"You don't have to go yet, do you?" Quinn whispered, tugging lightly on Hermione's fingers. The two were stationed in the dungeon, and despite the fact it was 1:30 in the morning neither girl was in the least bit sleepy.
"I should," Hermione began, getting lost momentarily in hazel eyes, "...Go that is. I should go. Big Potions final tomorrow that I've hardly studied for." She said quickly. "Not all of us can get Slughorn to give us a passing grade simply by being in his house you see." Hermione was rambling, and Quinn knew exactly what that meant: Ms. Granger was nervous.
"How about I help you study?" Quinn flirted, just knowing that if she batted her eyes a few times she could get the love-struck Gryffindor to do just about anything. Regardless of Quinn's theory, Hermione shook her head.
"Ugh, come on Hermione!" Quinn all but shouted, forgetting that Professor Slughorn would be extremely cranky if they woke him up at this hour. Hermione quickly put a finger to Quinn's lips. The blonde quite liked the contact, but she reluctantly removed the finger so she could speak again. "I promise I'll get you back to Gryffindor Tower by sunrise. You don't want to walk all the way up there alone, do you? You could probably loose Gryffindor twenty points wandering the corridors at this time of night, whereas if you were accompanied by a certain prefect I'm sure she could get you out of-"
"Alright, alright!" The bushy-haired girl agreed. "But only for an hour." Quinn grinned wide and nodded.
She led the muggleborn down the dim-lit dungeon until they reached the very end of the corridor, Hermione's hand still in Quinn's. They stood in front of a dark wall to which Quinn quietly uttered "Pureblood." Very slowly, the wall slid to the side to reveal a green themed common room.
"You cannot be serious?" Hermione whispered hotly, "Pureblood is your password? " The girl remarked as they entered the low-ceilinged dungeon. "You Slytherins are insufferable."
"How observant of you," A third, high pitched voice announced from inside the room. A thin, dark-haired boy arose from a dark-green armchair whose back was facing the criminal girls. He turned toward the two and cocked his head to the side, eyeing Quinn.
"What are you doing up at this hour?" The blonde asked.
"I could ask you the same, Malfoy." The same high-pitched voice rung throughout the dungeon. Quinn confidently made her way towards the tall boy, striding down the few marble steps, with Hermione following close behind. The two Slytherins' glares seemed to be cutting through the air in between. "And I don't believe you and I have properly met?" He asked, turning his attention to Hermione. He exposed a set of white teeth to the Gryffindor, holding out a lean hand for her to shake.
"Hermione Granger," She introduced politely, despite the fact she had Transfiguration with the boy since Second Year.
"I'm Tom Riddle," He said, as she took his offered hand. "Nice to meet you." Hermione had to stifle a scoff.
Tom was long and pale. He was handsome, for the most part, but cold, and almost serpent-like. His robes fell ghostly on his bony limbs, and his hair combed well upon his thin head.
"Hermione," Quinn said as she stepped in between the newly acquainted. "Would you go to the girls dormitory please? Just follow the corridor on the left." Hermione didn't know why Quinn was getting so jumpy about being around this boy. Of course, she had heard things about him, especially as of late when it came about he could speak parseltongue, but Quinn seemed anxious. The blonde looked Hermione sternly in the eye, and that's all it took for the Gryffindor to speed off until, well...
Until she was out of sight.
Hermione made it as far as the eery hallway lined with green lanterns before curiosity overthrew her obedience. She fought herself briefly, telling herself that she should at least grant the blonde some privacy, if she expected the same from Quinn, but her brain battled her body when she spun on her heel and creeped quietly back to the common room.
"How dare you?" Hermione heard Tom accuse as she shuffled along cold black wall silently. "Bringing her into our common room. You're mad, Malfoy." His voice dripped with disdain that Hermione could very much do without. She grew closer to the voices as she hid herself directly behind a tall black pillar.
"She's a mudblood. You would bring your filthy mudblood girlfriend into a place that exalts Salazar Slytherin?" Each syllable was spat with distinction. Hermione peered from behind the pillar to see Quinn's back move close to Tom, challenging the slightly taller Slytherin.
"Funny, coming from a Half-Blood." She said in a steady, hushed tone. For a split second Tom looked like he was going to strangle his House-mate, but he soon let out a high-pitched cackle.
"You would do well to respect me, Malfoy. Come sunrise I just might be feeling the inspiration to give Headmaster Dippet a visit and telling him all about you giving Gryffindor's a first-hand tour of the Slytherin common-room." He almost shouted.
"While you're at it, maybe you'll feel like notifying him about all the nights you spend out of your bed." Quinn spat back, and Tom's face grew more and more enraged. "One might say it's suspicious, you sneaking out late at night as soon as this 'Heir of Slytherin' rubbish started." The black-haired boy could do nothing but glare. "Humourous, coincidences are, don't you agree Tom? How interesting it is that you oh-so-endearingly nicknamed, oh what was it? Moaning-Mudblood-Myrtle? And a week later she turns up dead?"
"Careful, Malfoy, in case these coincidences just so happen to catch you off-guard one of these days." Tom said sharply. "I can only hope I am coincidentally there to see it."
"You don't scare me, Riddle." The blonde hissed. "You pretend to be this charming boy, a favorite among the teachers, but I see you for the scum you really are. So do us both a favor by running along and writing in your little diary, hmm?"
"Goodnight, Malfoy." They both stood there for a bit until Tom smiled charmingly at Quinn before exiting out the corridor opposite from Hermione.
Quinn spun around and headed towards the dormitories. Before Hermione could even react she was met with hazel eyes that looked unamused.
"You're a mouth-breather, you know." Quinn remarked as Hermione eyed her apologetically.