Forewarning: It is a very short chapter; the format is a book chapter, so think of it as the fourth chapter of the first tome. Enjoy! And to answer my dear (and sole :p) reviewer, yes Hermione will be suspicious, though not right now... well, you'll see.
Tom Marvolo Riddle - Chapter 4 : Union (Part 1)
It is a multicolored prism of ethereal reality, wrapped in pain and joy, bliss and grief.
'Not Harry! Not Harry please!' Wails.
'Stand aside, you silly girl... Stand aside now.' Hisses.
'Not Harry!' Pleading; begigng.
'Avada Kedavra!' Silence.
The prism shifts, casting another range of color into Tom's awareness.
'You've been taught how to duel, I presume? First we bow to each other.' Mockery.
'Come now, Harry, the niceties must be observed. Dumbledore would not want you to forget your manners. I said, "Bow."'. Taunts.
'Crucio!' Bliss.
Tom wakes up with a start. A quick Tempus tells him he woke up before sunrise. He decides to take a stroll in the corridors, rules be damned. His forehead is damp with cold sweat.
Shaky legs takes him through ancient corridors, forgotten passageways, cobweb-infested rooms. He does not care; his mind is empty. It is taking him someplace. He ignores where, but the pull is too sweet and strong to resist.
He enunciates words foreign to his brain, but it still manages to make perfect sense. It is as if he sees himself coming, while seeing himself going. It makes no sense; that's why it's so logical.
He is climbing stairs, heading up up up, always up. It is a common room, his brain supplies, but he still is under a daze so he can't recognize which one exactly it is. He hopes against hope that it is his.
Rows of beds are arranged next to the walls, he climbs on one. Dragging the cover, he slips inside. There is a mass of heat he recognizes as a person inside the warm covers. He slithers next to it, then settles. Tantalizing lips are parted, the color pink as fleshly sins. He leans forward and seals their lips in a kiss. Then he is sucking.
He expects to suck a soul; a part of a soul to be exact. He is sure that it is his Horcrux; the Potter boy. A shocked gasp tells him it is not the case.
The charm breaks and he is confronted to a very much awake, confused and angry Hermione Granger.
A silent compulsion spell relaxes her body and mind, leaving her more open to dialogue.
"Hello Hermione," He nearly slips into Parseltongue. What the hell is happening to his body? He shouldn't be losing control.
"Hi Tom," She answers hotly. Her mind tells her that it is Oh so wrong, her body tells her that it is Oh so right.
"I could not sleep." Is an explanation necessary? Of course not. Then why does Tom supply it?
"Is it related to...?" She asks. It is an old wound, she knows, but Ron also has been depressed ever since Ginny's mysterious disappearance. They were still hoping that they would find her someday, but with each passing season, their hopes were dimming.
"I'd rather not speak about it..." His arms coil and encircle her. Damn hormones, why must it be so hard to slip away?
"It's alright," She says, and it was.
They spend the night that way; in each other's embrace, seeking comfort.
Curiously, Tom's soul seems to be soothed by it.
'Soon' A foul, malevolent presence forebodes.
What is coming soon?
Only Merlin knows.
Perhaps Death is not the last enemy that shall be vanquished?
Chapter 4 - End.
