A/N: Okay, so I hope you all guessed right! It's really not that hard, but don't be offended if you didn't. So in this chapter things really aren't as bad as they seem. You may be surprised of how this story ends, for there are many hints in the first couple of chapters. I do have to warn you that it may not be what you want. But on a lighter note, the ending won't happen for a while! So let's get reading! Disclaimers were at the head of the first chapter so there you go.

~ Tweedlebugqueen

Chapter Three:

Unpleasant Surprises

Hermione woke within a matter of seconds, Draco had caught her and the boy who had spoken was standing over them. She looked up at him and felt a pang of anger, she knew who this was. He was evil, the very first thoughts that came to her mind when she heard his name were Lucifer, Satan, Devil, the very thing that had threatened millions of lives and more. How could this have happened to them? To her and Draco? They had traveled back in time to get away from not being accepted and had fallen into the deepest pit of hell imaginable to her. And she could only think of one person, one name, one face. She had never met the boy but she recognized him from the pictures.

Tom Riddle.

"Are you all right? You fainted so suddenly, you are very lucky I was a seeker or I wouldn't have been fast enough to catch you." Draco joked, but she wasn't laughing, she wouldn't ever laugh again. She would always be terrified here.

But she decided to put on a show for Draco, he was the reason she would be strong. So she hid the fear in her voice, "I-I'm ok-kay. I j-just. . .I d-d-don't know." she stuttered, but Draco wouldn't think it was in fear. He would think that it was just her waking up.

She averted her eyes from Riddle's direction when Draco proceeded to lift her up effortlessly, she didn't want to see the deep crimson she was expecting to. "Does she do this often?" Hermione could hear him ask Draco.

She was surprised that she actually was infuriated, she jerked her head up. "I do NOT do this often, I can answer for myself, and I have a name." she spat at him with gritted teeth.

A flash of confusion and surprise crossed his face but was replaced with a relaxed and composed one a moment later, "Then what is it?"

She was still fuming, if lightning bolts shot from her fingers and steam came out of her ears she would not have been surprised, "What is what?" she asked rigidly.

He leaned in closer to her and grinned, obviously testing her anger, "Your name."

Hermione was surprised, why would the future dark lord care enough to ask her about her name? Wouldn't he just get pissed and walk away? But she answered him none of the less, "Hermione Howe." she whispered.

Tom turned to Draco, "And yours?" he asked curiously.

"Draco Newton, and yes I know it sounds a little weird but that's what my mother wrote on my birth certificate." he drawled uninterested.

Riddle extended his hand to Draco and introduced himself, "I'm Tom Riddle." he said curteously.

Draco didn't respond, though Hermione knew that he now understood who this was. Instead, he extended his hand and shook Riddle's, "It's a pleasure, we're transfer students. Would you mind showing us to the Slytherin common room?" he asked calmly.

Tom answered immediately, "That's the house you've been sorted to I presume?" and he lifted an eyebrow at Hermione, he obviously didn't believe she was Slytherin material.

"Yes." she replied shortly.

"Follow me." he ordered as he walked down the dark hallway.

Draco took her hand and gave her a knowing look as they proceeded down the hall together.

They walked through five hallways and down three sets of stairs to get to the dungeons, no one else was in the hallways except for them. Hermione walked silently, watching Riddle's back suspiciously. Perhaps he's taking us to his turture chamber, maybe he's going to kill us slowly and painfully. She flinched violently away from that thought and shuddered, Draco squeezed her hand reassuringly. Hermione decided to count the torches mentally as they passed them. One, two, three. She began to think that they would never get down this long and endless hallway to the comfort of the awaiting beds in their dormitories.

Tom turned around then. This is the end, we're going to die. Hermione thought to herself, but then a more sensible voice told her, Shut up, you're just paranoid.

"The password is mission, I don't know why, but that's what it is so don't ask any questions. The boy's dormitories are on the right, girl's on your left. Don't forget that Hermione, girl's are on the left not the right." he explained.

She felt insulted, was he calling her stupid? Who did he think he was? "I understand, why do you have to single me out? I'm more capable of understanding than you think I am." she shot at him.

He lifted an eyebrow at her, was that common here? Did everybody do that? "I only addressed that statement to you because you have access to both the dormitories, if Draco here wanted to go into the girl's dormitories the stairs would smooth out and he would slide back into the common room. I'm not being sexist, I'm not calling you stupid, I'm telling you what I was told to tell all the little boys and girls who have come here since my fifth year. It isn't a big deal, please refrain from making it so."

She stared open mouthed at him, he was a cocky little bugger. But she had been rude so she guessed she deserved it. "Now if you will excuse me I have an appointment with headmaster Dippet." and he turned on his heel and stalked down the hallway.

"You might not get that meeting taken care of, Dippet seems a little absorbed in himself tonight!" Draco yelled after him, Riddle just waved his hand as if he were brushing off the statement.

Hermione watched him go, she muttered something rude and unintelligent under her breath, Draco laughed. "Don't get so mad 'Mione he won't hurt us, he might be bad news but we're Slytherins so he won't mess with us."

Hermione still glared at Riddle as he rounded the corner, "He doesn't think I'm Slytherin material, apparently." she said through gritted teeth.

Draco laughed, "He's stupid then, I've seen you when you're mad. I've even been punched by you before, you are definitely Slytherin material."

Hermione smirked, but still glared after Riddle as Draco muttered the password.

"You too miffed to sleep?" he asked her.

She turned around and he embraced her, "Don't worry hun, everything's going to be just fine." he assured her.

And Hermione just couldn't find it in herself to doubt him.

''..~~**~~*~~**~~..''

Hermione woke with a start, "It was just a dream." she muttered to herself.

Of course she had dreamt of Tom Riddle, the one from in her day, that night. She saw the snakelike face, the hairless head, the flattened nose, and red eyes. She saw him murder Harry in the last battle, she saw the entire Weasley family tortured to death for conspiracy against The Ruler of All Power. She had been completely and utterly terrified by the very thought of anything like that happening to either of her friends.

"I'm sorry, but are you new here or something?" a prim and proper girl asked her. Suddenly the word 'snipe' came to mind. Hermione didn't even know this girl, but because of her preconcieved notions of Slytherins, she just couldn't help herself.

"Oh...um...yes." she sputtered.

"Do you have trouble waking up?" a snobby voice from across the room asked rudely.

Hermione sat up and looked around.

The sixth year who had woken her up looked nice enough. Her face was heart shaped, and wide dark blue eyes. This girl had such deep blue eyes that they looked like they had no end. She was brunette with curls cascading down her back. She had a lean frame and a pale, clear complexion. She didn't even appear to have any moles, anywhere.

The girl who had rudely spoken had an oval shaped face, a pointed nose, squared lips, and almond shaped eyes. She had long, wavy, yet frizzy, black hair and emerald eyes. This girl was not the most beautiful thing Hermione had ever seen, so she didn't feel threatened or inferior to her.

"Oh yes, it's a diagnosed defect I have. I have recurring dreams and I tend to awake disoriented or strangely dizzy. Sometimes I even see things, things that aren't really there. Those types of things are called illusions." she said sarcastically, but it was so subtle she doubted that any one of these women would find any drip of rudeness in her voice.

The girl looked taken aback, "Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't known, I'm Jemima by the way."

Hermione smiled smugly, "Hermione Howe, and no that isn't a question, it's my name."

The girl who had woken her smiled, "I'm Clarissa."

Hermione looked around, it seemed that the Slytherin dungeons were much more stingy and vast than that of the Gryffindor tower. But, it made up for lack of fresh air with the luxury of the room. But, that could have just been from the time period. The room had stone walls with magnificent paintings of various landscapes. She also noticed a great serpent was set into every one of the gold picture frames holding the paintings. Every fabric in the room was warm velvet and the mattress was so comfortable, she could have melted into it. Of course, knowing how dark Salazar Slytherin lived, all the woods in the room were stained dark.

"What time is it?" she asked to no one in particular, though she knew someone would answer her.

"Well, it's five in the morning, but we usually get up early to do homework. At least me and Jemima do, we're too lazy to do it when we're supposed to." Clarissa smiled sheepishly.

"I'm the exact opposite, I could help you if you like." she smiled back.

Jemima scowled, obviously she thought Hermione was challenging her intelligence. But Clarissa's face broke out in a grin, she looked like she wanted to test how smart Miss Howe was.

She sat down on her own bed, "That would be lovely." she replied.

Hermione and the two girls finished quickly with their homework and soon they were comparing schedules.

"We have all except one class together." Jemima noted.

Oh, joy. Hermione thought to herself, though the girl started to be a little nicer to her.

"I only have Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, and Potions with you." Clarissa sighed, she sounded a little disappointed, to Hermione's surprise.

Hermione tucked her schedule into the front flap of her schoolbag, collected via Draco, and set it on the floor. "Classes don't start until eight thirty." she sighed, "We have quite a bit of time on our hands." she knew this because she had been mentally keeping track in her head how many minutes there were until she could see Draco again.

"Breakfast is at seven thirty though, and we are supposed to be there on the dot. Punctuality is a big issue for young men and young ladies, it should be greatly upheld." Clarissa stated matter-of-factly.

After Hermione had successfully suppressed the laugh that was struggling very hard not to erupt from her she decided that she was going to go back to sleep for the hour and a half she had remaining to her before she had to wake up and get ready. I mean, it's five thirty in the bloody morning! she thought to herself.

When she woke up Hermione got dressed, did her hair (which had become majorly more tameable than that of her first through third years), and her makeup. Yes, Hermione was still a girl, therefore, she had discovered the wonders makeup could do for your complection. She decided that it was time to go down to the common room, or just time to see Draco that is.

''..~~**~~*~~**~~..''

Draco and Hermione were on their way down to the Great Hall to have some breakfast, they knew it would be good because HELLO? this was still Hogwarts, even if it were fifty years in the past, and the hallways were still crowded. She sucked in a deep breath when she saw Dumbledore, or what she thought was Dumbledore a few yards ahead of them. That, was Dumbledore? She couldn't believe it. Of course he looked odd, she knew that he would. But seriously?

He was dressed clad in a maroon cloak with yellow stars on it, which would have been normal if not for his green suit robes with purple polka dots adorned with it. He topped off the look with a silver and pink striped hat, definitely Dumbledore. Looking at the hilariousity gave her a migraine, she had to pull her eyebrows together and really concentrate on what she was viewing before she cracked up laughing.

Draco followed her gaze until he spotted the brunette Dumbledore, at first all he noticed was the good man that he was. He only saw the normalness of it, half crescent spectacles, twinkling blue eyes, his hair was much shorter at his shoulders and it slowly faded into his relatively shorter beard. But then, when he realized just what the man was wearing, he couldn't stop laughing for what seemed to be around ten minutes. If nothing, Dumbledore would amuse them and make this situation that much easier.