Hermione was a First Year student when she met Tom Riddle. It was the night she arrived at Hogwarts, inside the Great Hall that was filled with students and staff. She noticed his shiny Head Boy badge pinned on the chest of his robes as she took her seat on the Slytherin table after the Sorting Hat chose her fate.
Tom was the first to greet all the new Slytherin students to the best House, as he called it. Suddenly, she felt proud to be a Slytherin and didn't care about the rumours that surrounded the House. It was infamous for all the wrongdoings of its past students and Head of the House.
1 September was her new favourite day of the year. She remembered the way his voice carried through the crowded room and how their peers listened to him, including her.
Like many others, she fancied him and was quite smitten with the Head Boy, who drew everyone's attention and enjoyed every second of it. But she never dared to speak to him unless he came to her first, which rarely happened. He was constantly surrounded by the older students, who practically threw themselves at him.
After he graduated from Hogwarts, she never saw him again in the halls and always wondered about him. She knew that he would be a great Wizard and perhaps a high ranking employee at the Ministry of Magic. Or maybe become the Minister for Magic in a decade or two. It wouldn't surprise her.
Every so often, she thought about him as she walked through the halls of Hogwarts or as she was sat in class. Professors constantly mentioned him and how great he was in the subject they were teaching. She hoped that she could be like him. She worked hard on every subject and passed with top ranks in every class.
Her future seemed bright after graduating from Hogwarts with top marks and full recommendations from her Professors. It was all thanks to Tom Riddle and the impression he made on her. Though he probably forgot she existed. She was merely a First Year student eager to learn more about magic.
It wasn't until her wedding day, she saw him sitting in one of the chairs on the groom's side. She hadn't seen his name on the guest list, and later learned he changed it to Lord Voldemort. She reverted to her student days and stared at him in awe, as she did when they were all sat in the Common Room of the Slytherin House.
Somehow, she was forced into marriage with Abraxas Malfoy, a former lover that didn't last long enough to call a relationship, who she knew was unfaithful since the day their engagement was announced unexpectedly by her mother and father. She didn't care where he stuck his cock as long as it wasn't inside her. He was the last person she wanted to be intimate with, let alone share a bed with.
Hermione soon learned that her parents received an extraordinary sum of riches, which they needed after her father's business nearly went bankrupt. She had a feeling that he was to blame for her family's unfortunate circumstances. What was once a thriving business in the Wizarding World suddenly came crashing down in a matter of days, when it took years to build.
The marriage contract bonded Hermione to her husband for a decade. She was not to mention the contract to anyone, if she wanted to keep her family safe and alive.
Her parents cried at her wedding and could barely look her in the eyes after giving her away to a family who didn't deserve her. She was one of the smartest Witch in her class and was destined for greatness, only to have it taken away so carelessly. What should have been the happiest day of her life, felt like the worst, and it was just the beginning of her imprisonment.
Hermione played the role of Lady Malfoy beside her husband, who socialized quite often within the circle of the Ministry of Magic. Abraxas Malfoy was quite influential and with one of the brightest witch to have attended Hogwarts as his wife, they were a powerful and unstoppable couple. But unlike her husband, she hated it with every fibre of her being as she faked the smiles at every event they attended together. It wore on her every time she forced herself to be happy in front of many.
One night, she excused herself from the party to stand in the balcony to catch her breath. The full moon was shining down brightly as she stared up at the night sky.
"You were meant for greatness, not just some accessory on her husband's arm." His whisper sent a chill down her spine. His breath was warm against the nape of her neck.
She knew the voice well, even if it had been almost a decade since she last heard it. There was a richness and maturity that came with time.
Hermione spun on her heels to face him, only to be met by the open door and the party she left. It was as if he was never there, but she could still feel his presence and sense his eyes watching her from afar.
Since then, she worked on her Magic and read everything she could in her husband's library. There was so much she had forgotten and missed how her wand felt in her hand.
One day an unexpected guest arrived whilst her husband was away, surprising herself and the house-elf, Harper. He looked just as handsome as he did on her wedding day.
She stood with her hand clutching the gold doorknob. "Lord Voldemort, I am afraid my husband is currently away."
"I am fully aware of his absence. May I come in?"
Hermione blushed at her mistake. "Yes, of course. Please come inside." She opened the door wider for the guest. "Right this way, Lord Voldemort," said Hermione and led him inside the dim entryway. "Harper, please bring tea and biscuits inside the lounge area."
The house-elf quickly disappeared to the kitchen, leaving Lady Malfoy and Lord Voldemort.