Hermione is introduced to a few within the Dark Lord's inner circle, and plans are made to take Dumbledore down.

Hermione’s recovery was surprisingly quick. Her Father had visited her often during her convalescence, and they’d discussed many issues, but the one that did not get addressed, was whether or not her heritage would become more widely known.

Several weeks had gone by, and September first was fast approaching. Narcissa had made arrangements to have all of her books and school supplies delivered to the Manor. She had one of the elves take her measurements and several days later, an entirely new wardrobe was delivered: New school robes, skirts, shirts, dresses, shoes and lingerie in the latest styles.

Hermione was so overwhelmed by Lady Malfoy’s generosity, that she had insisted that it was all too much.

“Nonsense, my dearest girl! You more than anyone, deserve to be spoiled, and your Father insisted you have the best of everything.”

Narcissa, Hermione discovered very quickly, was a force of nature and used to getting her own way. She had her husband’s complete devotion and it was easy to see that Draco worshipped the ground his mother walked on too. Narcissa made sure that Hermione spent time each day, learning High Pureblood Society, social etiquette, rules and customs. She had always prided herself on being a quick study, but even she had to admit? There was so much she’d needed to learn, to fit into the new world she’d been thrust into.

Dancing lessons with Draco were an obvious perk, and Hermione enjoyed the time they got to spend together. Draco was an excellent dancer, and it was easy to get caught up in the romance of it all. He loved tearing the mickey however, and she’d often find herself blushing at the heated suggestions he’d whisper into her ear.

He would then smirk in satisfaction at her discomfort, watching her flounder at his attentions.

The Saturday before school was set to resume, Hermione’s father had told her that there would be a meeting that night in the Malfoy’s drawing room, and her attendance was required. From the look on his face, Hermione knew this was of importance so she took extra care after dinner to make herself presentable. She had on her best dark emerald green dress robes, and Trixie, the house elf that Narcissa had assigned to take care of her this summer, was excellent with hair spells. Her curls were loose, shiny and layered down her back in thick waves. She applied minimal make-up and was just putting on a pair of earrings when someone knocked on her door.

Trixie answered it promptly and in walked her Father, who was stunned at how beautiful his daughter looked.

The Dark Lord still found it disconcerting at times that he had a daughter.

Even now, looking at Hermione, there was little physical resemblance that would recommend her as his child. Her eyes and hair were her mother’s, as was her physical build.

Tom Riddle had always been a complex wizard, and had never been capable of loving anyone nor anything. Looking at his daughter now, he could feel pride in her brilliance and beauty. He was in awe of her resilience and keen logical mind. She exuded raw power, very much like his own.

But affection, love?

It was hard to fathom ever being capable of feeling such sentiment, but he did feel a deep responsibility for her.

She was his heir after all.

She had returned two pieces of his soul to him and as such, he was able to retain more control over his baser emotions. For the first time in his long life, he felt a twinge of regret. He hadn’t been there to watch his daughter grow up into the beautiful young woman before him. But then, he wondered if she would’ve become the person she was today, without those experiences?

Would she been of use to him, had she not gone through the trials and rose above all expectations?

It was an interesting thought, but one Voldemort didn’t dwell on for very long.

“You look lovely, Hermione. I know you are wondering why I’ve asked you to come to this meeting, and I’m here to explain. Tonight, you will be introduced to a few of my most trusted followers. Many of them have children who are in school with you. I haven’t told any of my followers, outside of Lucius and Severus, of your true identity, although some know that I have sired an heir. This meeting is to formally introduce you. You’ll need not worry about anyone revealing your identity, for if any dared to defy me? They would be dealt with most harshly.”

Hermione nodded, lowering her head and nervously biting her lip while her hands twisted together. Her Father, seeing her distress, walked to her and placed a finger under her chin, raising her face to his. Amber eyes met dark green and for a moment, Hermione saw red flash through his gaze.

“You must not allow any weakness to show, child. I know you have the ability to control yourself, and that is what I expect of you this evening. The wizard’s you will be meeting tonight are among my most loyal Death Eaters. They will show you the respect you are owed as my heir, but it is up to you to prove that you belong by my side. You have proven your worth to me, now you must prove it to my followers. Come.”

The Dark Lord escorted Hermione down to the main floor and up a secondary staircase which opened into a large room. There was a long table in front of a huge hearth and a stunning chandelier hung from the ceiling.

A fire was roaring, and Hermione could see Nagini curled up on the floor by the head of the table on the far side.

There were several men standing and talking amongst themselves. Hermione immediately recognized Lucius and Severus, but she had never seen any of the other wizard’s before. One wizard had dark blonde hair that was tied back into a long braid. He was ruggedly handsome in his own way. Another wizard looked a bit older than the first, with darker brown hair and blue eyes. He was quite tall and was conversing with Lucius. There were two other wizard’s watching from across the room. One had hideous teeth and he could only be Marcus Flint’s father. The other wizard had salt and pepper hair and was shorter than the other men in the room.

When the Dark Lord gestured for Hermione to enter the room with him, the six wizard’s came forward and formed a semi-circle in welcome. Her Father moved silently into the room, whilst she waited a few feet behind and observed as he greeted his followers, each bowing in deference.

Her Father then turned and gestured for her to come to his side, which she did with her head held high and no outward sign of nervousness or fear.

Her Father gave her a small nod, and then addressed his followers.

“My friends, it’s good to be here with you again after so many years. Much time has passed, yet it seems that much unfortunately, remains the same within our world. However, I would like to acknowledge one change for the better. Allow me to formally introduce you all to my daughter and heir, Hermione Granger. It was unknown to myself at the time of my disappearance, that her mother had given birth. Concerned for her safety, she hid Hermione in the Muggle world. It was made known to me in Hermione’s second year, that she was mine. I have invited her here tonight to acknowledge her as my heir amongst my most loyal followers. Lucius and Severus can give testimony of her brilliance and cunning.”

Lucius walked over and took Hermione’s hand, bending over it in greeting before he turned to the other wizard’s and addressed them en masse.

“I’m sure you’re all aware that Miss Granger is the top of her class at Hogwarts, and a member of Slytherin House. It has been most unfortunate, that she was not as welcomed into her own house as is her birthright. She has proven to both Severus and myself, that she is a force to be reckoned with. I do believe given the chance, you will all find her to be a formidable ally.”

Hermione smiled politely at Lord Malfoy’s kind words.

“Thank you, Lord Malfoy. I will strive to live up to such lofty praise.”

Lucius nodded and stepped back to his place. The Dark Lord made the remaining formal introductions and then gestured for everyone to take their seats. He led Hermione to the head of the table where he sat and gestured for her to sit on his right. Severus came over and held out her chair, which she thanked him graciously. Lucius sat on her Father’s left and Severus sat on her left.

The other wizards seemed to have set positions at the table, and each nodded towards her Father as they sat down.

When everyone was settled, Voldemort started the meeting. “I’ve invited you here today to discuss what my plans are going forward. First, as you’re all aware, the Potter boy still lives and this was done purposely on my part. It was suggested that far more damage might be done to Dumbledore’s reputation, if Potter were to return alive and obliviated. The death of the Diggory boy was unfortunate, but will play into my hands going forward. Secondly, we will need to organize a break-out of Azkaban for those of my followers who were wrongly incarcerated. Lastly, there is a prophecy of some concern hidden within the Department of Mysteries, that will need to be acquired if our plans to take over the Wizarding world are to be successful.”

As the men discussed the issues at hand, Hermione sat back and listened to their suggestions. She decided to wait until her father addressed her directly before giving an opinion. It wasn’t long before he turned in her direction and inquired after her thoughts.

“What do you make of these situations, Daughter?” Voldemort smirked knowingly, and all eyes fell on the young witch simultaneously.

Hermione primly cleared her throat and then began...

“The way I see it? It’s impractical to kill Potter or Dumbledore. It would make one or both a martyr that the masses could rally around. Dumbledore has many skeletons in his closet, and I think it’s time that we bring those skeletons out to face the light of day.”

The blonde-haired wizard with the deep throaty voice, glanced at Hermione with an expression that was dismissive. “And how do you suggest we do that?”

Hermione turned to her Father, who nodded in encouragement and then he proceeded to sit back and watch his brilliant daughter dazzle his followers.

Making direct eye contact with Corban Yaxley, Hermione smiled genuinely. “Over the last two summers, Lord Yaxley, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to visit Godric’s Hollow, and I’m sure many of you are familiar with Bathilda Bagshot, the noted magical historian?” At this, several of the wizards nodded, but looked on with confusion. “She is the Great-Aunt of Gellert Grindelwald. It would seem in his early life, Dumbledore and Gellart were very good friends.” Letting the implication sit there momentarily, she noticed a few of the wizards, including her Father, smirk at her not so subtle implication. “They corresponded to each other frequently and surprisingly? Dumbledore was not the Muggle-loving wizard he tries to make himself out to be.”

“And how do you know this?” Inquired Lucius.

Hermione took out her beaded bag and opened it. She then reached her arm up to her elbow into the bag, missing the looks of appreciation on several of the Wizard’s faces. She took out a stack of letters and passed them around the table. As the wizards read through Dumbledore’s private correspondence to Grindelwald, she noted the stunned looks on the wizard’s faces.

Voldemort however, just sat back with his hands steepled—watching his loyal followers with glee.

“How did you get these?” Asked Archibald Flint, Marcus Flint’s Father.

“Bathilda was most helpful. She’d saved these letters for many years. When Gellert was sent to Nurmengard after dueling Dumbledore, Bathilda blamed him for the loss of her only family. She was more than happy to turn them over to me, when I’d told her how mistreated I’d been at Hogwarts under Dumbledore’s care.” Hermione smirked evilly at Lord Flint, who flinched at her insinuation. “It would seem that the famous duel in 1945 between the two wizards, was not the first that they’d engaged in. Some years prior, another duel had broken out between the two wizards, and Dumbledore’s sister Ariana was killed in the crossfire. It was never proven who’d sent the killing curse that killed poor Ariana, but Bathilda said it was that incident that permanently severed their relationship.”

“I’m still unclear how you plan to use this information to take down Dumbledore.” Questioned Thoros Nott, Theodore Nott’s Father.

“Well it’s a simple case of hitting the wizard with attack’s from multiple fronts. First we start a smear campaign against Dumbledore, due to the untimely death of Cedric Diggory and the fact that the Boy-Who-wouldn’t-Die was severely injured and obliviated during the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Dumbledore used the excuse that since Potter’s name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire, it constituted a binding magical contract and since the wizard is the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, no one would dare challenge him on an assertion based within magical law. Except, he violated several statues by allowing Potter to compete. The most important was that Potter wasn’t of legal age, and therefore, couldn’t enter into a binding magical contract of any kind, much less one that forced him to compete in a tournament that killed an older classmate of much greater experience. I would argue for a case of gross negligence. How do you think the public at large is going to feel about Dumbledore,once they learn that he allowed the supposed Savior of the Wizarding world to compete in a tournament that almost got him killed? I doubt too many within the magical community, would be sympathetic to him. Especially when it becomes public knowledge, that the facade he puts on isn’t indicative of his true affiliations.”

“You mean to use the letters as a means to discredit him further?” Smirked Lucius, in awe of Hermione’s ingenuity.

“Yes. Rita Skeeter is a reporter for the Daily Prophet. I believe I can utilize her as a ally.”

“That witch is highly unpredictable. How do you think you’ll be able to get her to comply?” Questioned Yaxley seriously.

Hermione smiled wickedly, “The witch is an unregistered animagus. She turns into a beetle, and that is how she was getting all those behind the scenes scoops this past school year. I took notice of her after the Yule Ball, when she started asking for an exclusive interview with Viktor and myself. Later in the year, when he and I were talking quietly by ourselves in the library, I’d noticed a beetle sitting on the windowsill near where we were ensconced. The next mornings edition of the Prophet, had published an embellishment of our conversation, but it made me suspicious. I saw her on two other occasions, so I captured her in an unbreakable mason jar and held her prisoner for a few weeks. I doubt I’ll have any problem convincing the witch to help.”

At this confession, every single man in the room stared at Hermione in stunned disbelief until her Father actually laughed at the nerve of his daughter.

The other Death Eaters were even more shocked at their Lord’s outburst.

Voldemort shook his head in amusement. “Your penchant for blackmail, Daughter, knows no bounds. First Severus, then Lucius and now a reporter for the Daily Prophet. Should I be concerned?”

“Of course not, my Lord. I would never do something so plebeian as to try and blackmail you.”

He chuckled, “I should hope not, my dear. Please continue? I think you’ll find your audience most intrigued.”

Hermione nodded. “I hoped that adequately answered your question, Lord Yaxley?” At the wizard’s nod and smirk, she continued. “Lord Malfoy, as you’re the Head of the Board of Governors, I do believe it might be prudent to send a ministry official to oversee Dumbledore this year at Hogwarts. Perhaps you might even put the suggestion into the Minister’s ear? Creating friction between the Minister and Dumbledore might be wise...you might even subtly infer that Dumbledore is after his job. The man looks to be easily manipulated, yes?” Lucius smiled and nodded. “I’m sure you could suggest some Ministry toad, who is a Slytherin and has a close relationship with the Minister?”

Shaking his head in amusement, Lucius actually smiled, “You plan to take out both Dumbledore and the Minister at the same time, don’t you, Hermione?”

“Well, it would be the most expedient thing to do, don’t you agree?” She stated innocently.

Lucius just chuckled knowingly, while giving his Lord a look that spoke volumes. “I’d imagine that isn’t the end of the plan though?”

Hermione shook her head. “Lord Malfoy, are you familiar with the term, ‘gaslighting?’

“No, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of the concept.”

“It’s a form of manipulation, that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual. The process is designed to make the person question their own memory, perception and eventually their very sanity. If done correctly, it will eventually destabilize the target and delegitimize their own belief system. My intention over the course of the next year, is to hit Dumbledore on every front where he holds power and sway. Show his complete lack of rule following by manipulating others, show his true character by driving him to the point where he ends up attacking a Muggle-born.”

The Dark Lord considered his daughter shrewdly, “And just how will you do that?”

Hermione took her wand and silently invoked an incantation, causing an apparition to appear before the wizards. They all gasped as one, as they watched the specter float from the top of the table, looking down on them. Voldemort stared at the witch floating above him, and grinned at the deviousness of his daughter.

“Am I to assume, Daughter? That this is Dumbledore’s dead sister?”

“Yes, my Lord! It is! I intend to use this little illusion to drive Dumbledore round the twist, as it were. He will begin to think he’s hallucinating, then become paranoid that someone is trying to trick him. Eventually, it will culminate in him attacking me at the end of the school year. He will be charged with assaulting a Muggle-born, which will cement all the propaganda that will be written about him, and his relationship with Grindewald in the time preceding the attack. That combined with discrediting his role within the Wizengamot, it will eventually lead to his ruin.”

“Why not just kill the old fool?” Chimed in Walden McNair.

“Because you make the fool a martyr. And why should that man be exalted? Better to make him suffer.”

Yaxley smiled at his Lord. “Remind me not to get your daughter angry at me, my Lord. Something tells me she can be quite inventive with punishment.”

All the wizards chuckled, while the Dark Lord watched on in amusement.

Severus sat back pondering what he was learning, not realizing Hermione was watching him closely. “Professor Snape, I know you work closely with Dumbledore and have for years. But in all my research into the man, I’ve come to realize he never does anything without having some benefit for himself. Hopefully by the end of this night, you’ll come to realize just how much that wizard has allowed those around him, that were loyal to him, to suffer for his ‘greater good.”

Severus raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Indeed.” Was his snarky reply.