A Deeper Connection: A New Beginning

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When the Dark Lord's crimson eyes flickered open on September 1st after a restful night of sleep, his fingers automatically gliding through the thick raven locks of his Equal, who was quietly snoring by his side, he could not help but muse how quickly the last month had passed, his lips curling into a devious smile.

The reason for his amusement was currently located a couple of doors further down the corridor, already wide awake for a few hours, devouring yet another book, the way her magic was swirling around her like a swarm of aggravated bees thirsting for knowledge.

Chuckling to himself, the Dark Lord closed his eyes, letting himself sink back into the softness of the pillow, his fingers continuing to navigate their way through the velvety locks of his Equal while letting his thoughts drift back on the events of the past month.

Given that he had got to know the witch over the past year without her being aware of the fact, he had half expected her to shy away from him the way she had tried to push away her true family heritage. When Hermione had been sitting at the breakfast table, staring at him with a mixture of defiance and curiosity silently trying to suppress her fears, Tom had known that her thirst for knowledge had won the battle raging inside her. Daring her to ask the first question, the Dark Lord had raised a single eyebrow while his Equal had quietly chuckled by his side, mentally counting down the seconds until Hermione would open her mouth.

In the end, it had taken about three seconds.

Afterwards, there had been no way of stopping her as Hermione did everything in her power to make the best of the concession, she had been given in turn for swearing a Vow of Secrecy. The more questions she asked, the bolder her words got, not that the Dark Lord minded. He, too, never sugar-coated his words, never veiled his words in lies. Furthermore, it was simply wonderful seeing her slowly turning into the Witch she was one day destined to be.

While he did not answer every question, he saw the respect for the Dark Lord sprouting within her before slowly starting to blossom. While it was nowhere near her ultimate trust for Harry, there was potential, especially the way her self-esteem was growing, not just the survivor who had hidden behind her best and only weapon – her knowledge.

Still, the questions were by far not the only source of her transformation.

A few days after the first breakfast with the Dark Lord at Spinner's End, Hermione had stepped out of the fireplace, almost gracefully at that, much to the annoyance of his Equal, a wide grin etched onto her face as she returned from her first visit to Lestrange Manor.

Given her enthusiastic recount of the day and the later exchange with her grandfather, it was not hard to conclude that the first meeting with her uncles had gone well. According to Corvus, Hermione and Rabastan had hit it off immediately, like two moths endlessly circling the same flame, their insatiable thirst for knowledge serving as a bridge between them.

Unsurprisingly, Rodolphus had been a bit more reserved than his younger brother, having always been a lot more wary and mistrustful than the outgoing Rabastan with all his natural charm. Thankfully, that trait of the younger Lestrange twin had not been lost to the Dementors and the freezing waves of the North Sea. Despite the differences in character of the twins, it was more than clear that both equally adored their niece ever since the first time Hermione had visited Lestrange Manor, although they displayed their affection quite differently.

Over the next few days, Hermione's days had alternated between Spinner's End, grilling the Dark Lord and his Equal with a never-ending stream of questions, and the Manor of her ancestors.

This rhythm had however changed about a week after her departure from the Muggle world.

Slightly unsure, she had been standing by her grandfather's side in the large duelling hall of Malfoy Manor, awkwardly fumbling with the hem of her new duelling robes while the large room had slowly started to fill up.