The feeling of déjà vu was not lost on her.
Tom Riddle had been reading a book when she had stumbled upon him for the second time that day. She could tell it was not the same book from earlier (Divination: The History of Dream Interpretation, if she recalled correctly) because the one he was currently holding appeared to be significantly larger. The cozy fire behind the chair he occupied illuminated his pale complexion and made the rest of the room feel comfortable and inviting.
Hermione made her way toward the chair situated across from where Tom Riddle sat. She could feel the boy's eyes trailing her movements, but he remained silent while he waited for her to take her seat.
"Today has been an eventful day," Hermione confessed as she sat down in the chair. She placed her book bag on the floor next to her feet, but withdrew her wand from its confines. From the moment she had chosen her wand in Mr. Ollivander's shop, she had always felt a degree of ease by keeping it on her person at all times. The weight of the wood in her hands provided her with a reassuring and comfortable sense of security.
Tom had placed the book in his lap and was resting his slender hands against it. A quick glance at the cover allowed Hermione to see the book was titled An Encyclopedia of Potion Ingredients. She could recall skimming through the book once for an assignment Professor Snape had given the class, but she had never read through the entire thing. The book Tom was holding seemed considerably newer than the one she had briefly perused a few months ago, but his version had yet to experience fifty years of dusty shelves.
"I assume your statement extends beyond discovering a room that defies the laws of time?" Tom inquired.
"Your assumption is correct," Hermione confirmed.
"So where were you for the past several hours?"
"Well, after we tested out whether we could travel through time – and might I admit how disappointed I was to find out that we could not? – I realized the room had disappeared," Hermione explained.
"I will also confess that I was disappointed by the turn of events. I would have liked to see how the world will change over the next five decades," Tom admitted, his tone conveying his disappointment. "As for your disappearance, when you did not return immediately, I realized you probably did not know how to find the room."
Hermione confirmed his statement with a nod before launching into her explanation, "What you said earlier really helped me out – about the room having to be discovered. I deduced that the room was in the same location as it had been, but the entrance was merely concealed. I don't really want to bore you with the details about everything that I went through to find the answer behind the room, but as you can see, I have solved the mystery." A smile crept onto her lips as she recalled how proud she felt for finding the room so soon.
"Actually, I would rather like to hear how you managed to find the room," Tom said, surprising Hermione. She could tell that she had captured his interest from the tone of his voice and how he had leaned forward in his seat. Hermione rarely encountered anyone who had any interest in what she had to say.
Tom went on to explain the reason for his interest when Hermione did not respond immediately, "I concede that the room took me slightly longer than a day to find. I am impressed that you discovered it so quickly, so I am eager to learn how you accomplished the feat."
"If you don't mind, I would first like to hear about how you found the room," Hermione said. Although she would have been more than happy to oblige the boy's request in explaining how she had found the room, her curiosity concerning how he had found the room had loomed over her ever since she had started her own search.
Tom seemed to have no reservations in recounting his tale about the room. He complied without complaint, "I found the room when I was exploring the castle one day. I had been searching for a spot where I could read in peace. You have no idea how unpleasant my housemates can be" – Hermione's sympathetic expression informed Tom that she actually did possess an idea as to how unpleasant Slytherins (and other students in general) could be – "When I came searching for the room again, I found that it was no longer there.
"I spent a week researching about vanishing rooms in the library. I managed to find an old book in the archives that mentioned a room on the seventh floor that would appear when a person was in need of something. It turned out that the book had been referring to the room I had discovered."
When Tom had finished his tale, Hermione frowned. She had dismissed the idea of the room being in a book because the room had not been mentioned in Hogwarts, A History. Perhaps she should have relied on the books more, but Tom had mentioned the search had taken him considerably longer than a day.
"What was the book called?" Hermione inquired out of curiosity.
"That is a secret that will never be passed down to anyone," Tom said with a smirk. Hermione had seen the same facial expression before on Draco Malfoy and a few other Slytherins, usually when they had just successfully managed something underhanded or had mocked another student. She wondered if it was something Slytherins naturally picked up during their time at Hogwarts.
It took her a few moments, but Hermione, having thought about what Tom had just said, gasped in horror when the realization of what he had been implying dawned on her.
"You destroyed a library book!" Hermione exclaimed in shock and amazement. She was shocked that he would actually go so far as to destroy school property, and amazed that he would possess the audacity to do so!
Tom looked oddly pleased that Hermione had discovered his true meaning. Hermione wondered why, but could not think of a suitable explanation.
"Well, I couldn't have people finding out about my secret room and interrupting my peace and solitude, now could I? Though, I must admit, I'm rather glad the only person to find the room so far has been someone worth sharing the room with," Tom explained.
Hermione felt slightly placated by his comment, but she was still shocked that the boy in front of her had destroyed a book – a book that might have been the only one of its kind!
"I just can't believe you destroyed a book," Hermione admitted with a groan.
"It's not as if you needed a book to find the room after all," Tom commented.
"Well, could you at least tell me what the book was about?" Hermione asked, knowing that the only way she would possess the information that was forever lost would be to ask the boy sitting across from her.
"You still owe me the tale of how you managed to find the room. If you tell me, I may feel inclined to tell you about what I learned from the book," Tom said with a grin, knowing exactly how valuable his knowledge was to her.
"And what happens if you forget what was in the book?" Hermione asked in an attempt to convince him to impart the knowledge he had learned from the destroyed book.
"I have a great memory, so I won't forget it," Tom informed her with a haughty tone. "And you won't be hearing a single word about it until I hear the entire story of how you found the room."
Hermione felt her lips form a pout, but her expression only seemed to amuse her companion. With a sigh and a forlorn look at the Slytherin boy, she resumed her story.
"After you and the door disappeared, I first tried retracing my steps. When that did not work, I wondered whether the room was hidden by a concealing charm. I tried to cast a revealing spell on the wall, but that did not work either."
"That is not a spell that first years are taught, and I doubt the curriculum has changed so dramatically over the next five decades," Tom commented with a hint of admiration.
Hermione was pleased that someone besides her professors was impressed by her accomplishments. She was more than happy to elaborate on the subject.
"Well, after memorizing all the textbooks for our first year, I decided to start reading our second and third year textbooks as well. The library has a few extra copies on the shelves; however, I can't seem to find the Astronomy textbook for third year. I do plan to review the books when they are actually assigned, but I felt I should try to get a head start so I will have time to read other books as well."
Tom looked impressed by what Hermione had said. He told her, "I thought I was the only one who read the textbooks ahead of time. I would be surprised if some of my classmates have even opened a book before."
Hermione giggled, for she could think of a few students who could be accused of the same.
"Now where was I? Oh, yes, revealing spells. After I realized that the room was not concealed by a charm, I figured I would ask one of the castle's ghosts. It was nearly dinner by this time, so I went to the Great Hall. Unfortunately, Sir Nick – the ghost I was going to ask – was already occupied," Hermione said. She paused, wondering if she should explain how she ended up in the kitchen. Did she really want to mention Ron Weasley to Tom?
"And then what?" Tom inquired, for Hermione had gone silent.
Deciding there really was no point to not including Ron in the story, Hermione continued recounting her tale, "A boy from my house showed up, and the two of us don't exactly get along. He's a complete idiot, anyway. Rather than stay in the Great Hall and deal with him I decided to have dinner in the kitchen."
Tom Riddle looked slightly envious that she knew where the Hogwarts' kitchen was.
"Where is the kitchen?" Tom inquired eagerly.
"If you go down the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff common room, you will find a still-life painting of a bowl of fruit. You have to tickle the pear to gain access to the kitchen," Hermione explained.
"How did you ever discover that?" He asked, seemingly amazed by her explanation.
Hermione told him about overhearing the Weasley twins in the Gryffindor common room. At the mention of the Weasley name, Tom's face had grown into a scowl. At Hermione's confused look, he explained his dislike for the Weasley family.
"There is a Gryffindor named William Weasley in my year who is a complete moron. I was partnered with him for potions one class and he messed up our assignment by pouring in an ingredient that wasn't even included in the instructions! Who adds peppermint to a boil cure potion? Why would you even consider adding peppermint to a boil cure potion? Weasley is a complete and utter idiot if there ever was one. It is a shame to learn that his line has continued."
Hermione, unable to suppress her laughter, erupted into giggles after Tom ended his rant.
"He sounds exactly like Ron Weasley. He's the boy I had to deal with at dinner. Ron is completely helpless at, well, everything," Hermione explained with a laugh.
Tom looked amused at the girl's humor as he said, "I must confess. I had thought all Gryffindors were like William Weasley. I've yet to meet a Gryffindor who has diminished this notion.
Hermione, having sobered from her laughter, glared at him pointedly, but a light smile graced her lips.
"I should have been in Ravenclaw," Hermione confessed. She had never admitted this to anyone before. It felt odd saying it now.
Tom shook his head before saying, "I will deny it if you tell anyone, but I think I can tolerate Gryffindors better than Ravenclaws. At least the idiots in Gryffindor do not pretend to be smarter than they actually are."
Hermione started laughing again. Suddenly, she felt much better about her house, even if her housemates consisted of several people she didn't particularly like.
"Well, the Slytherin house isn't exactly any better," Hermione teased. "Everyone is incredibly stuck up about blood purity. A lot of them are incredibly stupid, likely as a result of excessive inbreeding. Pansy Parkinson, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe are prime examples."
Tom looked slightly amused, but then his face fell into one of deep concentration.
"What is the matter? I am sorry, I did not mean to accuse you of inbreeding," Hermione said, her tone apologetic. She was worried that she had offended her companion, one that she had been getting along so well with until her jibe at his house.
"Do you happen to know anyone by the name of Riddle?" Tom asked, breaking Hermione out of her thoughts.
Hermione bit her lower lip. Although she did interact a great deal with the older students, she was aware that "Riddle" was not an extremely commonplace name.
Tom could tell from her silence what her answer would be.
"Maybe you end up having a daughter," Hermione suggested. "Or maybe they already graduated."
"Or maybe I am dead by your time," Tom said.
Hermione would not have voiced that, even though she had thought of it as one of the explanations.
"There are a lot of other explanations, Tom! Maybe your latest descendant is still too young to attend Hogwarts. Maybe you just decide not to have kids. Or perhaps you change your name or move to a different country. You really can't think that you would have died. Wizards and witches live longer lives than non-magical people do," Hermione said, trying to cheer up the boy sitting across from her. Unfortunately, she seemed unsuccessful in her attempts.
"And if I have died? People die all the time from things unrelated to old age, even wizards and witches."
Hermione suddenly remembered what she had realized earlier, about how the boy sitting in front of her had no idea that that the Second World War would occur soon. And she knew that Gellert Grindelwald, the darkest wizard before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would also reach the height of his power during Tom Riddle's time. There was a chance that the boy sitting in front of her could very well die during an aerial strike or from a stray dark curse. Even if he did live beyond both events, there was always He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rising to power later in the boy's life.
Hermione had never before appreciated how peaceful her world was. The boy in front of her would not have the same luxury.
"Why don't I finish my story?" Hermione inquired, trying to lighten the mood.
Although Tom did not seem willing to let go of the thoughts of his demise, he was interested in hearing the remainder of how Hermione had managed to find the room. He directed his full attention to the girl sitting in front of him as she resumed her tale.
"I ended up in the kitchen and realized that the house elves – they work in the castle, cleaning and cooking – were likely knowledgeable about the castle. I asked a house elf if they knew of this room, and it turned out the house elf knew exactly what I was talking about. They called the room 'The Come and Go Room', but they also mentioned another name, 'The Room of Requirement'. They told me what I had to do to get into the room."
Tom nodded his head absently before saying, "The author of the book hadn't named the room, but those seem to fit well."
Hermione frowned, still wishing she could find out about the book he had destroyed.
"Although I was eager to return to the room, I was informed by a professor that all students were to return to their common rooms because a troll had entered the castle."
"There was a troll in Hogwarts?" Tom asked, seemingly surprised by the thought.
"I do not know how it got in, but the common guess is that Peeves had let it in as a joke."
"It seems a little dangerous even for Peeves. He seems to prefer pelting school supplies over having students killed by a magical creature," Tom commented. Hermione agreed with him, but she could not think of a suitable explanation for the troll's presence.
"Anyway, these two Gryffindor first years – Harry Potter and Ron Weasley – managed to defeat the troll."
"They did?" Tom asked. He seemed as surprised as Hermione had been at the news.
Hermione explained what she had heard from Lavender and Parvati in the dorm room. After she had finished telling Tom how the boys had managed to defeat the troll, Tom's face looked particularly disgusted.
"I think stupefy would have sufficed," Tom commented, to which Hermione agreed. "Using Wingardium Leviosa to defeat a troll sounds like dumb luck."
"But then again, it's not like we are supposed to have learned stupefy yet," Hermione countered.
The two shared a grin. Both of them had already learned the particular spell during their spare time, regardless of what the first year's curriculum consisted of.
"After the troll had been dealt with, the students were called back to dinner. I decided I would test the room out since everyone would be at dinner, and, well, here I am."
"I am glad that you were able to find the room again," Tom confessed.
"Now will you tell me what you learned from the book you destroyed?" Hermione inquired with a smile. She was happy that Tom had admitted to wanting her around.
Tom smirked at her before saying, "I think it is too late to do so, but perhaps tomorrow."
Hermione frowned despite knowing that Tom was right. It was getting late, and she had classes the next day.
"Shall we meet back here tomorrow afternoon? What time does your last class end?"
Tom grimaced as he replied, "At two, but unfortunately I have Transfiguration with Dumbledore as my last class."
Hermione looked surprised. Although she had read that Dumbledore had once taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts before becoming Headmaster of the school, she could scarcely imagine having him as a teacher. Despite Professor McGonagall being her favorite professor, Hermione could only dream about having a legend like Dumbledore teaching the class.
"You don't like him?" Hermione questioned.
"He doesn't seem to like me very much," Tom said with a bitter tone. "He never calls on me during class and he never seems to acknowledge when I do something right before anyone else."
Hermione wondered about what Tom had said. Although she did not interact a great deal with the Headmaster, he seemed nice enough. It was hard to believe that he would treat Tom exactly like Professor Snape treated her during class.
"Perhaps he plays house favorites? I have Potions with the Slytherin Head of House. He treats me the same way it sounds like Dumbledore treats you. And he never grants Gryffindor house points."
"Professor Slughorn?" Tom asked.
"No, the current Slytherin Head of House and Potions Master is Professor Snape. He looks a bit greasy, honestly," Hermione said, unable to resist adding the last part.
Tom seemed to think the image of a greasy Potions professor rather funny, for a smirk had crept onto his lips.
"Dumbledore is the Headmaster now," Hermione said, watching Tom's face fall immediately at the news.
"The future sounds like a terrible place," Tom stated with a gloomy tone.
Hermione giggled before saying, "It's not that bad at all."
The two first years parted ways with only minutes to spare before curfew went into effect, but not before promising each other to return back after classes had ended the next day. Hermione was glad that the room was so close to Gryffindor Tower. Tom would have to make his way all the way down to the lowest level of the castle to reach his common room. She hoped he would be able to make it to the common room in time in order to avoid receiving a detention. Or at least, if he did not make it back in time, that he would be able to avoid punishment.
As she relaxed against the comfortable pillows of her four-poster bed, listening to Lavender's soft snores, Hermione concluded that Tom was the first actual friend she had made since coming to the school. Even if he was from over fifty years in the past, he was a much better companion that any of her classmates in the present.
Hermione fell asleep that night eagerly anticipating her next visit to the Come and Go Room.
Back in 1938, as Tom collapsed into his bed, he thought about Hermione Granger and all of what he had learned from the conversation they had had only minutes ago. Although Hermione had attempted to take his mind off of the uncertainty of his future, now that he was alone, he could not help but worry that maybe he would not exist during Hermione's lifetime.
On October 31, 1938, Tom Riddle resolved to find a way to live forever.
A/N: Our two kindred souls unite once more, for better or for worse! Thank you for all your reviews.