Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 4! I apologize for the slightly longer updating time: wisdom teeth drama and a particularly nasty English paper are to blame. Thank you to those who reviewed, and here is a brief response:

Hippothestrowl: Thank you very much for your formatting suggestions! Truth be told, I had not even noticed that indentations and paragraph breaks were not working. I hope that this chapter will add a bit more to the characterization of Tom and Nagini. Thanks again for reviewing!

RunWithTheWolf: I understand your suggestions with sentence structure, and I have tried to add some more variety this time around. As far as Hermione's characterization goes, I think we all have the one event that can completely undo us. She starts to gain a bit more of her resolve back, however, I promise. :)

Now, on with the story!

Chapter 4

"Ronald, won't you please just calm down?"

"Calm down! Who are you to tell me to calm down!" His harsh voice retorted, eyes narrowed in fury, "You don't know, you can't know, how it feels to lose him."

"We all miss Fred." Hermione replied softly, touching his arm gently, trying to call him back to her.

"It was him, you know. Voldemort. He ruined our lives."

"I know, Ronald."

"We should have stopped him before he could."

"I know, Ronald."

Hermione awoke with a start, her breath slightly heavier than usual. She sat up in her four poster bed, pushing back the emerald green sheets. The memory had been so vivid, so real. She could practically reach out and touch Ron. But it was a dream. A realistic one, to be sure, but a dream nonetheless.

Hermione glanced over at the clock sitting on her nightstand and groaned: 6:30. Not enough time to be awake, but not enough time to be asleep either. With another groan, she swung her legs out from under the warm sheets and stood up.

She needed to catch up on her reading anyway.

* ' * ' *

As Hermione arrived in the Great Hall, she was not at all surprised to see that although she was early, Tom Riddle was already at breakfast. What did surprise Hermione, however, was his companion; Nagini sat across from the future Dark Lord, engaging him in what seemed to be an animated conversation.

Merlin, he's even laughing! Hermione thought, confused. Why did Voldemort have friends? He was supposed to be dark, evil, easy to hate. No, he had to be charismatic to gather so many followers. Hermione corrected herself as she neared the nearly deserted Slytherin table,

"Good morning, Riddle, Nagini." Hermione said brightly, hoping the cheerfulness did not seem forced. The last thing she needed was them to be suspicious of her.

"Good morning, Ms. Blishwick. Please, join us." Tom replied with a sweep of his hand and a small smile.

Hermione nodded, "Don't mind if I do." She replied, sitting beside Nagini. The shared name with Voldemort's future pet and horcrux was disturbing, to say the least; since Nagini was so close to Tom Riddle, the occurrence being a coincidence seemed impossible. Still, it also seemed impossible that Voldemort liked someone enough to name the only living thing that he almost cared about after them. At the moment, Hermione's musings were interrupted by Nagini,

"Good morning, Hermione! Sleep well your first night in the dormitories?"

"Yes, for the most part. A little cold for my taste, but I'll manage." Hermione replied as she reached for a piece of toast.

"Well, the dormitories are down under the lake, so they do get a bit chilly at times." Tom supplied, also taking a piece of toast, "Of course, you should be used to being down under, right?" He teased.

Hermione stared blankly at him for a little too long, "Oh yes, Australia! I'm sorry, I'm a little slow this morning. Guess I didn't get enough sleep. . ." Hermione replied quickly, remembering her rather weak back-story. Tom nodded, seeming to accept her explanation.

"Oh, by the time you have the pleasure of meeting the other girls in our house, you won't sleep at all. They'll be clucking like hens all bloody night!" Nagini exclaimed with a light laugh, ignoring the stares she got from the few other students in the quiet Great Hall at her loose use of language. Tom, however, did not even seem to notice.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, slightly anxious. Of all the things Hogwarts taught her, coping with gossip was not one of them.

Nagini shrugged, "They're idiots. The whole lot of them." She replied carelessly, taking a rather large gulp of pumpkin juice.

At that moment, there was heard a noise so offensive to the ear that Hermione fought the urge to visibly cringe: giggling. Intense giggling. When Nagini rolled her eyes, Hermione's fears were confirmed; these were the lovely house members of whom Nagini was so incredibly fond.

"And then- oh my, I almost fainted- and then, she said 'Well, he only kissed me a few times.' A FEW times! Merlin, they practically acted like they were married already." One girl, petite with straight brown hair and unremarkable features announced, eliciting gasps from the other female.

"Oh, Florence! You don't say!" This girl looked suspiciously like Pansy Parkinson. Hermione remembered her bragging that her family had been in Slytherin for generations. Well, this must be a great grandmother or grandmother.

When the two reached the Slytherin table, they stopped, "Good morning, Tom! My, don't you look dashing." The girl identified as Florence greeted with a suggestive smile.

"Ah, good morning, Florence! You're looking especially lovely today." Tom replied, mimicking her enthusiasm in a far too convincing tone, complete with a smile that made even Hermione feel slightly giddy. With another atrocious giggle, the pair of girls turned to Nagini,

"Hello, Nagini. I trust you had a good summer?" The girl Hermione assumed to be a Parkinson asked icily. Nagini flashed them an award-winning smile,

"Oh, yes, it was. Don't remember half of it, but I assume it was good. That's what Tom told me, anyway." The two stared at her in shock, mouths slightly open. After a long silence, they turned to Hermione,

"You must be our transfer student." Florence stated flatly.

Hermione smiled, "Yes, I'm Hermione Blishwick, and you are?"

"Florence Greengrass, and this is Lucille Parkinson."

Lucille smirked, "How do you do?"

"Well, thank you." Hermione replied politely, but did not offer anything more.

"I think we best be going now. Blishwick, Nagini. . . Tom." Florence said, adding extra emphasis on Tom's name before the pair was gone in another fit of giggles.

Nagini rolled her eyes, "One day, I'm going to hex the stupidity out of them." She commented when the girls were not quite out of earshot.

"I think that to be quite impossible, Nagini." Tom remarked dryly.

"Riddle, Nagini," Came the voice of Clayton Lestrange as he sauntered up to the table, accompanied by Abraxus Malfoy and William Rosier, "Miss Blishwick." As he pronounced her assumed name, he picked up Hermione's hand and pressed his lips gracefully to the back of her hand. Although she tried to stop it, this brought a slight blush to Hermione's cheeks, but she quickly recovered as a picture of Bellatrix appeared in her head,

"Good morning, Mr. Lestrange, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Rosier." Hermione greeted politely.

"So, I trust your first night in the dorms was comfortable?" Lestrange asked, brows knitted in concern.

"Oh, knock it off Lestrange. She's not going to sleep with you yet; it's only the second day she's been here." Nagini commented in a similar tone to that she would use when discussing the weather.

"Nagini!" Malfoy said in shock, but at this reaction, Nagini threw back her head and laughed.

And, still laughing, she made her exit from the Great Hall.

* ' * ' *

"Miss Blishwick, what class do you have first?" Tom Riddle asked politely as the group of Slytherins rose from the table.

Hermione replied after a quick glance to her schedule, "I have NEWT Transfiguration." Tom raised his eyebrows,

"You must be quite intelligent. Not hard to guess, really." He said while fixating those impossibly dark eyes upon her own.

"Thank you, Mr. Riddle. It is kind of you to say."

"It just so happens that I am in your class as well. Would you like to accompany me there?" Tom asked her in another tone of perfect politeness. Hermione caught sight of Florence and Lucille, heads together, shooting jealous looks in her direction.

"Why, yes, I would. Your kindness is much appreciated, Mr. Riddle. I would be hopelessly lost." Hermione said, giving him her most charming smile. In truth, she had to fight the urge to gag; Hermione Granger never sucked up (as Harry and Ron called it) to anyone. Well, except a teacher perhaps. But that's only because-

Her internal monologue was interrupted by Tom, who smirked and said in a mock exasperated tone,

"What can I say? So many would be. . ."

Hermione exclaimed in the same tone, "Oh, well aren't you a martyr!" He sighed,

"It is difficult sometimes, you know."

"Mr. Riddle, we're going to be late for class."

"Of course, my apologies. Right this way." As they began to exit the Great Hall, a loud exclamation came from behind them,

"Oh Florence, you know he's only being polite. Tom is helpful to anyone, even those who don't deserve his attention." Lucille said loudly, and Hermione was sure that it was not a coincidence, however, she ignored the girl. Tom, on the other hand, turned towards Hermione,

"Miss Blishwick, how could I be so rude? Allow me to take your books." Before she could protest, he took her bag from her hands and slung it across his shoulder. Surprised gasps from Florence and Lucille were heard. To add even more to the drama, Tom offered Hermione his arm.

And, although she was cringing on the inside, Hermione could not help but feel satisfaction at the horrified squeaks she heard as she accepted it.

* ' * ' *

"Now, Albus Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor. He is the head of Gryffindor House, so he can be a bit dramatic at times. He's very knowledgeable though, and even though I don't care for him, many people do. Perhaps you'll like him." Tom said as they neared the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, I'm sure I will. Transfiguration is one of my favorite subjects." Hermione replied happily, glad that she would finally see one of her favorite professors.

"I find it to be quite interesting as well." As Tom said this, they arrived in the classroom. In truth, it did not look much different from the Transfiguration classroom that Professor McGonagall kept in her time. Neat, but slightly cluttered, with cages both empty and house various animals lining the walls, a chalkboard crammed with tiny handwriting at the front of the room, and books scattered across the desks. Overall, it was quite cozy, and Hermione liked it.

She looked around briefly once more, "Do we have assigned seats?"

"No, not usually. Everyone tends to stick to their houses, though. We have this class with Gryffindor students." Even though Tom controlled his emotions quite well, she could detect a hint of dislike in his voice, "Well, I think I'll sit towards the front there with Avery and Rosier. Join us, if you would like."

"I will. I do not yet know anybody else, and I would rather stay with my house-mates anyway." Hermione said, again nearly choking on her manufactured affections for the future Death Eaters, but she knew it had to be done to get close enough to Tom to kill him.

Only when she received strange glances from the other students and Rosier raised his eyebrows at her did Hermione realize that she was still holding Tom Riddle's arm. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she nodded at Tom as she released his arm,

"Thank you for escorting me, Mr. Riddle. It was most kind of you." She used a formal tone, hoping to dispel any rumors she knew were already brewing. Tom, matching her tone, replied,

"You are most welcome, Ms. Blishwick. As Head Boy, it is my duty to serve." There was, however, a smirk on his face as he sat on the opposite side of Rosier. On Rosier's other side, Avery sat.

"Is this seat taken?" Hermione asked Avery.

"Oh, not at all. Here." He quickly moved his books out of the chair.

"Thank you." Hermione said, sitting down in the now empty seat and bending down to fish her books out of her bag. Then, however, she noticed her bag was not there. Momentarily confused, she looked up and saw Tom gazing at her with that same smirk, "Tom, may I have my bag please?"

"Yes, Ms. Blishwick. Sorry, so silly of me, I forgot I was carrying it." He stood, bringing the bag over to her and setting it down next to her chair, "My apologies."

"Oh, it's not problem. Thank you for carrying it." She responded as he nodded and returned to his seat. Hermione then grabbed the rather thick Transfiguration book, (Professor Dippet had supplied her with used books until she could buy her own), and set it on the desk. As she went to grab her quill and ink, Avery cleared his throat,

"Hello, Ms. Blishwick. I'm Peter Avery, if you don't remember. I know you have a lot of names to learn."

"Yes, hello Mr. Avery. I must ask, does everyone use the titles all of the time?" She questioned, rolling out some parchment.

He laughed, "Not unless if you want to."

"Well, then. Call me Blishwick, and I'll call you Avery. Deal?"

"Deal, Blishwick." Avery responded with a small smile, "How are you getting on here at Hogwarts on your second day?" He asked conversationally.

"Quite well, thanks. I rather-" She was interrupted by a pleasant male voice.

"Good Morning, students!" Hermione could almost leap for joy as she heard a voice she never thought she would hear again. Albus Dumbledore arrived at the front of the classroom, beaming at all of his students. He looked considerably younger, with auburn hair instead of white and a far shorter beard, "I trust you all had nice summers?" There was a murmur of consent, "And completed your summer homework?" At this, many students attempted to advert their eyes and look as nonchalant as possible, "It is due in three days times, for those of you who failed to complete it. Good luck." A chuckle moved through the room. Professor Dumbledore was obviously well-liked, although Tom barely seemed to be paying attention.

"Sorry I'm late, professor." Nagini announced as she walked through the door, quickly making her way over to the empty seat beside Hermione.

Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "Might I ask why you are late, Miss Kosmachevskaia?"

"Well, you see sir, I got lost." She said innocently, her eyes wide. The students chuckled at this as well. Even Tom smirked, and Hermione could not help but chuckle because it reminded her of Ron and Harry on their first day of Transfiguration.

"I see, Miss Kosmachevskaia. We'll have to make sure that a seventh year student does not get lost walking to her classroom that she has also been attending for seven years." Dumbledore replied, the trademark twinkle in his eye. Nagini nodded,

"Absolutely, sir." Hermione could not tell if Nagini's supposed seriousness was out of affection or disrespect for Dumbledore. I don't suppose it matters, really. Nagini seems to just do as she pleases. I wonder how she follows Voldemort then. . . she doesn't seem to be one for taking orders. Hermione mused. As Dumbledore began to speak once more, however, she ended her thoughts for the moment.

"Today, we will be beginning with something a little easy to start off the year: the Incarcerous

spell. Can anyone tell me what this spell does?" Immediately, out of pure instinct, Hermione's hand shot up in the air, "Ah, our new student. Miss Blishwick, is it not?"

"Yes sir, it is. The Incarcerous spell, deriving its name from the root incarcerate, which means to capture, conjures ropes which then bind the victim and prevent said victim from moving." She answered crisply. Dumbledore nodded,

"Well said, Miss Blishwick. Ten points to Slytherin!" He paused, "Now, the incantation for the spell is just the name: Incarcerous. We will be practicing on dummies today, found in the back left corner of the room. Off you go!" The room immediately erupted into cheerful chatter as the students moved around to gather the dummies.

"I'll get a dummy for us to use." Avery offered, walking towards the crowded back left corner. Nagini stood up and stretched,

"Ah, well, I can deal with easy days every now and then." She said, picking up her wand, "You know, Tom's usually the only one that answers questions. It's nice to have someone else to earn us house points."

"Really?" Hermione replied, picking up her own wand and waiting for Avery to return, "My friends always teased me that I couldn't not answer a question. I suppose they're right." Avery returned, levitating two life-sized dummies in front of him,

"Here. I figured we could manage with two."

"Yes, thank you, Avery." Hermione replied, stepping out from behind the desk dragging one of the dummies a little bit further off as to not cross spells by accident.

"Mind if I practice over here as well?" Not surprisingly, Tom appeared beside her.

"You certainly may." Hermione turned towards the dummy, " Incarcerous!" She articulated clearly, ropes springing from her wand and wrapping neatly around the dummy.

"Incarcerous!" Hermione barely even saw the ropes leave his wand before they engulfed the dummy, knocking it back with enormous force. She turned to look at the boy, no, the man that cast the spell, and he was beautiful. She could not deny it. His posture was perfect, his wand looked like a mere extension of his arm, one piece of rich brown hair was slightly out of place, his eyes concentrating intensely on the dummy. Suddenly, his eyes shifted, focusing intensely on her own eyes: she couldn't breath. Hermione suddenly put her wand arm up again, and the ropes shot out at the dummy without her saying a word, hitting it with so much force it went flying back and crashed into the wall, completely bound. No living thing would escape that.

The loud noise caught the attention of Dumbledore, who looked knowingly at her. Nagini stared, her head tilted, chewing unconsciously on her bottom lip in concentration. Just as fast as she looked, she turned away. When Hermione finally got enough courage to look back to Tom Riddle, she could not have predicted his reaction.

He inclined his head slightly, a nod. Acknowledgement.

As an enemy or ally, she could not yet say.