Hermione Riddle

Chapter 12

Hermione and Harry found Professor Snape soon, they were down in the kitchens waiting for something deliciously sweet smelling to come out of the oven. Severus had on a working apron and Tom was glaring at him, standing rather close.

"What the fuck Snape, why was she in that bed with you?" Tom sneered at him and Severus snarled back. "Tell me, or I will cause you more pain then you have ever felt." Tom pressed his wand into Severus' throat and Hermione looked at Harry, shaking her head; trying her best to let him know to stay quiet.

"I will not betray her confidence, I'm sorry Tom. Enough with your bravado." He pushed the wand away from his throat. "She can tell you when she gets here if she so pleases, now move before you burn my baking." He pushed Tom out of the way and Hermione leapt forward, letting her human form swallow her up.

"Tom! Leave him be." She quickly put her hand on his wand hand as he saw him begin to raise it. "He was nothing but courteous and a gentleman yesterday evening. I had a slight break down over everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours and he helped me calm down." Harry transformed back as well and could see the fire in Hermione's eyes. He wanted to know what was going on and what Hermione and Tom were talking about. Why was Hermione in a bed with Snape last night? Maybe that was all it was, suddenly realizing everything around you was a lie had set her into a meltdown. It was highly likely.

"You will not hurt him, or I will most definitely curse you. You won't even know what happen, and when I am done, I will disappear until I have the power to take down both you and Albus." She spat out and Harry realized how scary Hermione could actually be. He tried to hide his gasp as her eyes bled into gold as she snarled like an animal at Tom.

"You are lucky you are my daughter and I do not hex you for the way you just spoke to me." Tom put his wand up and smirked at his daughter. She was right scary when she wanted to be, he was sure the black sisters would make fast friends in his daughter. Severus came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, my dear. Now, both of you, out of my kitchen before my cake and sauce are ruined and I transfigured you both into something equally embarrassing." He shooed them off and they both turned at the sound of Harry passing out cold on the floor of the kitchen. "Very elegant, Potter." Severus sneered and Hermione swatted him on the arm. Tom chuckled and transfigured a chair into a cot, moving the boy onto it with his wand.

"Let him sleep off his shock and continue on your dessert." Tom took a seat and Hermione noticed that he did it with such elegance that she wished she had an ounce of it and was not as bookish as she was. Tom as if he sensed what she was thinking scoffed. "I am sure that Cissy and Bella will train you well, in proper social theatrics soon, my daughter." Tom was a glad that Hermione had taken to being his daughter well, she had his fire, but he was wondering what other traits she had garnered from himself. Other than the most obvious. He would send a blood sample to Gringotts and have the goblins search for her birth mother.

"Harry and I were coming down here to tell you we need to go to Gringotts. We both need to have purges done on our system, and check for any sort of potions or spells. We think Dumbledore may have use compulsion charms on us. I know there is a stong hate charm on Harry towards Severus, but I was able to remove that. I could not do much more, and I did some research, oh don't give me that look Severus Snape!" She admonished with a huff and went back to explaining. "As I was saying, I think he may have tied the compulsions to his magical core. Hell, we both may even have suppressors on our magic and cores as well. I can feel it sometimes. I can feel my magic attempting to surge, but almost falling short, or tapering off. It feels unnatural." She shook her head as it began to hurt and Severus looked at her with thinly veiled confusion.

"Hermione?" He grabbed her to him as she clutched her head in pain. "Hermione quit trying to think about it, calm down, just know it will all be alright soon." She started thrashing in his arms and he quickly waved his hand over her forehead. "Don't worry, it is merely a calming sleep spell. She will wake with a simple rennervate. If I didn't do it, the spells that have been bound to her could have ripped apart her mind. I needed to relax her mind." He picked her up in his arms and pointed to Potter. "We need to move them now. This isn't a game anymore, this could kill one of them, and they are barely above legal age. Actually, I think Hermione is, but not Potter." At Tom's look of confusion he sighed. "Her use of a time turner and a late birthday meant she was always the eldest in her class. We will discuss the time turner use at a later date, we need to take them to Gringotts now, before one of them is badly hurt." Severus twisted away with a faint swishing noise and Tom lifted Harry into his arms doing much the same.