The Dark Lord's Playbook of Nefarious Misdeeds

THERE IS A MONSTER IN US ALL

A/N: God damn this chapter was laborious because I rewrote it a few times trying to get it to the point that I was happy with it. I don't know if I am completely happy with it, but this was as good as I was going to get it. I have the flu at the moment. Being sick sucks! I am mostly doing Hermione's POV rather than Tom's, partly because I wanted a purely Hermione perspective of Tom/Lord Voldemort and I am not sure I could pull off the inner workings of a more murdery Tom. Let me know what you think love it or hate it. 

THERE IS A MONSTER IN US ALL

After waking up in Voldemort's bed I isolated myself. It started to sink in everything that had happened in roughly the last 24 hours. Getting sent back in time, running off, getting stuck in a brothel, the attempted rape and Voldemort saving me.

It all hit me at once. This wasn't a dream or even a nightmare - this was real. This was my life until we figure things out. It's like my brain was taking events in but not really processing what was going on. I guess part of me was in denial- hoping all of this would magically disappear. I wanted this to be an hallucination.

Two weeks.

Two weeks have passed since the Druary Lane incident. Voldemort or Tom I guess has left me to my own devices. For which I'm glad not that I expected us to have sleepovers and braid each other's hair. While I am grateful for him saving me, I need to remember that he still is the Dark Lord regardless of the truce we seem to be having. A wolf in sheep's clothing nothing he does is without careful calculation. He is the only other person that I know to have a voracious appetite for learning that I do. I often wondered through school what the world have been like if he hadn't gone all dark side.

I have grieved and I have cried for the death of my old life. I know it seems a little pre-emptive to go down that road of great pessimism, but I feel I need to be prepared for that very real possibility and not blindsided by it. Or have my hopes completely crushed if Voldemort doesn't have a solution to this predicament. We are both the smartest of our generation so we should be able to do something. I snort with a fresh batch of hot tears rolling down my cheeks, we may be smart but smart enough to work out how to travel forward in time? This isn't a fantasy sci-fi movie.

I roll over intent on snuggling into the warm covers and cocoon myself for one more day. There's a knock at the door, I know it's him outside waiting for me to come out as usual. I'm surprised that he has respected my privacy and not just barged into the room and dragged me out, like some naughty child. I know I'm being a little petulant, but I think I am entitled to after everything I have been through.

"Miss Granger, food and fresh water for you to bathe", and he walks away anticipating that I am not going to respond. He started doing this mother hen rendition after I didn't leave the room for two whole days. I sulkily stare at the door, knowing I need to get up and face this. Harry would be ashamed of how I am behaving, hiding away. Instead he would have been out there already challenging Voldemort to find a solution.

An hour later I am freshly washed and have eaten what Voldemort left at my door. I feel semi human at least. My eyes are still rimmed red and my cheeks a little puffy, but that will go away in a couple of hours. I feel like getting out of the house after being cooped up in here for two weeks, my own personal exile. I descend the stairs careful not to slip on the well-worn wood. I doubt Voldemort would be impressed by me if I died by falling down the stairs. He would probably bring me back to life just to lecture me on the stupidity of today's youth and then kill me again. I get to the bottom and there is no movement downstairs, I wonder if Voldemort has gone out. I hadn't really thought about what he did with his days, probably nefarious plots and scheming? What else did bad guys do with their time other than planning evil deeds?