The Contract (Hermoine/Voldemort story)

Chapter 23

Hermione wasn't in the mood to go out and shop, so she spent the morning watching the TV with Reya. The other woman had never watched TV before and Hermione spent a good ten minutes explaining things like electricity and radio-waves. Reya didn't seem to understand so in the end Hermione had just told her to look at it like a magical photo. Only with sound and colour.

They watched the same show Hermione had seen in Finland, only in Portuguese this time. Hermione didn't know why, but she felt smug when she saw the young heroine kicking the villains arse. Reya snorted over the silly love affair the heroine had with some man in the show.

Voldemort and Snape came back at lunchtime with some take-away food. After they had eaten, Snape and Reya decided to take a walk to the magical market. Hermione sank down on the couch again with Dmitri in her arms. It was time for milk. Voldemort took the opportunity to tell her what he and Snape had been doing. Hermione found the old chief's story very fascinating.

"What if there is only one Cup?" Hermione said.

"Care to explain that thought?" Voldemort asked and sank down on the armchair opposite to the couch.

"Well… what if the Cup can travel trough space and time? That would explain why so many have claimed to see it at the same time."

Voldemort arched an eyebrow. "It's just a Cup, Hermione, not a human."

"No, but what if it has a conscious? I mean, like the Sorting Hat."

Voldemort sank back against the armchair and clasped his hands together. "The old man did call it the Goblet of Gods. Do you believe in Gods?"

"I believe there have been people powerful enough to get the status of a God. Although, I don't believe God has created men."

"Neither do I." Voldemort sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "However, something tells me there are two of them. Life and death, dark and light… like yin and yang."

"Perhaps you are right." Hermione stroked her baby's black hair. It was so soft!

"However, if the Cup is a thinking object… what is its mission? Why was it made? Because it isn't human, so it can't have been made by mistake," Voldemort's eyes lingered at Dmitri for a moment.

Hermione glared at Voldemort. "If you ever tell our son that he was just a mistake, I'll find a way to castrate you!"

He arched an eyebrow. "But he was a mistake, Hermione. Neither of us wanted him."

If glares could kill, Voldemort would have died. Hermione pressed the baby closer to her body, as though to protect him from his father's harsh words.

Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Fine. Back to the Cups. Do you think they… or it… has a mission?"

Hermione shrugged. "Well, they, or it, must have been made for a reason. I wonder where they came from. It could tell us a lot about the purpose."

Voldemort stood and started to pace. "When was pottery invented?"

Hermione shrugged again. "Well, it expanded a lot at the same time as humans began with agriculture. But the oldest vessel they have found is about 12500 years old. It's from Japan."

He shook his head. "The wizards weren't so advanced back then. It's not easy to make a magical object. Writing had to be invented."

"Well, Sumerian is the oldest written language we know of. The earliest findings are from 3200 BCE," she said. "Although, that happened in Mesopotamia, where Iraq is now. I too think it comes from the North, so… perhaps the Cups aren't more than 3000 years old?"