This is my entry to Tomione Fest 207-2018

It came in runner-up for best angst (beautiful disaster)

I would like to thank Maloriety, Krystyna and Sorcress KL for helping me, you ladies are awesome!

There is a LOT of angst in this story, along with sex and torture. Read at your own discrestion! The pairing is Tom Riddle and Hermione Granger, if you don"t like that pairing do not read this story.

As always: A friendly reminder I am not JK Rowling I do not own Harry Potter and I make absolutely nothing from this story.

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it!

Arendora

Darkness, damp and musty, the smell of death was everywhere. The giant mausoleum loomed, offending and imposing in the distance. Dark clouds and lightning could be seen as Hermione Granger and Harry Potter sank into the shadows, creeping closer to the structure that would decide their fates or doom them in the process.

A streak of white hair entered the chamber, and along with the imposing figure of Severus Snape, followed the pair that had already entered.

"It's time, Hermione," Harry whispered. "Where the bloody hell is Ron? He was supposed to be by the door as a lookout."

"He must have followed the others inside, Harry. The other Order members will be here shortly. Please behave and do not antagonize Malfoy. We have one shot, and one shot only, to make this work tonight. The 72 hours are up in one hour and then who knows how long we have until we are surrounded by Death Eaters."

Sticking to the shadows of the aged cemetery, Harry and Hermione made their way to the door of the old, but prestigious, crypt in the middle of Little Hangleton. Harry himself hated the sight of it, the place where Voldemort came back from the brink of death, the place where Cedric Diggory had been murdered in cold blood by the very monster whose Muggle father and ancestors were laid to rest inside. A cold shiver raced down Harry's spine as he recalled that ill-fated evening that seemed a lifetime ago, yet had only been three years.

Hermione held on to Harry's hand tightly, pulling him away from the self-deprecating voice inside of his head, reminding him of the task that needed to be done.

The smell of death and decay was strong, stale and reeking and nearly suffocating, as they walked quickly to the door of the ancient crypt. The duo slipped through to the musty chamber where the binding ritual would take place.

Many faces greeted them when they finally arrived; members of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as those who were fighting alongside them but could not publicly do so without giving away their status as spies.

Severus Snape, and Lucius and Draco Malfoy stood still as statues in the corner trying to blend in with the stone walls surrounding them. Draco was fidgeting with the buttons on his robe while Severus stood with a scowl and Lucius merely looked bored.The atmosphere was grave indeed, as all of the Order members eyed the three Death Eaters with barely contained suspicion and fury.

"What are they doing here?" Someone spoke through the crowd although Hermione had no clue who it was.

"They are here because I asked them to be here, Cormac. If you have a problem with it, you know where the door is!" Harry said through gritted teeth. "For those of you who wish to help, listen up! Hermione, Ron and I have been on the hunt for months trying to destroy some very Dark magic that You Know Who created. It has practically made him immortal. With the help of the Malfoys and Professor Snape, we have found a way to reverse it, but it is going to take all the magic we can muster together to accomplish this. We have one hour and one chance, because the moment it starts working we are going to be surrounded. I need seven volunteers to create the strongest shield you can,and at least ten people who are willing to fight while we perform the ritual. If anyone wishes to leave, do so now. We start in about two minutes and then there is no leaving."

Harry looked through the crowd of nearly thirty people and sighed with relief when no one chose to flee. He turned his attention to the three Death Eaters, who were all staring at him, waiting for the signal as to what they must do. Harry nodded and turned back to the crowd.

"Well, George and I can help with the shield," Fred said. "We also brought a few things that might help, such as Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and Decoy Detonators." George nodded at what his twin told Harry.

"Fleur and I can help with that," Bill replied thoughtfully.

"Us too!" Seamus, Dean and Neville said together.

"They will not be able to get in with all of us guarding you," George finally spoke up

"Good. You lot position yourselves around the crypt."

"Who volunteers to fight while we perform this?" Hermione asked. "Keep in mind this ritual takes about thirty minutes to complete, so you will have to keep them at bay for at least that long."

Everyone else in the Order volunteered to fight to keep the trio safe.

"Luna, Ginny—I will need you saying the incantation as we perform the ritual, alright?" Hermione asked her two closest girlfriends.

"Of course, Hermione." Ginny readily agreed, while Luna simply nodded.

Ron finished laying the white pillar candles along the circle that had already been drawn in the middle of the crypt. The seven shield bearers cast their spells as the rest filed out the door into the silent graveyard, ready to fight.

Severus, Lucius and Draco made their way to the center of the circle. Each took off their robes and rolled up the sleeves on their left forearms, revealing the ugly, dark tattoo embedded into their skins. The Dark Mark, the horrible binding Dark magic that would ultimately be the catalyst in this ritual, stood out gruesome and beautiful against their pale skins. Hermione did not want to look at them, but she seemed unable to tear her eyes away. The Dark magic sang to her, mesmerizing and terrible in its symphony. Harry put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. He looked worried. There was no guarantee this would work, but it was the best they could do with what little they had.

Hermione nodded her head once and turned to face her two best friends. "Are you ready?" she asked quietly.

"No, but it must be done so let's get to it," Harry whispered back.

"Right, let's get this done - this place is creepy," Ron muttered, shivering in the cold, damp air that surrounded them.

"Harry, stand in the middle. Professor Snape, Mr. Malfoy and Draco, clasp your left arms around Harry. Ron, you light the candles, and when I start the chant, you lay the objects around the circle. Ginny, Luna, here is the incantation. When I pause, read it."

Each nodded at Hermione. She took off her cloak to reveal a very long, white gown that was practically see-through. She unbound her hair and placed a wreath made of hawthorn, with a phoenix feather entwined within it, atop her hair. She removed her shoes and socks and stepped closer to the circle of people staring at her with barely-concealed lust.

"Yes, I am a woman, honestly! You people never pay attention." She huffed, annoyed by the openly lascivious looks she earned.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell began to chime, indicating the time had come to start the ritual. Ron hurriedly began to light the candles surrounding the circle as Hermione began to chant. "Fire, mediator between this world and the Veil! Help us, oh ancestors, help us to find these evils, this abomination against you. You are in the water that runs, in the trees, the rocks, the earth, and in ourselves. You are the purest form of energy. You are the rising force that makes us do, see, feel, love, and hate.You are great power, both outside of us and within us. Oh, great fire, ignite in our souls the passion and stamina to keep going, even when the urge to stop is too great to bear. Evoke these emotions within Tom Riddle. Help him to feel the pain and heartbreak he himself has evoked in each of us."

Ron laid down the locket beside the first candle.

Pariter dissipatus est melius exercere queunt septem totum spiritum deperditi in tenebris...

A voice that no one but Hermione could hear began to chant in Latin. The eerie sound seemed to calm Hermione more than frighten her. She knew who it was chanting with them,although she would never reveal what she had done to receive such help from beyond the Veil. If she did, Harry would stop her. But if Harry was their only hope to kill that maniac, then she would gladly sacrifice herself a thousand times to do so.

The sound of Apparation could be heard like thunder outside of the crypt and the enraged voice of Lord Voldemort above it all. Spell after spell, curse after curse, was raining down outside as Hermione tried to speed up the remaining parts of the ritual.

"Water, pure and fluid, calm and violent, bring cleansing, reconciliation, purification, and peacemaking.I beseech you to open an opportunity to be cleansed of Dark energies that are detrimental to us, your servants. Expel evil, open our psyches to healing and living as peaceful beings in this world of chaos. Water, we are in crisis! You are the medicine which aids in binding those whom have defiled you. You are the magic, wild and free, that binds us together. Flow through us, oh water, manifest in us power beyond comprehension, power to bring Tom Riddle to his knees and heal that which is broken within him."

Ron laid down Helga Hufflepuff's Cup next to the second candle.

Pariter dissipatus est melius exercere queunt septem totum spiritum deperditi in tenebris...

The shield shook violently as Voldemort began attacking it with renewed fury.

"Earth, the mother who is inviting us to come home, provide us a sense of belonging, a remembrance of home, of memories past and present. Help us to experience being grounded in you. Earth is where we belong. She gives us sustenance unconditionally and makes it possible for us to feel connected through the magic that flows through us. You heal us when we need you and we return to you when we perish. You make us powerful and strong, and you alone select who will be your champion. I beseech you to select us, on your behalf, to champion against Tom Riddle who uses your power for evil."

Ron laid down the broken diary next to the third candle.

An ear-splitting scream sounded from beyond the shield, and Harry fell to his knees holding onto the scar on his forehead. A black tar-like substance was leaking down his face, pooling onto the floor inside the circle. Severus, Lucius and Draco were barely standing as the magic from their cursed tattoos gathered all of the evil energy around them.

Pariter dissipatus est melius exercere queunt septem totum spiritum deperditi in tenebris...

"Bones, speak to our bodies, help us remember who we are and why we are here. Help us begin to unlock the mysteries that we carry in our bodies, in the very structure of who we are. Awaken our awareness to the purpose we have come to fulfill. energetically inscribe in our bones and translate to us the message engraved inside of us. Align who we are. Dispel the doubt and fear within us. Revive in us the enthusiasm about our purpose and fill the inner emptiness. Oh, bones, invite us to remember, through this ritual, who we are and why we are here. Help us to stand against Tom Riddle, even when he is human again."

Ron shakily laid down the Gaunt ring beside the fourth candle.

Harry was screaming in agony, his face was ashen and his glasses had been flung across the floor. He held his head in his hands as the Horcrux inside of him began to actively pour from the cursed scar.

"Make it stop!" he screamed louder.

Hermione was crying now, yet despite the agony she was putting her best friend through, she needed to get this over and done with quickly.

Pariter dissipatus est melius exercere queunt septem totum spiritum deperditi in tenebris...

"Nature, open us to transformation, in order to realize our purpose. It is the element of ongoing change. Reveal, heal and reinstate our own innermost nature. Help us to remain focused on our true purpose. We are often neglectful of the extent and intimacy of your connection within us, especially in your plants and animals. We act proud and dominant against them and think we can, and should, manifest our superiority in ways that are careless and devastating to you. Trees and animals live in harmony, and yet we create dissonance. Even so, we want to live in a world where everyone and everything is harmoniously linked to everyone and everything else. You are the definition of ongoing change. Oh, great Earth! Link us to all other elements. Help us control the fire, help us manage the water, ground us to the earth where we came from, and help us hear what our bones are speaking to us. Effect in us the change we need to bind these abominations, these Horcruxes Tom Riddle has carelessly created, back into the body in which it came!"

Pariter dissipatus est melius exercere queunt septem totum spiritum deperditi in tenebris...

BOOM!

The deafening sound brought everyone to their knees as the Dark pieces of Voldemort's soul gathered together inside the circle. The three Death Eaters, unable to break free of the circle, were cursing and screaming at the dark energy surrounding them- but it still wasn't enough energy. Hermione already prepared for everything going wrong, knew in an instant it wasn't enough.

Hermione stepped inside of the circle, withdrew a dagger and sliced her palm, allowing her blood to pool with the Dark energy swirling like a suffocating mass. "HERMIONE, NO!" someone shouted. But all she could hear was that voice in her head screaming, its fury emanating through her skull, manifesting pain in every part of her body. She felt as if she were being ripped in two - and then all went black.

Outside, all fighting had come to a halt the moment Voldemort began to scream. His skin was morphing into flesh instead of scales, his hair was coming back, along with his nose. His features were beginning to resemble those which he had possessed in his early twenties. The resounding boom and the slamming of his soul back into his chest knocked him back a few steps and the agony grew exponentially. He kneeled, panting, for a few moments, his mind trying to regain focus. His heart was slamming violently against his chest and he was disoriented.

This did not last long, as the rage he had felt before was nothing compared to what it was now. Voldemort stood and faced the door once more. The shocked expressions of everyone around him only fueled his temper further. With one violent wave of his wand, he broke the barrier that had prevented him from entering and he stepped inside the crypt that held the bones of his filthy Muggle ancestors.

The scene before him was enough to make him feel murderous. Three of his most loyal followers were piled in a heap against the ancient stone wall. There were seven individuals passed out across the floor. Harry Potter and his redheaded sidekick, the Weasley blood traitor, were standing over a young woman, dressed in a white gown with a crown of hawthorn laid upon her mass of unruly curls. He could only assume this was Potter's Mudblood bitch. She was glowing, her hair crackling with unspent magical energy.

For some reason, he was drawn to the witch like a moth to a flame. With a sweep of his hand, he threw Potter and Weasley aside and bent to pick the girl up from the dirty stone floor.

Hermione's hair was crackling, her skin was cool to the touch, and her unused magical energy began to swirl around him. It felt like glass shards hitting him from all angles. He hissed at the unpleasant sensation but still turned to walk with her outside of the crypt. The fighting had resumed by the time he emerged with the woman in his arms, but he paid no mind to it. He walked a few feet and disappeared into the night with the new bane of his existence.

Oh, that Mudblood bitch was going to pay. Slowly, and painfully, she was going to pay.