A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter then the others, but I wanted to makes sure I ended it at a place where it could easily be picked up in the next chapter without one being too long or too short.

I also want to say that you for all the reviews and followers that have liked this story. It means a lot that you guys take the time to leave a note about the story and it pushes me to type faster and be better. I wouldn't have gotten as far into this story without your encouragement, so thank you!

Chapter 25

They both sprung apart by a noise over at the portrait hole. Marlene was climbing through and not trying in the least to be quiet. But hey, who would still be awake after midnight?

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Lovely party Sirius, as always. Anyway, I'm beat. Coming up Hermione?" Marlene chattered as she moved up the staircase. Hermione's brow rose as Marlene moved closer and she was able to make out the thoroughly disheveled appearance of her roommate.

"Uh, yeah. Just a moment," Hermione said. Marlene had just managed to make it up the stair when Hermione burst out laughing.

"Well, that not quite the reaction I had been hoping for," Sirius muttered. This only made Hermione laugh harder. She clutched her stomach with one hand and had onto the railing of the stairs with the other. Sirius was looking down at her like she was a complete nutter, and part of her felt like she was.

Never in her most outlandish dreams would she imagine that she would end up back in time, kissing Sirius Black who just happens to be her best friends godfather, in an empty common room only to be interrupted by his former uh… intimate-partner-lover-person. On top of that, she had just been in a similar situation a few hours ago with a handsome Hogwarts graduate. It's a lot to compartmentalize.

"I'm sorry," she managed to wheeze out. "It's not you."

"Well that makes me feel better," Sirius said with an eye roll.

"No, it's just been a night," Hermione said. She started to calm down and the words just began to fall out. "I met – uh… people at work that that threw me. Then the party and the sword fight and you and the kiss and Benjy-," she stopped suddenly, because she definitely didn't mean for that to come out.

"Oh, so I kiss you and all you can do is laugh and think about is him," he said angrily. His eyes locked onto hers, and where they had been a dark but warm grey, they were now a steely and hard- almost silver. She could see the muscle in his jaws tightening in constrained anger.

"No, I didn't mean the kiss with Benjy-," Hermione started, but her eyes went wide at the reaction elicited from Sirius. Dear Godric, could she put her jam her foot any further into her mouth?

"So, you mean before our kiss you were out snogging that tosser," Sirius yelled as he turned and started walking up the stairs.

"I didn't kiss him! If you'd just let me explain," Hermione attempted to follow him up the stairs, but with him longer legs and his agility from years of playing Quidditch she was quite outmatched. She hears the door to the room slam before she reached half way.

What had happened? She looked down at her watch- five minutes ago she had been kissing Sirius, and now he's locked himself in his dorm angry at her.

Sighing to herself, Hermione trudged up the stairs to her dorm for some sleep.

The next morning Hermione woke up from a very restless sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night, her brain not able to shut off despite how tired her body was. Every thought imaginable passed through her head, and not all of them were pleasant. She thought back to her first time at Hogwarts- Quidditch matches, danger, classes, danger, friendships, and more danger. Everything in her first life had led to the Battle of Hogwarts. It was like a build up to it, everything they had learned and encountered. She thought about the way the battle ended and seeing all her loved ones surrounded by danger and death.

She recalled her conversation with Dumbledore's portrait, and how she was sent back here with a task. It was the end of November, and she had only acquired one Horcrux. She really needed to re-double her effort and focus on why she was here in the first place. The Marauders and the girls in her dorm had accepted her so quickly it was hard not to be caught up in her new life.

Hermione got up and looked around at the dorm. Empty. She looked at the time and flew into action. She had to work today, and she needed to be at the Three Broomsticks in under an hour. Cursing under her breath, she began hurrying around the room getting ready.

She had just emerged from the bathroom dressed for the day when a small brown owl soared in from the window and landed on Hermione's bed. She walked over to the owl, untied the letter, and gave the owl a treat from her bed-side table. The owl hooted and took the treat, before taking off. Hermione opened the letter-

Hermione,

I figured you might want the option of sleeping in today- I can almost guarantee that you didn't get much sleep last night.

Hermione snorted at this- she didn't know how right that sentence was.

I got Otto to come in for you today. Catch up on your homework and sleep and I'll see you in a few weeks for Christmas Holiday!

Love from,

Rosmerta

Hermione sighed in relief. This was much needed. This would give her a chance try and track down another Horcrux. This was the last one that she could probably reach on her own- the ring. She didn't have a way of destroying it but getting it would at least make her feel like she's achieved something.

Hermione tucked the note in her beaded bag and continued getting ready. When she was done she hurried out of the dorm. Hermione was going to pretend that she was late to work and hurry out of the castle. This would achieve two purposes. One, it would stop her from talking to anyone who might be mad at her, and it's a perfect cover so she could go on the hunt.

Racing down the stairs, she hurried through the common room and out through the portrait. She was lucky thus far that she hadn't been slowed down yet. Using her vast knowledge of the castle, she headed towards the Entrance Hall as quickly as she could. She had made it all the way down to the second floor before she was slowed down. Hermione had pulled back a tapestry to use the secret passage and ran into the Peter and Remus.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Remus asked jokingly.

"No fire, just late for work," Hermione lied.

"Bloody hell, you've work today?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, and I only just woke up- great way to start the day," Hermione explained her hurry.

"Well, don't let us stop you. Have a good day- will we see you later?" Remus asked.

"Erm, probably. I'll be back around nine I would guess," Hermione decided. She didn't like having to lie to Remus or Peter, they've been so wonderful to her since she arrived.

"So, I guess I'll be going," Hermione said as she awkwardly walked around them before sprinting away.

"Bye," Remus and Peter said to her retreating back.

After that run in, Hermione made it clear to the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds. She followed the path that lead to Hogsmeade but didn't go to the Three Broomsticks. She slipped behind Honeydukes into a back alley and Apparated away.

She reappeared in the village of Little Hangleton. She arrived behind a pub called the Hanged Man. Tucking her wand out of sight but still within reach, she wandered out into the street and started to take in her surroundings. The pub was a reminiscent of the Hogs Head. It had a vintage pub look to it, and the sign above the door showed a man being hung upside-down by one foot from a tree. Hermione shivered at the sight. It didn't look like the pub was open, as the lights were off, and she couldn't detect any movement from within the building.

Hermione hadn't ever been to the Gaunt shack, but Harry had described it from the memories he viewed in the pensive. She felt sure that she would recognize it when she saw it, but she didn't know directionally which way to go.

Looking around, she saw a large building sitting up on a hillside. Peaking her interest, Hermine headed that way.

It was chilly, as it was nearing December, and as Hermione walked she could see her breath. She passed little neighborhood that had children playing outside. It looked like at one point this had been a very nice place to live, but it had fallen on hard times and the homes were starting to look a little worn.

Hermione reached the bottom of the hill and saw a Church with a graveyard adjacent to it that was surrounded by a stone wall. She took in a shuddering breath and stopped short. Hermione looked at the sign at the entrance of the graveyard and she realized exactly where she was.

This was the cemetery where the Tri-Wizard Tournament Trophy/Portkey took Harry after he got to the center of the maze. This was the cemetery where Harry was stabbed and the traitor Wormtail lost his hand. This is where Cedric Diggory died. Where Lord Voldemort was reborn.

She took a shuddering breath and entered the graveyard. Hermione didn't know why she was interested in seeing this place- there was nothing good about it. The feeling of unease hung in the air, and it made the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stand up. Slowly, she walked along the rows of headstones, looking at the names that were carved into the stone. She saw a group of above ground mausoleums. She remembered Harry telling her about the stone carving of the Angle of Death that had magically held him captive while Wormtail set about bringing Voldemort back to body.

She didn't have to look long before she found what she was looking for. Sucking in a breath, she moved to stand in front of the grave. The large marble headstone read the names Thomas Riddle, Mary Riddle, and Tom Riddle Snr. Set atop was the Angel to death. The angel had a skeletal head and hands and was wielding a scythe.

"You know one of the Riddles, Miss?"

Hermione was knocked out of her thoughts by a voice behind her. She jumped at the sound, and spun around to see an older gentleman, maybe in his late fifties or early sixties. He was dressed warmly and carried a spade. On top of his head he wore a flat cap. The man was standing beside a large hole in the ground- it looked to Hermione as if he was digging a new grave.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you young Miss," the man said.

"It's…fine. I think it's something about being in a graveyard. Makes a person jumpy," Hermione replied.

"So, did you know the Riddles?" the man asked again.

"Erm… We have a mutual- acquaintance. I was passing through the area and I thought I would pay my respects," Hermione decided to tell the man.

"Ah, it's a right mystery what happened to them, sorry to say. Never did figure out who dun it," the man told her. He dug his spade into the ground.

"Oh, did you know them?" Hermione asked.

"Aye, I did. Weren't working for them long before they were killed," he said gruffly.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch you're name," Hermione said to the man.

"Frank Bryce, Miss. I take care of the grounds for the family," he said.

Hermione felt something itch in the back of her mind at the sound of his name, but she couldn't bring it to the forefront. Shaking off the feeling like she was missing something, Hermione decided to see if this man could be of some use to her.

"So, you must know the area pretty well," she assumed.

"I lived here my whole life, before an' after the war. I guess you could say that," he said as he scooped another pile of dirt out of the ground.

"Well, my- erm, acquaintance told me about this run-down shack in the area, where the owners like- nailed snakes to the door or something." Hermione said this trying to sound vaguely interesting.

"Oh, you're talking about old Marvolo's place. It's on the other side of the grounds, as you're heading out of town. Don't know why you'd want to go there though. No one's been down that way for years. That family was off their rocker, wouldn't trust it." Bryce told her, stopping his actions and giving her a hard stare- clearly wondering what she was up to by asking about that place.

"Oh, really? It was mentioned in passing, but if you say dangerous then I won't think about it. Thank you for the chat, but I've got to be off," Hermione tried to say casually.

"Good-bye Miss," Bryce said as he watched her walk away until he was sure that she was headed in the opposite direction of the Gaunt Shack.

When Hermione was out of eye sight, she took out her wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and then snuck back over where the gardener told her the Gaunt Shack was located.

She picked her way through the woods, trying to be as discreet as possible. It took her a while to find the building because it had become so over-grown with the surrounding wilderness. However, when she got closer to the shack it became very apparent to Hermione that this was where she needed to be. There was this feeling in her chest- no not exactly in her chest. It was more like in her magic. It was a feeling that she remembered very well and hadn't missed at all.

She picked her way around the building until she found the front door.

"Homenum Revelio," she whispered. Nothing happened. She didn't really think that there would be anyone in the building, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Hermione didn't see anything around the front door that would stop her from entering, but she wanted to be safe. Levitating a pebble, she threw it at the front door. Nothing happened. She performed a few more charms, using the knowledge that she already had about the kind of wards and protections that Voldemort put in place to protect his soul, it took her about ten minutes to figure out what to do to pass through the door.

Blood. It always came down to blood. She reached inside her beaded bag and accio'd a small Swiss Army Knife that had belonged to Harry. She made a prick on her finger and swiped it across the door. The blood was absorbed, but the door didn't open. Frowning, Hermione performed one more spell, and then sighed. It wasn't enough blood. Stealing her courage, she made swipe of the knife, this time on her forearm. She winced but made sure that the cut was longer and produced enough blood to satisfy the wards. When the blood was absorbed this time, the door clicked and swung open. Hermione quickly summoned some linen from her beaded bag and bandaged up her arm before she stepped up into the shack.

Standing in the door way, she could see it was small. The kitchen was cramped with three chairs at a round wooded table. There was a moth-eaten couch in the living room, that was stained and ripped in places, and there were doors that lead off to the right and one that went off to the left. Hermione didn't bother to look in those, because Tom Riddle would have wanted to place his soul in the heart of the house. A place you wouldn't think of, but at the same time a very brazen choice

When she stepped all the way into the house, she started heard a thump-like noise that almost made her jump out of her skin. She dashed behind the door and pulled out her wand, listening hard for the noise again. There. She heard it. Again, and again and again. Hermione looked around the shack for a sign of where the noise had come from. Stepping out from behind the door, she took a couple more tentative steps into the center of the room. The noise grew louder and Hermione's grip on her wand tightened.

When she reached the center of the room, the noise was the loudest that it had been. She looked down and saw a threadbare carpet in faded green covering the old wooden floors. Crouching down, she lightly ran her fingers over it, before pulling her hand back as thought they had burned.

The floor had moved. It thumped on her fingers when they touched the carpet. Gingerly she put her fingers back down on the carpet and left them there. Thump, thump, thump she heard and felt. It moved to a beat, like a rhythm. Like a-heartbeat! Swallowing her excitement, she stood back up and moved off the rug so that she could move it out of the way.

Where the carpet had been, Hermione could see a faint golden light shining from beneath the floor boards. Looking around, Hermione found an old piece of piping. She shoved it in between two of the floorboards and pushed it up. The nails in the wood easily gave way. A loud hiss was issued from beneath Hermione's feet. Hermione barely had time to register what it could be before dozens of snakes started to slither up from the hole in the floorboard.

Hermione jumped back and ran over to one of the chairs at the table. She easily stepped up onto it, and then onto the table. Getting to higher ground helped her to gather her wits. She tried to vanish the snakes, without any luck. She tried to transfigure them, and that didn't work either. She also tried a severing charm, to see if she could kill them. No-go on that idea either. The snakes weren't attacking her, but they were slithering around on the floor in a way that gave Hermione the impression that they were absolutely attack if she went anywhere near the open floorboards. Deciding that she needed to distract the snakes while she retrieved the Horcrux, she looked around the shack for any more ideas. Seeing some jars on a shelf gave Hermione an idea.

"Avis," she whispered. The jars transfigured themselves into birds. Needing more, she transfigured a couple of pillows, some candles, and a come plates that were in the cabinets. When she had enough birds (hey, there were a lot of snakes), she stepped down onto the chair, and then again onto the floor. Suddenly every snake had their eyes set on her and reared up to attack.

"Oppugno," Hermione cast. The birds suddenly dove down towards the snakes and caught their attention.

The snakes were vicious, going through birds left and right. Hermione was trying to carefully make her way to the open floorboard while also having to look around the shack for more things that she could transfigure into birds.

Finally, she reached the hole in the floorboards and looked down into the gap. There was a golden box within, and she could almost see it thump along with the heartbeat that moved inside. She did a quick survey of the whole and couldn't observe anything else in there beside the box. She carefully put her hand in, and as quickly as she could she pulled out the golden box.

The snakes and the birds that surrounded her were gone the instant the box was pulled from the whole. She froze, wary about her next move. She listened as hard as she could. At first there wasn't any noise, then there was a scraping sound.

Quickly, she turned just in time to miss the attack of the large snake fangs. Huge snake. Though she was quick enough to miss the teeth, the snake has managed to wrap around her ankles, and slowly start to constrict around the lower part of her body. Hermione had her wand in one hand and the Horcrux in the other. She tried to Disapperate, but there must have been wards set in place.

The snakes were constricting tighter and moving up higher around her body. It was now up to her knees. She wiggled and tried to get away, but the snake just tightened its muscles even more. Every charm, curse, or jinx that Hermione could think of didn't seem to work. What was she missing?

This was Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort. He killed his own parents, tried to murder an infant, his followers tortured people into insanity- he was one bad bloke. He was all about power and control. Like the snake. The powerful and muscled body that was slowly making its way up her torso and cutting off her air supply. She still held her wand a loft, but it wouldn't do any good if she couldn't do anything to control the situation.

Control. Could it work? Did she want to go down that route? Yes, if it saved her life in this instance then she would do it.

"Imperio," she cast as a last resort.

The snake froze, but very hesitantly. Hermione could feel her control over the snake. It wasn't strong, but it was there. She needed to act quickly before she would lose what little she had.

She started to convince the snake that it was full and could use a nice nap. It just had a big dinner and now it needed to find some place warm to curl up and digest.

The snake started to loosen its grip, but it was taking all Hermione had to do it. She was losing her grip on the snakes will and she was losing it fast. The snake had unwound itself down to her ankles, when Hermione was able to wiggle out. Deciding to make a quick exit, she sprinted towards the door, down the lane and into the woods. When she was about a half a mile from the shack she tried to Apperate. Feeling the familiar pull behind her navel, she thought of the first place that came to mind.