.. other students have..done ..it...before..surely..��

She blushed.� Talking like this was
embarrassing her again.

And Dumbledore blushed!!

�No..
Miss Schiller.. I was referring to....something else...� he said quickly.

�Do you know.. was Tom out of
your sight at all between the time
you both had Defense and the time I retrieved you
this morning?�

She shook her head.�

�We fell asleep...quite late..� she blushed.. �perhaps around midnight..�

�What do you think he�s done?!� And..why?!�

Dumbledore sighed heavily and his
pensive frown deepened.�

�Perhaps... I am wrong in this case.�
Perhaps.. it was..someone else.�

Hermione wanted to scream at
him.� Did he know what Slughorn did to the students?!� Did he know
what he�d done to Tom?!�

She wanted to scream and rail and tear Dumbledore into very small pieces.�

She wanted to.. but she put
the entire issue out of her mind altogether. It was not helpful to be thinking
of that right now.

�Miss Schiller...� Dumbledore
began uncomfortably.� Her hackles rose
again.

�...I ...do not know whether Hogwarts will be capable of holding Grindelwald at bay if
he determines that he will enter.�

He looked at her meaningfully, tilting his head in a
manner she knew in the future would have him looking at her over the top of his
glasses.�

In these glasses the effect was somewhat lessened.

She looked at him in horror and
disbelief.�

He wasn�t actually suggesting... he wasn�t implying that she should..

Dumbledore was many things.. he
was a manipulative old goat in her time.. but he
wouldn�t actually sacri...

Oh.

oh.�

Yes..�
Dumbledore would sacrifice
children.. for the good of
the many.�

Dumbledore was very nearly the poster-boy for sacrificing the few for the
greater good.

�I won�t!!� she growled furiously.

�I am not going to go and.. and..�

No!�

and.. Tom.. I�m not going to
stop being with him either.��

You say he�s dark?!.. Well he wouldn�t suggest I go and give myself to Grindelwald.�� That I go and give my..my
..body to him. Just so that adult wizards don�t have to face him!�

Dumbledore looked moderately
ashamed but he responded blithely even so.�
�Miss Schiller.. be
reasonable.� There are young students here..
Children of eleven and twelve..� Grindelwald has an
army of tens of thousands.. If he penetrates the wards
with only a small force � there will be deaths.� Many innocent children will suffer.. You do not truly believe that the faculty of Hogwarts can
hold him off?!�

�Can you really accept the children�s deaths.. knowing that you could so easily prevent it?�

Hermione glared.

�I am going to leave now, Professor Dumbledore.�
I will think about our
conversation.��

She got up and turned, refusing to
look back at Dumbledore although she felt his eyes follow her to the door.� He did not try to say any more.�� He did not try to persuade her.�

Perhaps he�s expecting me to �make the right
decision� she griped to herself as she closed the door behind her.�

Bastard.

You�re supposed to save the wizarding
world from Grindelwald.� Couldnt you bloody
well do it now?� Before you give me to him to
enslave?!�

She wondered vaguely why her wonderful magnetic pull had to affect Slughorn and
not Dumbledore.� At least then ...

her stomach turned.

No.� No amount of persuasive power would
make up for the thought of Dumbledore
panting after her.� God No!!!

She wondered whether Dumbledore was really gay
as the rumours had suggested.�

Clearly Grindelwald wasn�t... although he�d made a
few slightly suggestive comments about Tom..

She stomped down the corridor
toward charms, wondering what she was going to do about Grindelwald.. Really..he hadn�t responded
since her last unfortunate letter..�
She�d asked for time but she hadn�t, to tell the truth, actually
expected he would give it to her.

She was
early for charms and so she ended up standing around in the corridor, uncertain
where to go for the quarter of an hour she had until the students poured out
all around her.��

She saw
the girl marching all the way from the end of the corridor.� She had the walk of the indignant.�

It was clear that Hermione was her destination.�
��

She groaned inwardly.��

Fine.� Would it
be Tom or Alex she was upset about?!�� Or
perhaps even Abraxas?

The girl
didn�t bother to make any nasty comments at all, she
simply drew her wand as soon as she had reached six or seven metres away and fired
off a spell.�

It wasn�t a conscious decision to repel it.�
It happened so automatically that Hermione was still processing the fact
that this girl had just tried to hex her in an open corridor even after her
hand had flicked aside the stinging hex with a casual movement.

�YOU POISONOUS TROLLOP!��
the furious screech came.� Hermione felt her hackles rise.� With that level of volume she�d have the
class coming out to investigate in a minute.�

She pulled a muffliato up around them.�

She recognised the girl now.�� The Gryffindor
sat only a few metres away from them every day at breakfast.� She would always sit on the other side of the
table, facing Slytherin.� ��

She had short wavy brown hair,� large dark blue eyes and was neither
particularly pretty, nor concretely unappealing.� Hermione�s eye had passed over her probably
more than a dozen times and she had never thought about her at all.� The girl just blended into the background.

Well..that was good to know..but
it still didn�t clarify whether this was about Tom or Alex..� She herself usually sat facing away from the
room.� She couldn�t be sure, therefore,
whether the girl often spent time sitting staring googly eyed at Tom.

�What
exactly have I done that has upset you, please?�� she asked
politely.� It seemed to incense the girl.

�You WHORE!�
How can you even ASK?!� Though
I can understand it since you�re probably gapping your legs for so many boys,
it�d be easy to get confused.� You shouldn�t
have done it though!!� You should have
left him alone!�

This too
did not help Hermione.

�Um.. Who?!� she
tried again, the polite tone wearing thin.

�I imagine that Elsbeth
is referring to me, Maia.�� Tom�s warm caramel voice drawled.� She looked and found him approaching from the
other end of the corridor.�

The girl,
Elsbeth, lowered her wand and her bottom lip
protruded just a little.�� It
trembled.� She looked like she was about
to burst into tears.�

�It�s not true, is it?� What they�re saying.� You wouldn�t..� You�re the head prefect.� You�d never.. and not with her!�

Tom
reached Hermione and slipped an arm around her waist casually,
pulling her closer and pressing a gentle chaste kiss to the side of her
forehead.�

�I learned in Magical Creatures of the reactions to our absence.� It would seem, exactly as I expected, a
certain section within the student body has taken exception to the colourful
rumours that flared up at breakfast this morning.�

Elsbeth was gaping at them both looking distraught.

She snapped out of it a moment later as Hermione�s eye rested upon her.� As she had just been anticipating ominously,
the girl�s reaction was not pretty.�� Her
screech had something of a tea kettle at full boil to it

�NO!!� You CAN�T!!�

You don�t date..
you never
date!!� And she�s a whore.. you�d
never fall for that!� You�re far too clever to want something
so tawdry!!�

And... and she�s a halfbood!!� Doesn�t even have a father!� Her father�s
a muggle rapist!!!� You CAN�T POSSIBLY
want her!!� WHY?!!� �WHY, TOM?!!�

Tom
looked at �Elsbeth� disapprovingly.

�You will lower your voice and cease these wild accusations and blood
slurs.� Do not profess to know her.. or myself either, Elsbeth.� You and I
have exchanged words only once and I communicated my disinterest clearly
enough, I believe.�

The girl�s
mouth shut like a door slamming.

�But...�

Tom
sighed long sufferingly and softened his voice.�

�Yes... I realise it is ...difficult... when the object of your desires does
not reciprocate them.� I understand that
you had convinced yourself that it was not yourself,
but indeed any girl..
or boy, for that matter, that I did not want.. that I was in principle
celibate.� You realise how foolish such a
delusion is, surely?

You will accept that Maia and I are
courting and you will not intrude.� Should I learn that you have been contributing
to hateful rumours.. or
should I detect any ploy on your part to divide us.. I will be rather harsh
with you.�

Do I make myself absolutely clear, Elsbeth?�

The girl
blinked and now two glistening tears did
race down her cheeks as she nodded dumbly.

Her face tightened still more when Tom turned away as if she were no longer
important.

Hermione
watched her retreat down the corridor looking defeated.

Tom
pulled her close and enfolded her in his arms.�

�It is a relief to be able to touch you, Maia..�� He murmured against her hair.� �Although I am certain that Elsbeth was merely the first snowflake before the avalanche.. Do not let your guard down over the next weeks.��

Seemingly reluctant, he released her and moved a respectable distance away.

�No doubt charms will be very interesting today.� He muttered grimly.

�You will sit next to me.� Septimus can sit next to Abraxas.� With luck he will opt not to make a scene
before he has spoken with me.�

She nodded and bit her lip.

�Tom.. are you sure.. this is a good idea?!��
she began, worried.

He threw
her a scornful, mildly irritated expression. �It is too late to go back,
Maia.� Are you unhappy to be publicly seen to be courting me rather than a
Malfoy?!�

She shook her head emphatically.

�No, No!� It�s not that!..
I mean.. You said that they weren�t to..� I�m..worried..� If they-..��
She tried to explain without saying any of the actual words..� It was obvious he
understood however.

�I have decided, Maia.� No more.�
I entertained the possibility for a while but I have found that it does
not agree with me.�

He moved closer and brushed his face against her own, his lips were warm
against her ear for a moment.

�I have never been inclined to share what
is mine..��

He sighed against her

�I should not have allowed them to touch you.�
I was ...concerned... about things that should never have concerned
me.�

They will obey or they will be
punished. �That is all there is to it. �

I do not care what my future self
might have chosen to do.� I cannot stand watching you with them.. any
of them.

He stepped away quickly and she realised that class was ending.� The door to the charms room was opening.�

The
corridors filled rapidly with talking bustling students.�

Hermione stood uncomfortably, trying to think of a way to explain her diffuse
sense of anxiety in a way that wouldn�t anger Tom.�

She didn�t want to suggest that he couldn�t handle his knights. ��He would not respond well to that.

And she also certainly didn�t want him to think that she was disappointed that she couldn�t have Septimus, Abraxas or Sorrenson as
well as him.

Because she wasn�t!� She only wanted him.�
How often had she cursed and sighed that she couldn�t simply be with
him.

Often.� That�s
how often.

�Good
morning, beautiful!� Where were you at breakfast?!��

Abraxas strutted up and put his arms around her.� A moment later he flinched back as if in pain
and released her with a confused expression.

�The
situation has changed, Abraxas� Tom said quietly.� �We will speak later.� For the moment.. you will not..fawn.� You will not draw any unnecessary
attention.� Maia and yourself
are no longer courting.�

�WHAT?!!�� Abraxas
looked furious. �BUT-�

Tom
halted him with a raised hand.

�We will speak on this..later..Abraxas�

He looked
at her sharply, worried and desperately wanting to question her.� She could see he thought that he had done something to upset her. She
smiled at him uncertainly, trying to let him know that he hadn�t � that it was
not her decision at all... He seemed to calm somewhat, but the confused
expression deepened and began to take on a note of suspicion and dread.� He looked back at Tom

Tom was unreadable. He turned and walked calmly into the classroom with a soft �Maia.. come now�

There was
no dramatic scene.� Abraxas was, despite
his ire when she sat next to Tom instead of at his side, fundamentally a
Slytherin.� More so
perhaps than his son and grandson would be.� She knew that the Draco that she had attended
school with would never have stood for this development without making a fuss.� He could barely allow Harry to walk down the
corridor without making a snide comment and drawing attention.

Instead though, for the entire duration of the lesson, she felt on the back of
her neck the twin stares of Abraxas and Septimus �
who had been similarly confused to discover his seat occupied.� He had not needed an explanation however �
his expression shifted directly to
suspicion and recrimination.

Sorrenson too looked angry and impatient for the end
of the lesson, she caught out of the corner of her
eye.� He sat further back in the room and
she didn�t want to turn around and look openly.�

It seemed
that the rest of the knights were merely mildly confused however.� They had been confused when she was suddenly
on Abraxas arm.. this they
seemed, if anything, less confused
about.�

She couldn�t
ignore the way that the rest of the students seemed to be observing Tom and herself.�

Admittedly there was a legitimate reason to look over at them.� It seemed their professor approved of the new
seating order.� He smiled kindly as he
not so subtly alternated in selecting Tom and herself to answer questions.� It led to much of
the attention during the class being directed upon them both.�

They did collect sixty points for Slytherin between them... but she knew that
if she had been in this class in her own time and had been faced with a
professor who persistently favoured two students from Slytherin..

..But what was she saying.� She
had.� He had.� Snape had been incorrigible.�

Even he, though, perhaps hadn�t been quite this
obvious.. this smilingly
overt about it.

After Charms
had drawn to a close, the rush for the door noticeably lacking as nosy students
procrastinated in order to see just what would happen next, she rose and
preceded Tom out of the classroom.�

He walked close to her, his hand lightly on the small of her back, guiding her.�

She turned, catching at least eight pairs of eyes watching.

A hand gently captured her own, drawing her attention back.�� Tom intertwined their fingers and stepped
off in the direction of the Grand Hall.�
She moved to his side and let him walk them both down there.�

All the
way down the busy corridor she could see students stop, gape or start
whispering to their friends at the fact that they
were hand in hand.�

Many of the expressions of the female students watching did not convey friendliness or acceptance of
this new development.� Disturbingly
enough, many of the male students looked somewhat sour too.

The
situation only worsened as they entered the grand hall.� She understood finally just how Harry had
sometimes felt.�

Tom led her gracefully to his place at the head of the table, but instead of
allowing her to sit in her usual place on the right with her back to the hall, he drew her around to his left and indicated that she
should sit in the place normally occupied by Septimus.�

She could see the entire Great Hall
watching from this vantage point.� It was
terrible.

The rest
of the knights, who had been slouching after them both irritably, distributed
themselves around the table, exchanging tense glances.� She could guess that they were trying to
convince one another to say something.

�Orange juice, Maia?� Tom�s soft voice called her attention
back.�� She smiled and nodded, shifting
her glass closer so that he could pour the heavy jug.�

He served himself afterward, taking then a small scone and buttering it.� She watched him with interest.� He looked entirely comfortable...as if he were
oblivious to the oppressive weight of the stares.�

it..was.. wonderful to be able to stare at him openly like
this.�

Septimus, at her side, took a slice of bacon and egg pie as
if there were nothing at all in the world unusual this afternoon.�

Amalthea, at his
side, looked like the cat that got the cream.

Apparently her being with Abraxas had not been guarantee enough that she wouldn�t
attempt to steal Septimus.. however a connection to Tom was.� Tom obviously wouldn�t
put up with any funny business, in Amalthea�s view.

She caught Hermione�s eye and her pleased expression became somewhat sour as
she couldn�t prevent a slight sneer of disgust.

Someone
cleared their throat pointedly.� Her eyes
flicked to the source of the noise.

Abraxas
looked incandescent with rage, his face hidden from the rest of the hall due to
where he sat.�

�I would like to know just what is going on here!� he hissed at her.

She looked to Tom.

Who took a sublimely unaffected bite of his scone.�

�Have
some lunch, Maia� he reminded her softly.�

�My-..� Tom!� What is going on?!� I would speak with you in private at once!�
Abraxas tried in frustrated anger

Tom�s composure
didn�t even flicker.� He informed Abraxas
disinterestedly �This is hardly the time or place...We will speak tonight,
after classes. I would suggest also, Abraxas, that you restrain yourself from
employing that tone with me.��

Abraxas
swallowed and struggled to clear his face of the emotion twisting it.� He succeeded partially and Hermione thought he
had done well to achieve that much.�

The rest
of the knights..with the notable exception of Sorry,
who looked as unaffected and oblivious as Tom himself, �seemed to view this little episode as
entertainment.

Palmer grinned.

�Looks like the honeymoon�s over, Brax� he sniped
under his breath and snickered.

Abraxas
turned, his wand suddenly in his hand, and hexed
him before getting up from the table and marching out of the great hall in
grand snit.

Palmer, who had yelped, now spat out a large
mouthful of teeth into his hand.� He
curled his lips and ran a tongue over his gums now a smooth and toothless as a
baby.

�Bafftard� he slurred.

The
conversation in the great hall buzzed loudly in the aftermath as everyone
discussed the apparent rift between the Slytherin elite.�

�Don�t
worry Maia� Tom said quietly.� �Abraxas
and I shall have words about that later.��

He reached
out and claimed one of the strawberries in the bowl of fresh fruit, offering it
to her.�

She moved to accept it from him but it shifted and transformed itself in a
fraction of a second into a deep red long stemmed rose.� She looked up at Tom with a gasp of
surprise.�

His deep blue eyes were studying her.� A
faint twist of the edge of his lips suggested that he was inwardly smirking at
how predictably she had responded to that greatest of all female triggers.�

She accepted the rose carefully.� It had vicious
looking thorns.�

Out of curiosity she brought it to her nose and inhaled.� Unsurprisingly, it had a delicate strawberry scent.
�

Over the dark red velvety object she could see that a number of the girls in
the room were sighing wistfully

�Thank you..� she murmured.�

He reached out and brushed her hair aside with a finger.�

�It was my pleasure�

Septimus did not even attempt to speak to her in
Runes.�

She found
herself slightly miffed about it actually.��
He ignored her utterly, focusing on the classwork.� After class he walked by her side silently
toward astronomy.

�Septimus..� she murmured, trying
to be unobtrusive.� A couple of faces
ahead of them both turned.�

Septimus glanced at her with mild irritation.

�Maia - anything you say at this point will be transmitted throughout the school
within the hour..�

She gave
up on trying and simply walked behind him up the narrow staircase up to the
astronomy tower.

It wasn�t till she had reached the top and met the wide brown eyes across the
large space that she remembered just who else was apparently in her astronomy
class.

Alex
Potter stared at her balefully from the left of the distant balustrade as Tom
glided over and captured her hand smoothly once again.�

She knew he was doing it in order to
draw the attention of the student body to the recent change that had placed her
at his side; Leaving no room for doubt in those who may not have seen them walk
down from Charms together.

He glanced at Septimus but seemed satisfied that
there was no cause for concern there.

Tom led
her over to Roan, Benjamin and Sorrenson, who were
all waiting with a couple of other Slytherin�s she didn�t know but recognised
vaguely.� They sat near Carmen�s group in
the Grand Hall.

Behind them, Septimus glided smoothly to Amalthea�s side and took her hand.� She couldn�t quite prevent herself from an
internal annoyance when he raised her hand to his lips, pressing a brief kiss
to her knuckles before tucking her hand into his arm.�

Amalthea smiled delightedly.� It seemed that all was well in her world
again.

�Maia.. I don�t think you�ve met Gowan
and William.� Tom distracted her pointedly, gesturing at the two unknown Slytherins.� One was
tall with short tidy brown hair and dull brown eyes,
the other was smaller, of slight build with strawberry blonde hair and
freckles.�

She smiled politely, thinking to herself that she wasn�t really much interested
in meeting them either.� Why was he introducing her unnecessarily
to two more bloody guys.�

�I�ve
heard a lot about you, Maia� the
first boy � Gowan � said, suggestively.� She hated him instantly.�

Turning
to Tom, she raised an eyebrow, communicating her discontent with the present
situation.� He smirked and squeezed her
hand gently.

�You�ll have to forgive Gowan� he instructed her
mildly.� �He is an absolute boor.� Most likely the reason that
you have not met him before today.�

A glance in Cygnus� direction was ignored.�
Roan however quickly stepped up and drew Gowan
aside with a fabricated �question�.��

�I�m
sorry about that� the smaller �William� said, blushing slightly.� He held out his hand.� She looked at it uncomfortably, unwilling to
touch him.� After a minute his hopeful
little smile faltered and he withdrew it.

�Um.. I really am
sorry� he said earnestly before nodding respectfully at Tom and withdrawing to
join his friend.�

�Don�t
introduce me to anyone!� she hissed at Tom when everyone was, she thought, far
enough away.� �It�s bad enough that
everyone�s attention is on me...that so many are affected already � You need to
take this more seriously.� Don�t let
anyone touch me.� It gets worse if they
touch me.

As if her
words had conjured up the devil himself, Alex appeared next to them.

�I..wanted to..apologise...� he
managed, although the words seemed to be causing him to chew broken glass.

�I think we..had a misunderstanding.. in defense yesterday, Maia.��

She
looked away, focussing on Tom, whose polite smile had taken on a certain
diamond bit edge

�Oh no, I
don�t believe so, Potter.� I think she
made herself quite clear to you.�

However you may consider your apology delivered, if not accepted.� You have no further need to speak with Maia.� Run along and play with your little
chums.� They look quite confused that you
are over here.�

Alex
huffed and tried to catch her eye.� She
stepped closer to Tom and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively.

�Maia..� Please...� If I could just speak with
you for a moment.�

Tom
abandoned the polite expression and his eyes narrowed.� In half a second Septimus,
Palmer and Roan were at his side.� None
of them said anything threatening, but Tom guided her back a few steps, placing
them between her and Alex.�� They then
proceeded to half turn and overtly ignore him.

Alex, frustrated and looking almost desperate,
scrunched his hand in his hair for a moment before turning on his heel and
marching away.� �She saw him snap at a blonde Ravenclaw boy who spoke to him when he returned to the
other side of the room.

Tom�s
hand stroked her back calmingly.�

It was amazing how he did that.� She
could be afraid.. or
furious.. and he would touch her and the emotion would just dissipate gently.

She wondered whether he was allowing his magic to flow around him
slightly.� Whether it
was a subtle effect of that, before he learned how to control it precisely.

The
little orange haired woman had apparently entered the room in the meantime, she
realised, as her voice rang out over the babble, calling them all to attend to
the board now.

Abraxas
hadn�t come to class yet.

By the
time class had ended, he still had not shown his face.

This was perhaps a whole new level of
snit for a Malfoy, she pondered.

Abraxas
remained absent for dinner also and as Tom walked down with her toward the
Knight�s chamber he looked somewhat pensive.�
She wondered if he�d really imagined that the blonde would accept the
situation calmly, when he�d been embarrassed before the entire school.

The
atmosphere was frosty within.

Abraxas sat next to Septimus on the left hand sofa
looking acidic.� Septimus
in contrast was cool and distant.� Sorrenson, on Abraxas other side wore an expression of
desperate hope. �

The place that Abraxas usually sat had been conspicuously left empty.� Clemens was positioned next to it, looking
bewildered.�

Although Palmer still seemed faintly smug, Roan and Benjamin were worried.� Cygnus seemed to be watching Abraxas thoughtfully.� She recalled that he had been present for her
collapse last week.

Tom
released her hand as soon as they passed the wall and stalked across the room,
ignoring his chair and standing over Abraxas with a dark angry mien.

�Up.� Now.�� He hissed at the blonde, whose glare wobbled
into uncertainty.�

�We will duel, Abraxas.� You have
forgotten yourself.� We will resolve this
matter immediately before we speak further�

The Malfoy
ancestor went from righteously indignant to repentant in half a second.

�My Lord.. that�s not
necessary.� I -..
she-..� I know you are superior in duelling.�� I..know you are stronger than I.� We do not need to-�

Tom�s
expression informed that it in fact was
necessary and that he would not tolerate much more contradiction.

Abraxas
stumbled miserably to the open space near the back of the room

Hermione,
who had still been hovering next to the wall, realised that she would be in the
firing line now.� She reluctantly
ventured further into the chamber, moving to the circle with the others.�

She didn�t want to sit next to Clemens.

In truth, she kind of wanted to sit between Septimus
and Sorrenson.�
It was clear from the look on Sorry�s face
that he wanted her to also.��

She couldn�t sit there either, obviously.

She sat
down in Tom�s chair and curled her legs up underneath her, receiving discomforted
goggles from all the others.�

Cygnus tilted his head, narrowing his eyes speculatively.

Across
the room, Tom gestured expansively, bowing slightly at the nervous Abraxas, who
returned the formal etiquette hurriedly, applying himself to erecting high
level shields.

Unfortunately for him, Tom ..politely.. lowered his wand, implying that he should begin.�� Abraxas had to sacrifice the level of his
shielding in order to select one that he could cast through. �

His purplish
spell flashed across the intervening space between them ...before slowing and
fizzling before it had reached Tom.� It
dissipated with a little crackle.

Abraxas�
still-raised wand shook slightly.

Tom
smiled cruelly and gestured for Abraxas to proceed.

He allowed the other boy to throw anything and everything at him without
retaliation.� Nothing even came remotely
close to striking him.� The spells didn�t
even flash off his shields � those that came close were flicked away with curt
little wand slashes..�

Hermione wondered whether he even had
any shields up.

When
Abraxas had exhausted his knowledge of light and dark hexes, he lowered his
wand miserably and concentrated on raising stronger shields.�

It was of no use whatsoever.�

Tom�s first spell in the salvo of three shattered his shields with a sound like
nails on blackboards.� His second spell
struck Abraxas in the middle of the chest, dropping him to his knees with wide
terrified eyes and gasping mouth.� The
third, landing a half second later hit him in the abdomen and he screamed full
throat, collapsing and writhing.�

Tom
walked away, leaving the blonde shrieking and writhing on the floor.� Seemingly as an afterthought he tossed a
silencing spell back behind him.�

Hermione swallowed, feeling terrible for Abraxas.� He had been so utterly outmatched.� And really.. he had been justifiably upset.� At least in some ways..maybe.

She surreptitiously flexed and removed the hexes.

It was pleasant to use the magic.�� And so easy now.� It
obviously got easier the more she did it.

Abraxas stopped struggling and fighting and lay still, panting silently.� Tom, turned toward them all, did not realise
it.

�My
chair, if you would, Maia� he said quietly, with the barest micron of
disapproval.�

She gave up the wingback to him without demur.��
He sat down gracefully and, after a second of hesitation, captured her
hand and drew her back down onto his lap.

Now he could see that Abraxas was slowly
climbing to his feet in the back of the room.�
His eyes hardened a little and shifted to her suspiciously.� She looked down sheepishly and curled into
him more closely.�

After a moment he sighed irritatedly and brushed a
gentle hand over her hair.� �Sot.� He muttered
next to her ear.

Abraxas
joined them all.� As he moved to sit
again between Sorrenson and Septimus,
Tom halted him and indicated that he should sit in his usual place at his right
side.�� Abraxas obeyed but his eyes were
fixed on the floor.

�As you
will have all realised-� Tom began in a quiet measured voice �Maia is no longer
to be publicly courted by Abraxas.� I
have decided that I am not prepared to tolerate her absence at my side any
longer.� It was perhaps unnecessary to be
so concerned about the reactions of students and certain teachers.�

Abraxas.. it seems.. has taken exception to my portrayal of him before this
irrelevant audience.�� Palmer � you will not provoke him further.� You are in no position to judge the
situation.

Palmer�s
shifty gaze suggested that he thought
he was very well positioned to judge
the situation.�� Tom did not address it
however.�

�To all
extents and purposes nothing has changed.�
It is as I instructed you originally.�
Maia is mine..
I will tolerate neither foreign hands upon her nor aspersions regarding her
character.�

Watch the other students.� I wish to know if any student expresses particular ire toward or regard for her.�

The hand
upon her head stroked slowly, soothingly.�
She felt yet again as if she were some kind of cat for Tom Riddle.� Something from which he
derived peace of mind in petting absently.�

�What
exactly changed your mind?�

Cygnus.

Hermione considered the Black ancestor. She wasn�t sure at all whether she
liked him.� She realised she had actually
not exchanged five words with him since first seeing him.� He was constantly there..
laughing and joking.. with
someone else.� He never seemed interested
in her.� Sorrenson
had said he liked guys only.� Perhaps that
was it.

Tom
dismissed the question. �I had a lot of time to devote to quiet thought over
the weekend.�

He seemed
to consider something and then smirked somewhat darkly.

�In addition.. I advise that those of you taking
potions anticipate a new Potions Master�

Abraxas
looked up now sharply, his eyes were wide and hopeful.� Sorrenson sounded
vicious when he spat �Prick�s dead, I hope..�

Tom shook his head and explained that such an act would cause too much
fuss.� Slughorn had, it seemed, had some
form of potions accident.� He would not
be returning to teaching before they had all completed NEWTs.

Septimus looked thoughtful and nodded, seemingly
filing this information away for later consideration.�

As did Cygnus, she observed.

When Tom
asked whether there were any other matters for discussion, the same issue was
introduced as had been brought up at the first meeting.� Several of the knights wished a �celebration�
at the soonest possible convenience.�

Abraxas was among them.� His eyes were
hard and he refused to meet her gaze.

Tom
considered the matter for a long time, his eyes resting heavily upon
Abraxas.�

After several minutes he informed them that they might possibly visit the manor
during the next weekend, but that this could be subject to change and should
not be treated as a matter of course.

Abraxas top lip twitched briefly as if struggling not to rise in a sneer.

Tom�s
cool gaze hovered a moment longer over Septimus, Sorrenson and Abraxas than the others when he dismissed
them.� They showed no sign of having
noticed anything but within ten minutes of the knights departing, the three had
trailed back.�

Abraxas arrived last.

It was clear that he was still in a rather irate state, and that it was merely
a subdued one now.

Septimus was back first.�
He glided over calmly and returned to his place as if nothing at all was
amis.� He did not even spare her a glance as they
sat in silence.��

Tom had rested his head back on the leather of the chair and was holding her
with an expression of relaxed contentment.�
Every so often his fingertips would brush down her arm or scrunch her
hair.�� Once he turned and pressed a
light kiss to the corner of her mouth.

The quiet illusion of peace was shattered when Sorrenson
returned, clattered across the floor and threw himself down on his knees before
Tom�s chair.

�PLEASE!!!� PLEASE MY LORD � DON�T TAKE HER AWAY!!� WHAT DID I DO WRONG?!�� I�M SORRY!!!�
I WON�T DO IT AGAIN.� PLEASE.�

Tom
opened his now mildly irritated eyes and frowned down at the boy almost
prostrate before him.

�Pull
yourself together.� Get up� he spat.�

Sorry did not move to comply.� If
anything he wriggled closer.�

When he reached for the hem of Tom�s robes and pressed them to his lips, Tom,
apparently having had enough of this, gave him a kick, sending him scuffing
backward on the stone floor.�

It was in
that moment that Abraxas happened to
return.�

He paused
in the doorway, seeming to take in everything that was going on.� �When
he walked over to them, it was with a heavy step.� Ignoring the earlier directive he dropped
down onto the sofa next to Septimus.�

Quite close to Septimus,
actually, she noticed.

�We�ll go
mad..� was his only remark, expressed in a voice that
was weary and resigned.

Tom rolled
his eyes.�

�The others seem to be in perfect health.�
You will manage, Abraxas�

Septimus didn�t speak but his eyes narrowed upon his
master.

�What
does he mean?� came sorry�s plaintive voice from the
ground.� �Why will we
go mad?!� Brax?� What�s going on?!�

The blond sniffed humourlessly and looked away.�
Septimus too refused to meet his eyes.

�What do
they know that I don�t?!� he said, turning to Tom now.� �Why should we go mad?!� I admit..the idea of
... of ...things going back to how they were before... I can�t..even think of
it..� I.. can�t..
Don�t take her away again, my Lord..

Will we really go mad?!�� What is going
on?!�
WHY are you doing this?!� Did one of us do something?!�

�No.� Tom
said like the slamming of leaden doors.

�You will not go mad.� Abraxas is being
his typical melodramatic self, Sorrenson.� Pay him no mind.� He is merely..sour.�

�I want
to study the effect�

Septimus looked deeply pensive.�

�I would like the opportunity to study whatever it is... this..
influence
she exerts upon others.� Perhaps if I can
discover its medium, I can devise some form of block.� Or a counteragent.�

Hermione
shifted uneasily.� She didn�t want.. couldn�t have any one studying her too closely.. at
least not one who didn�t know what she was.�
And Abraxas had already proven dangerously curious before.

�No.� Look.. Tom.. surely-�

He interrupted her coldly.� �No Maia.�
They will not touch you again.� I
do not wish to hear you attempt to persuade me to allow you to lie with other
men again.� You are mine. �This little ..experiment.. is concluded.�

�Septimus..at present I am...
disinclined... to allow you to study her for�
any phantom �effect�.� I
understand that you would use this as an excuse to be close to her.� I think we shall simply allow things to subside
naturally.�

You may examine your �effects� upon yourself and your two..close
friends.. if you would, but you will not approach her
for any form of test.� You will not
question her-� he yawned expansively, covering his
mouth with the back of his hand �-you will, for the moment, not speak with her overmuch... and you will certainly not touch her.�

I warn you.. the punishment
for disregarding my wishes in this matter will be immediate and painful.�

He turned
to her and tilted his head, as if trying to understand yet again what it was
about her that was so compelling.

�I am
through discussing this.� Abraxas.. I apologise for the public slight to your wooing
abilities.� Other matters forced me to
pursue this course rather more abruptly than I had intended.�

Abraxas
shrugged glumly.

It appeared in light of the scope of the actual situation � (i.e that he would no longer be allowed to enjoy her
privately.. that he would barely be permitted to interact with her at all) � that his concern
for publicly losing her on his arm had dwindled.

�Very well.� If this
issue is now resolved I believe we shall leave you and depart for bed.�

If this
caused the other three to startle and wonder, then it didn�t concern Tom
sufficiently to delay their exit.�� He held
her hand tightly and drew her down the dungeon corridors silently to the
Slytherin shield.�

She sighed, disappointed.� The way he had
said it in the Knights chamber she had thought he meant..together.�

He led
her in, eyes scanning the little snakes present in the common room, before
turning and walking her down to the girls
dormitories.�

�Wait here.� he commanded quietly and let himself into her dormroom,
closing the door behind him.

He was gone for quite a while.�

She wished she had a pair of the Weasley twins� extendible ears.

Just as she was weighing up the possible merit of creeping forward and placing
her ear on the door, it opened and he returned, looking rather displeased.� He spared her a glance, his hard gaze softening
momentarily, before he stalked down the corridor pensively.� She followed after.

He came
to another door and, knocking briskly, slipped inside.

He was
gone even longer this time.�

A girl
emerged from the room.�

She looked...happy.�

She looked bloody delighted in
fact.� Hermione frowned uneasily.� What exactly did Tom do to make this..rather pretty.. girl looks so deliriously
pleased?!

She felt a little shard of black angry fear twist deep inside

His face
appeared at the door and her fears subsided.

He was wearing that chilly triumphant smirk.�
Whatever he�d done to make the girl smile like that, he had probably
used his wand and not...anything else.

The girl
walked past her with barely a curious glance and then let herself into Hermione�s
dormroom.

�You can
come in now� he smiled at her smugly.�

She raised an eyebrow.�

The room, as it turned out, was a single.�

Her trunk was sitting at the foot of the freshly made bed.� There was nothing else in the room to suggest
anyone else had ever resided within.

�Melissande experienced the sudden wish to dwell with
others, it seems� he stated neutrally.� �I
am certain that the other students waiting on single rooms will be pleased to
allow you to take hers, in light of your terrible nightmares about Grindelwald�s soldiers.�

She bit
the inside of her cheek, torn between wanting to be excited and grateful and
leap on him in thanks for saving her from her loathsome dormroom.. and demanding to know what
exactly he just did and why the hell he hadn�t done it in the beginning.

She went
with the second option.

He rolled
his eyes and turned away.

�I admit - I ..expected.. that
you would be rather more appreciative, Maia.�

�In the
beginning I did not realise that your flatmates would be quite this
difficult.�

I also did not intend to have you in my room every night-��

She gasped and now she did jump
forward to wrap her arms around him.� He
stood stiffly, apparently still irritated at her previous sharp tone, but he
allowed her to cling to him.

�- however as I now do plan to keep
you with me as much as possible.. it
has become necessary to ensure that your absence will not be noticed too often.� In addition... performing an advanced memory charm
upon a student was a risk I was then
less than eager to take lightly... However after..yesterday..I
believe I am prepared to risk it.�

He finally enfolded his arms around her in return.

�I will
leave you here now to settle in.� You
will disillusion yourself and come to my room at eleven pm.� I should be finished with my patrol by then.�

Hermione
nodded against him.�

It was a worrying thing that Tom truly did
seem to intend to have her with him each night as he�d said sometime in the
small hours of the morning last night.�

This was.. foolish.�

But she
would be able to sleep next to him again.�

She had gotten used to his warm strong body beside her..
the faint alluring scent of his skin around her.. his lips and his soft morning voice.� The nights where she had to stay in her dormroom without him were horrible.� And after the weekend..
when he had been there constantly..� after last night.. and today...

How could
she possibly refuse?!

��

Author note.

Review replies can be found at
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/18725-review-replies/
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Precious Mudblood