Chapter Twenty-Two: My Brother's Keeper

A sickening pop echoed off the walls of the murky chamber; the sound sharply followed by Hermione's agony-filled scream. Standing from his crouched position at her feet, Tom's shift in attention had an almost lazy-like quality to it as it settled decidedly on Rhex.

"Now," Tom began after he finished mending her broken ankle, "Care to tell me why you're here, Lestrange?"

Still sitting in a state of shock on the cold, wet ground, Rhexenor's mouth snapped shut and his eyes went wide. Whether it was out of fear or awe of her brother, Hermione did not know.

"I just…" he started off, uncharacteristically weak. "I just wanted to help."

Rolling his eyes, Tom scoffed. "Us? Or yourself?"

To that, Rhex said nothing. Only glared – his lips thinning and his nostrils flaring.

Smile dripping with pure cynicism, Tom continued, "Your silence is telling…" But that smile then disappeared in an instant, his bone-colored wand pressing dangerously against Rhex's throat, "And also incredibly damaging."

Gasping in horror, Hermione leapt to her feet – then bit back the blow of blinding pain. Her ankle was healed, but it still bloody well hurt. Through clenched teeth, she ordered her brother to stop.

Eyes still trained on Rhex, Tom replied with an air of finality: "He knows too much, Hermione."

In hindsight, he wasn't technically incorrect about that, but…

A metaphorical lightbulb came on in Hermione's head.

"Exactly," she replied breathily, an excited grin plastered on her face. Limping, she made her way over to the pair.

The boys were looking at her as if she'd gone mad; but, surprisingly, it was Rhex who spoke up first. "You aren't helping my case here, Granger."

"No, no, no. Wait a moment. Could you just –" she broke off with an agitated sigh and ushered Tom's wand arm away, which rewarded her with one of his deadly glares. "I'm sorry, but you know I can't concentrate when you are contemplating murder."

"Don't you dare think you can talk me into changing my mind," he warned.

"Use your head, Tom. Just like you said - he knows too much. I'm not talking about just your secrets, but he knows too much of other secrets, as well," she negotiated, trying to ignore the fact that he'd just admitted that he'd been seriously considering it.

Scoffing again, Tom added, "Secrets I have no use for – even if they are true."

"Secrets you could find a use for – and they are," she countered.

"Says him," he sneered, pointing at Rhex with his chin.

"Says me," she replied despairingly.

Tom's gaze met hers, his eyes narrowing in thought. "I know what you're playing at."

Standing on the tips of her toes, Hermione whispered in his ear, "I'm not playing at anything, Tom – but you are. You're holding all the cards in this game," she paused, pointedly looking at Rhex and then back to her brother sinisterly. "Use them wisely."

Resting back on the balls of her feet, Hermione waited for his reaction – it was almost instantaneous. His charcoal eyes sparked to life with a thrill of darkened curiosity, as if he was truly seeing her for the first time.

Turning abruptly from her and toward Rhex, Tom commanded, "Get up, Lestrange."

Standing hesitantly, Rhex asked, "What're you gonna do to me?"

"Nothing," Tom answered with an air of indifference, then reached his arm out in the empty space between them. "As long as you prove to me where you true loyalties lie."

"Pardon?" Rhex asked while eyeing Tom's offered hand suspiciously, water still steadily dripping from his dark curls.

At Rhexenor's baffled question, Tom smiled unkindly. "Let me do you the favor of putting this together for you in simpler terms: I'll let you walk out of here, unharmed, if you make an Unbreakable Vow with me."

Hermione gasped. This hadn't been what she was expecting when she said to play his damn cards.

"Have you lost the plot, mate?" Rhex asked, incredulous.

To that, Tom only raised an eyebrow.

Anxiously, Rhex ran a trembling hand through his hair. "Fuckin' hell. You're serious."

"If everything you've told Hermione is true, then you should have nothing to worry about," Tom replied.

Rhex spared her a pitiful glance, looking to her for help. Not for the first time, she didn't know what to do or say. Hermione had read about Unbreakable Vows before. On the one hand, after meeting his mother, she did believe everything he told her – so, ultimately, he should have nothing to worry about. But, on the other hand, it could be very easy and very unintentional to break an Unbreakable Vow. Not to mention that Tom was serious about committing murder so easily – it was terrifying.

Terrifying, but oddly fitting for him – which was terrifying in of itself.

With his expression going from pitiful to resolute in an instant, Rhex grabbed Tom's hand with his own in a vice-like grip. Seemingly back to his normal self, he grinned and said, "Right. Let's get this shit over with."

"Hermione," Tom called, his cold gaze keeping a close eye on Rhex. "You'll be our witness. I know you've read up on the topic enough to know what to do."

Drawing her wand, Hermione tried thinking of a reasonable solution out of this but could find nothing immediately that they both would agree to. She looked at Rhex and said, "You don't have to do this, you know."

Rhex's strained smile only went wider. Not breaking eye contact with Tom, he replied with a hint of irony, "No, no. I'm good. This is no inconvenience at all."

Hermione frowned, looking between them. If she didn't know any better, she'd say they were having some sort of…oh, what did Ron call it again? Oh, yes. A pissing contest. Ugh, men.

With a scowl, she withdrew her wand irately and let it linger above their joined hands. "Just so you know, I am incredibly against this and I don't agree with it at all."

Tom rolled his eyes. "Then why are you doing it?"

"Because the alternative is worse, on all accounts," she snapped impatiently. "Just shut up and get this over with."

She was too angry with Tom to look at him, so she focused on their hands and didn't miss his grip tightening and his knuckles going white. Focusing on the task at hand, Hermione concentrated. She'd never performed a spell like this before – there was no incantation, but she knew the intent had to be there.

"Will you, Rhexenor Lestrange, swear you will not tell a soul of who I am or what you witnessed here tonight?" Tom asked.

Tensely, Rhex replied, "I will."

As soon as he answered, a thin, fiery red rope of magic looped around their joined hands.

"And will you swear your complete and unending loyalty to me, and only me?" Tom asked haughtily, his dark eyes glittering in warning and the corner of his mouth lifting with dark humor.

Without moving her wand, Hermione stared at him in shock. Was he…was he enjoying this?

"…I will," Rhex replied through clenched teeth. Another thin ribbon of magic intertwined with the first.

"And will you, within your power and by any means necessary, protect Hermione and I, even at the risk of your own life?" Tom asked.

At this question, Rhex frowned slightly, pausing for a few seconds before answering again, "I will."

A third ribbon of magic intertwined with the others, then all at once, they faded away. Tom released Rhexenor's hand, and Rhex shook it out, flexing his fingers.

Tom smiled coldly, opening his arms wide in a display of bitter mockery. "Welcome."

Weeks later, Hermione could say that things were almost back to normal. Well, as normal as things could possibly be, all things considered. The end of the school year was quickly approaching, which meant OWLs and intense studying sessions and – good gods – sleep deprivation. It got to the point where she could feel the bags underneath her eyes, but that was the least of her problems right now.

Rhex kept reminding her that she had more important things to worry about than her grades – like her life, for example – which Tom agreed with him. Actually agreed, even though he didn't seem entirely thrilled by that fact. Did that mean the world was ending? Quite possibly.

Ever since his 'fuck-up', as he'd called it, Bellatrix hadn't been keeping as close contact with him as she had before.

But two days ago, he'd received a letter. And staying true to his vow, he'd given it immediately to Tom.

My Dearest, Darling Son,

There has been a change of plans. Your Father and I are absolutely overjoyed that we will be there to witness you graduate. I hope that when the time comes, you will not disappoint me. I've suffered enough of that as it is.

XOXO.

Your Dearest, Darling Mummy

To Hermione, the tone of the letter was that of a domineering mother dissatisfied with her child's academic success. To Rhex, it was a threat. To Tom…well, he'd only folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket, not saying a single word on the matter.

But he must've seen some sort of threat in it, since she was currently stuck studying in Theo's stuffy potions lab, being babysat by Rhex, while Tom was off doing gods knew what.

The Unbreakable Vow was meant to be between them, not her, so why was she getting the shitty end of the stick?

"How the fuck did I never find this place when I was searching the castle?"

Watching Rhex casually finger through Theo's various – and highly questionable – potion bottles, Hermione thought over his question as she turned another page in her textbook. She'd already warned him how dangerous some of those vials were – twice – and he still wasn't listening. Briefly, she wondered who was really babysitting who here, but she cast the thought aside.

"Now you know why I volunteered to search this corridor," she replied nonchalantly.

Glass clinked together musically when he picked up yet another bottle – this one made up of crystal-clear liquid – and he held it up to the sunlight filtering through the high window. Eyebrows raising, he replied, "And for good reason. Pretty sure this place breaks at least twenty wizarding regulations."

"Thirty-seven, actually."

The pair turned to the newcomer standing in the entryway in surprise.

"Oh, Theo! I didn't hear you come in," Hermione stated.

Theo stood rigidly in his spot, eyeing Rhex uncertainly, then eyeing Hermione with a questioning look. "Uh…Hermione?"

Not knowing what else to say without giving too much information away, she simply said, "Tom knows he's here. It's alright."

This seemed to relax him, as his shoulders slumped and he rushed over to Rhex and his potions.

"What is this shit, mate?" Rhexenor started lightheartedly, "Looks like a cough potion."

Carefully, Theo pried the glass bottle from the older boy's hand and he gently set it back on the shelf. "That's essence of venomous tentacula, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my things," he replied, then muttered, "As if I'd waste my time and talents brewing cough potions."

Grinning, Rhex raised his hands up as a sign of surrender and backed away. "My apologies," he replied, then shoved his hands in his front pockets. "Didn't mean to offend. Don't touch your shit – got it."

After giving Rhex one last look of uncertainty, he grabbed his safety goggles and turned to her. "Speaking of Tom, where's he been lately? Haven't seen him much outside of class this past week."

Not missing the way Rhexenor's body went rigid in her peripheral vision, Hermione felt her face heat under Theo's curious gaze. In all honesty, Hermione didn't know and she'd been so busy studying for exams that she hadn't really given his absence much thought. Ever since the chamber, she hadn't seen him very much.

Hiding her face in her book, she replied crossly while thumbing through the pages, "How should I know? I'm not my brother's keeper."

Theo frowned. "Sorry, I just thought you'd know, since you've been studying with him."

Pausing her page turning, she willed her features to not show her surprise. A lie was on the tip of her tongue when Draco burst into the room.

"You will not believe who just kicked Potter's arse during the Quidditch scrimmage today – no offense, Granger – but," Draco rambled excitedly, until he finally noticed Rhex lounging against one of the sinks. "What the ever-loving fuck are you doing here!?"

Springing forward, Rhex put Draco in a headlock and pinched his cheeks as he cooed, "Aww, I love you, too, little cuz."

"Get off me, you arsehole!" came Draco's muffled response.

The last person to step into the room, and as cool as ever, was Blaise, who merely raised a brow and commented with mild curiosity, "Well, this is an interesting development."

A/N: Hey, bitches. It's been a while. Same time next year? lmao All joking aside, I have to thank a lot for helping me figure out some things I was stuck on for this chapter.