Taming The Serpent [Tom Riddle/Tomione]

12. A Sluggish Help

Hermione remained within the confines of the Library the next few days, avoiding Riddle whenever was possible between classes, lunch and curfew. She spent most of her time catching up on her subjects or trying to come up with some sort of a new plan. However, the latter was proving to be difficult because not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. Non-verbal spells were now expected, not only in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too.

Yet another useless Divination class was over, and Hermione made her way down the staircase quickly, ready to make her way to the Library but stopped when she saw Riddle making a sharp turn toward the other end of the corridor; his footsteps were quiet but he was taking long strides, as though he didn't want to be followed. She immediately recognized the place as the Room of Requirement location, from when she, Ron and Harry created Dumbledore's army. Hermione hid behind a pillar and watched him pacing back and forth in front of the wall; sure enough, the huge double door appeared magically and magnificently on the brick wall and he pushed it open without hesitation.

Hermione jogged toward it, watching hopelessly as it disappeared before her eyes. She came to an abrupt stop in front of the bare wall, closing her eyes expectantly. She reopened them to face the familiar door and smiled victoriously. Hermione pushed the handle and walked inside the enormous messy room; Hundreds if not thousands of shelves scattered around the place full of the most precious and insignificant things, lost things. Thousands and thousands of books (either in tottering piles or in bookcases), filled the room, and Hermione even saw a huge stuffed troll laying by a dirty cushion.

The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket -- but propped against the wall facing her was something that didn't look as if it belonged there. It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. She frowned, certainly it wasn't Latin or any other language she had studied about. She looked around the untidy room and caught a glimpse of a small piece of broken mirror. She picked it up and stood in front of the big mirror, reflecting the odd inscription from the small piece of glass she was holding. Ishow no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire. 

"I show not your face but your heart's desire.", she mumbled. Hermione had to clap one hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She had found the mirror of Erised  Harry had told her and Ron about. She remembered when Harry had mentioned that he saw his parents on it. She stared at her reflection on the mirror, curious to know what her heart was craving. Hermione found no surprise when she saw a reflection of herself standing in the middle of the boys she missed miserably.

"Harry!", she cried. The boy with jet black hair, bright green eyes and light skin smiled at her, placing his left hand on her shoulder. Hermione felt a tear roll down her flustered cheek and smiled softly, turning her attention to the taller boy. "Ronald!" The red haired boy copied Harry's gesture, smiling gently at his best friend. She let out a small sob. "Oh, how I was wish you were both here." The reality of the situation was proving itself unbearable for Hermione, and she was doubting herself now more than she ever did before.

"I don't know if I can do this." She whimpered, dropping to the floor weakly. "I just don't know what to do. ", she looked back at the mirror, locking her gaze on Harry's – who continued to smile at her tenderly. "Harry, I need your bravery and ambition to accomplish this – " she turned her gaze to the mesmerizing blue orbs that belonged to her favourite ginger "And Ron – I need your idiotic ideas and uncanny sense of humour... ", she chuckled slightly.

A sudden noise from across the room caused her to flinch, and Hermione quickly hid behind a pile of old objects, occasionally peering through the small hole between a broken lamp and a rusty cushion. Hermione gasped – around ten electric blue pixies with about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill she was sure she could turn deaf, were trashing around the room, causing mischief wherever they passed. She thought back to the awful Lockhart's lesson about those little beasts and scrunch up her nose at the irony of borrowing his last name. She quickly grabbed her wand and aimed it steadily at the pixies.