Chapter One

It wasn't a drawn out process, her waking up. One minute she was lying quite peacefully, unaware of the figure sitting by her bedside, and the next she had her eyes open, trying to blink away the sleep and adjust to the glare of the room. Still unaware of that same figure behind her.

What she could see of her surroundings was very bland. She was facing an impeccably white wall and an empty nightstand. There were no plants, no books, not even last night's clothes lying in a small heap in the corner. The lack of personality in the room made her slightly uneasy. Instinctively, she knew she didn't belong here. She knew that she was a slightly messy person and that she loved vibrant colors.

But then again, she hasn't seen the rest of the room yet. With great difficulty and a lot of perseverance she managed to turn around in her bed and widened her eyes. There was a man sitting in her room. A hospital room, she quickly realized. He was sleeping in an awkward position, with his chin resting on his chest and with hair falling on his forehead. And even though she knew nothing about him, hadn't even seen his face, she felt afraid. Apprehensive maybe, of when he woke up.

Her body kicked into gear, deciding whether to fight or take flight. Her heart rate picked up, the beeping of the machine more frequent and louder in her ear than before. Her muscles spasmed a little, nothing big although she felt the strain. But despite her brain's efforts, she couldn't get up. Worse, the sleeping man seemed to have registered the increased beeping and was stirring in his seat. He opened his eyes and her heart jumped in her throat. She knew him. Those green eyes were branded on her retina. She knew him, and now she knew to be afraid of him.

"Hermione? Oh, my God, you're awake!"

He swooped down on her and took her hands. He kissed her right hand and squeezed it a little bit too hard. He touched her face, looked into her eyes, seemingly not noticing her panicked expression. And she was panicking, because with the remembrance of her name came the deep-rooted knowledge that she was at his mercy. There was no one else who had a bigger say in her life than him, not even she. How did that happen? How could she let another person control her life? It doesn't seem like something she'd allow. And then the real panic set in, as she realized that she didn't know what she'd allow as she didn't know who she was.

"H.. h.. who?" she croaked out. He stopped running his hands over her and strangely, she felt the loss. When he stood up to get a cup of water, she felt bereft.

"Ssshh, don't speak. Here, drink this."

She felt a few rivulets of water trickle into her mouth from a soaked cotton pad the man was squeezing. She tried again, "Who am.. I? You?"

"You mean you don't remember me?" and something sparked in his eyes. "I'm Tom, Tom Riddle, and I've been taking care of you since you were eight. You were wandering the streets of London by yourself when you did something extraordinary and caught my attention. I took you home with me, do you remember?"

Magic, he's talking about magic. She vaguely recalls that moment on the streets; her exhaustion, needing comfort and warmth. She remembers being desperate and.. a warm silver blanket? Or was it a shield? Something against the cold, that unbearable cold, and maybe to help make her feel.. happy again. And then Tom's face. Him taking out a wand and helping her with..

"Magic.."

He leaned over her again, well into her personal space and grinned, "I'm relieved you remember being magical. Not that I ever thought you could forget something you love so much and have such a proficiency for. We are both magical. And you are capable of amazing things, things I taught you.."

His voice fell away, as Hermione was lost in her thoughts. She loved his grin, it transformed his face. It made her recall his kindness in taking her into his home. He clothed her, fed her, taught her about magic and gave her a wand. Her wand!

"Where is my wand?" she interrupted whatever he was saying. He frowned, pulled out her wand and left it on the bedside table. She felt safer with it there, not that she can best him in a duel. Somehow she knows he's more powerful than her.

"I remember bits and pieces, but not what happened to me. Why am I here? This is the hospital, right?" she asked. She almost managed to sit up again when there was a terrible pain in her abdomen. Crying out, reaching for anything to hold on to, she felt his arms around her.

"Shhh, honey. Don't move. Anything you want I can get you, just don't move. Shhh, and let me take the pain away."

Whimpering in his arms, moving her legs to touch her chest in a fetal position, she rocked from left to right. Or at least, as much as his arms allowed her to rock. She felt surprisingly safe and the pain started ebbing away. She must have been mistaken earlier; her initial fear for him doesn't add up with the man she's discovering. He has shown her nothing but kindness from the moment she woke up and the things she remembered all spoke in his favor. It's probably because she was out of it, but now that she is beginning to get her bearings again, she's rethinking her reaction to Tom.

"Th..Thank you. It's better now. I remember some things about you, but not much. Did I call you Dad?"

"No! No, you called me Tommy when you were little and Tom as you grew older" He started stroking her arms leaving a tingling sensation on the places he's been. When he held both her cheeks in his hands and brought his face close she was taken aback, thinking the gesture was too intimate but backtracking immediately. He was her guardian after all, and for all intents and purposes, her father.

"Thank God you're awake and here with me again. I'm just going to check if everything is okay and then we'll see what we're going to do next, alright honey?"

He took out his wand and whispered malum revelio and her body began to tingle. From head to toe, every inch of her body briefly exuded light only to die out again, except for her abdomen. Tom was frowning worriedly at her belly when he flicked his wand again, this time saying gravidus mendosus revelio and nothing happened. He sighed in relief and performed one final spell. The pain was instant and unbearable. Hermione arched her back in the air and let out a scream, her eyes rolling back and her feet kicking out every which way.

"Honey, I had to do that. I'm sorry, but a ligament was ruptured and I had to fix it with a rudimental, crude spell. Fuck, I'm sorry, here drink this" handing her a potion. She nodded gratefully and opened her mouth. His eyes darkened when he saw her full lips parting, pouring the liquid efficiently in her mouth. For the second time in a space of a few moments, he took her pain away.

Without much energy left, Hermione let herself go limp in Tom's lap as he seated himself on her bed. When he saw her wincing a little after twitching his elbow, he decided to just lie in the bed and drape her over him. The relief Hermione felt at the contact was amazing, considering her initial fear and reservations. Not caring anymore, and with every part of her body touching his, Hermione snuggled her face into Tom's neck. "Don't let the healers wake me, Tom. Just let me rest, safe in your arms." And then she fell asleep.

What she didn't see, was Tom's calculating look as he was figuring out what to do next.