Disclaimer: Though it is every Harry Potter fan's secret (or not so secret) dream to own the series, they do as I do not. sighs dramatically It all belongs to J.K. Rowling… oh well

Summary: Between having odd visions about Tom Riddle and sorting out her feelings for a charming and the mysterious oddly familiar Blaise Zabini, Hermione barely has time to study! What's a girl to do?

Timely Visions

For a moment, Tom Riddle just stared at her, blinking as though slightly surprised. Quite suddenly, he started to laugh. Now it was Hermione with the disbelieving expression on her face.

"What?" She asked, irritated, when he continued to laugh, a deeper, more pleasant sound compared to what Voldemort's high pitched cackle, only to think belatedly a moment later that Tom Riddle was Voldemort. He took a few deep, calming breaths, though a small chuckle still escaped him.

"Oh nothing." He paused, a genuine Slytherin smirk on his charming face. Hermione sincerely wished he were not so good-looking; evil people should not look good, she couldn't help but think- it made you not want to hate them quite so much. "It's just… I don't know. I guess I expected you to be… more… heroic looking!"

She glared at him, suddenly liking him less and less by the second.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, an angry flush creeping onto her face, her chocolate brown eyes narrowed. Riddle continued to smirk, looking more and more amused by the moment.

"Well… you look awful young for someone who helps to defeat my future self." Her eyes instantly widened.

"You mean-" He swiftly interrupted her.

"Yes! I do get defeated in the future, but I live on, in this room of everlasting time, in a world of dreams and visions. So, in the end, I am immortal, though it is kind of ironic" He paused in his speech to give a dramatic sigh. Hermione however noticed there was bitterness in his voice. She frowned, and continued to look up at him. "Stop looking at me like that, your face might permanently stay like that and really ruin your chances of getting married. I should have recognized you in an instant though… you have a key role in the future from what I have seen, but you must have been older when you helped defeat me."

"But why do-" She cut herself off, hearing voices in the distance. The voices suddenly grew louder, clearer, and she was able to make out what they were saying.

"Hermione! Hermione Granger for the love of Merlin, GET UP!"

"You'd better leave," Riddle said, a small smile on his face. "There is all the time in the world to talk later, Granger… literally. I'll be waiting…"

Suddenly, the room (if that's what she could call it) with the hourglass in it started to fade away. She watched it grow farther and farther away as she was pulled from it at high speed, though no winds rushed around her. She closed her eyes, bracing for an impact with something that would surely end her life.

But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in her bed. She sat up, blinking as sunlight streamed into her face. She looked around, searching for any sign of Tom Riddle and the hourglass, but finding none. That's when she saw Ginny.

"Ginny?"

"About time you got up, sleepy head," Ginny Weasley said sternly, but not without a smile. "It's half-past eleven- almost lunch time actually!" Hermione was out of bed in an instant, eyes wide, and hands frantically pulling at her brown curls.

"What! But, butit can't be!" The redhead nodded, smirking slightly.

"But… I was really there… but I was sleeping… Oh bugger this!" Hermione stomped over to her trunk and pulled out a shirt, jeans, and a sweatshirt, for the slight chill in the halls this Saturday in October. She changed quickly and after grabbing her wand off her bedside table, she pocketed it.

"C'mon 'Mione! The boys are really worried about you! They thought you had died or something- you never sleep in!"

"I didn't feel like I overslept… I mean… I was only with Tom for a few moments…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the dark look pass over her friend's face. "Not the Tom you're thinking about!" Hermione added quickly, and Ginny relaxed immediately.

The two walked down to the Great Hall, each caught in their own thoughts. Hermione could not stopponderingover what she had dreamt- Tom Riddle, of all people! She had had a dream about Tom Riddle, the past Lord Voldemort, someone that she barely knew anything about! What a strange dream… if she could call it that; it had felt so real…Bah! She was beginning to sound like Trelawny for God's sake!

"Oh!" Something, or rather, someone crashed into Hermione as she and Ginny turned the corner to the entrance to the Great Hall.

Hermione looked down at the ground for a moment, then up at the person who was standing impressively before her, though his eyes were widened slightly in surprise. She frowned, trying to place a name to the teen's face.

He stared at her for another moment, and she continued to go through names in her head. Slytherin, 6th year… was it Blake, no, no, that wasn't it. It suddenly hit her and she snapped her fingers, delighted by the "ah ha!" moment.

"Blaise. Blaise Zabini, right?" Zabini blinked in surprise, and a slow smile crept onto his pale face. They continued to stare at each other for what seemed like eternity to Hermione,andshe wasfinally forced herself to look away, unable to take much more of his intense sapphire eyes. Somewhere in what seemed to be the distance, Ginny giggled, and the noise brought Hermione back to reality. She got up off the floor and brushed herself off. Zabini's smile turned into a smirk as he continued to study her.

Glancing at Blaise one last time, she started back to the Great Hall, only to hear a voice calling her name.

"Hey, Granger," She looked over her shoulder, and Ginny, rolled her eyes in exasperation (Hermione could not help but notice the similarity between the two youngest Weasleys when it came their impatience to get to breakfast, lunch, or dinner).

"You probably don't want to drink the pumpkin juice," He was smirking and Hermione narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Dear Draco decided he wanted to try an experiment, just a hint." And he was gone, walking corridor and then turning a corner and disappearing from view. The last she saw of him was his perfect black curls bouncing as he walked. Zabini's smirk remained in her mind, and she could have sworn it looked like she had seen that exact look, but on someone else's face. Someone from another time and another place…

With a strange sense of foreboding, she and Ginny finally entered the Great Hall, the youngest Weasley with a smile, eyes closed, inhaling the scents around her, but Hermione with a frown, contemplating.

Somewhere, in another place, someone from another time, watched her,ponderingthis strange new nightly companion of his...

Oh boy… I'm back. I got inspired.Anyone enjoying this random, pointless, nearly plotless story? TBC… maybe. Reviews are definitely welcome, as usual. Oh, and thank you for all those wonderful reviews everybody, and sorry about spelling Zabini wrong in my summary!

FrEcKLeD tRiCkStEr