Voldemort was busy in the magic mirror, working over a cauldron bubbling with green foam.
"Is that all, Hermione? Cough, cough, cough. Thank you for telling me. It won't affect my plans..."
Choking on the green steam spilling from the cauldron, Voldemort coughed and waved a hand to show Hermione it was all right.
"I think she'll talk to me again. Professor, what do you think..."
Hermione was interrupted halfway through by a woman's voice from the other side of the mirror. The speaker remained offscreen.
"The Basilisk's venom is too potent, Master. I think we need more neutralizing agents."
"More neutralizing agents alone won't solve the problem, Bellatrix." Voldemort turned to look beyond the mirror. "We need more counteragents."
"But adding more toxic substances could upset the balance between the other Potions..."
"Let's solve one problem at a time, Bellatrix. The Dementors coming later will upset the balance too. That's the last problem we need to deal with."
After saying this, Voldemort looked back at the mirror. "Hermione, I'm a little busy here, so..."
"But you still have to tell me what to do, Professor. I feel like saying too much would be a betrayal of you," Hermione said earnestly.
Voldemort stopped what he was doing. At last, he straightened up and looked at Hermione.
"Hermione, I advise you not to concern yourself with me, especially when it comes to the Falconers."
As he spoke, Voldemort removed the Dragonhide Gloves from his hands. "You're no longer your own person. As the leader of the Falconers, your rights and responsibilities go hand in hand."
"But I still need to have a life of my own..."
"You need to keep the two separate, Hermione. Personal relationships have no bearing on matters of power. Confusing the two is a sign of incompetence."