October 1941

Autumn had come to Hogwarts. The leaves of the surrounding trees had changed from green to vibrant shades of red and yellows, continually swaying in the cold winds that had replaced the warm rays of the sun for weeks now.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione enjoyed the crisp smell of fallen leaves while idly listening to her friend's excited chattering.

"I can't believe he really asked me out Mione, I mean he's a Prewett!" Minerva turned around to face Hermione, her cheeks flushed from the cold air. Her eyes sparkled at the mention of her new boyfriend, who Hermione had yet to be introduced to. As of now, all she knew was that he was a Gryffindor and one year above them.

"You'll like him for sure, he's a very talented potioneer." Her friend promised as they continued their walk over the Hogwarts grounds towards the small alcove near the forbidden forest where he was waiting for them. Hermione didn't know why he'd chosen such a secluded spot, nor did she particularly care. As long as the boy treated her friend right, Hermione didn't have a problem with him. When they'd finally arrived, the first thing she noticed was his fiery hair. The older boy was a few inches taller than Minerva and greeted the two girls with a warm smile that seemed to brighten his entire freckled face. He looks quite alright I suppose. He moved to shake her hand, before inviting the two girls to sit down.

"It's great to finally meet you, Lestrange, Minny has told me so much about you."

"Only good things I hope, and please call me Hermione." She replied.

"Gladly, it's surprisingly difficult to get a hold of you without any of those Slytherin friends of yours following close behind." Chuckling at his words, Hermione shrugged her shoulders apologetically whereas Minny just scoffed.

"It's gotten even worse this term, I fear that she'll leave us behind for good soon." Her friend complained theatrically, causing Hermione to roll her eyes in return. "I wouldn't dare, Charlus would be devastated."

"Well, I hope that you'll stay true to your words then, Hermione." She watched as her friend entwined her slender hand with her boyfriend's, slightly taken aback by the intimate gesture. Despite being a grown woman, at least mentally, her endless lessons in this era were forcing her to see the seemingly innocent gesture in a much more drastic light than she'd have in the future. Merlin, they've been together for what, two weeks? Hermione came to the harrowing realisation, that at nearly fifteen, her supposedly innocent friend was a far cry from the ten-year-old girl she had once enjoyed tea in town with.

"So how did this happen?" She vaguely gestured at the pair in front of her, the memory of her distraught friend after telling Hermione about the same boy rejecting her two years ago, still fresh in her mind.

"We met in the library a few weeks ago and talked for hours." Minerva began, and Hermione gave her friend an encouraging nod.

"Well, after that Ignatius asked me if I would like to go to Hogsmeade together and now we're here."

"Ah, so that's where you went, I was wondering why you'd cancel our plans on such short notice," Hermione answered, thinking back to her dreadful day with Avery and his cronies after she'd literally run into them in the small village. After Minny had hurriedly excused herself back then, she'd found herself browsing through a small bookshop when she'd bumped headfirst into the older Slytherin who of course quickly took it upon himself to ruin her day.

"Are you really still mad about that Mione?" Minny looked at her with pleading eyes.

"No, it's alright Minny, I'm very happy for you two." She spoke earnestly, pleased that her friend had found someone that appreciated her fierce personality. Promising to herself, that she would do her best to support her friend, she pushed her lingering irritation with the boy to the back of her mind and smiled warmly at the pair.

"Thank you, Hermione, your blessing means a lot to me," Minerva spoke, and her boyfriend nodded eagerly.

"Same goes for me, thank you for trusting me with your best friend." Pulling Minerva a little closer, the older Gryffindor regarded her with a small smile which Hermione quickly returned. As long as the other girl was happy, she'd be as well...


November 1941

The first time Hermione had observed Ignatius Prewett silently ushering some other girl than Minerva into a seemingly empty classroom, she'd given the boy the benefit of the doubt and blamed her overly paranoid mind for being suspicious. She hadn't told Minerva anything and continued her day as if nothing had happened. The sight that greeted her now though wasn't as easy to dismiss as the first incident.

Internally cursing the boy, Hermione followed him up the stairs to the third floor, carefully minding her steps. She watched him turn around with narrowed eyes, quickly pressing herself into one of the dark alcoves lining the candle-lit corridor. Feeling at ease, the boy turned towards the girl's bathroom, knocking once while hurriedly brushing his hands through his tousled hair. Trying to calm herself, Hermione grabbed her wand a little tighter as the door opened to reveal a young Ravenclaw girl, Hermione had seen maybe twice in the great hall. She was most likely in the same year as Prewett and had such a forgettable face, that Hermione couldn't even begin to understand how the boy could go behind Minny's back with someone that had the same appeal as a mug of cold tea. Bastard.

"Where have you been love, I've been waiting for ages." The girl pouted, and Hermione had to suppress a gag when the boy pulled the girl into his arms, pressing his traitorous lips on hers. Giggling she dragged him through the door while Hermione wondered who'd ever think that a bathroom was a romantic meeting spot.

Chewing her dry lips, Hermione contemplated how to deal with this mess. Minerva would be devastated once she found out and Hermione knew that she'd think it was her fault that he'd cheated on her. She'd had a crush on the boy since their second year, and he'd already rejected her once, a second time would be even more hurtful. I'll hex his balls off if he dares to even look at Minny again. Feeling her patience wearing thin with the two other students, Hermione made a decision. Waving her wand at the bathroom door, it immediately flew open, and she listened with deep satisfaction as the sinks and toilets began to spill over, flooding the entire bathroom in a matter of seconds. It only took a few moments before the two stumbled into the corridor, their dishevelled clothes drenched.

"What in Merlin's Name?!" The Ravenclaw screeched as she struggled with the small buttons on her now very transparent blouse.

"Olive, please calm down, let's just find another spot and dry off before someone sees us." He pleaded but the girl- Olive seemed to have had enough for the night.

"Don't touch me, Ignatius, this isn't worth the trouble, I bet one of your other flames did this!" She spat, before angrily turning around and leaving the speechless Gryffindor behind. After a few seconds, he seemed to catch himself and hastily put his jumper back on.

"Whoever did this, come out now!" He bellowed, and Hermione took this as her cue to reveal herself. Pulling off her most vicious sneer that would've made Lucius Malfoy proud, she stepped out of her hiding spot. Upon seeing her, his face grew pale, and he raised his hand in a pleading gesture.

"Hermione, please let me explain."

"Shut up!" She hissed, not wanting to hear any of his poor excuses.

"Please don't tell Minerva, it's for her own sake, she loves me." He tried to reason, causing Hermione, in turn, to point her wand at him.

"How dare you to cheat on my best friend you little git?" Anger welled up in her chest as she listened to the boy's pathetic rambling, her hand itching to hex the boy. Eventually, Prewett seemed to realise, that Hermione wouldn't let him off the hook and quickly changed tactics.

"She won't believe you, Minerva told me about your issues with sharing things, how's your little cousin by the way?" Hermione felt her heart sink at his words, shocked that her friend would tell the boy those secrets. How could she?

"It's her beloved boyfriend's words against yours, the jealous best friend that feels like Minerva doesn't deserve to be with a pureblood and wants to keep her for herself." He taunted, his once warm smile turning into an ugly sneer. Taking a deep breath, Hermione tried to collect herself. The frigid water from the bathroom had begun to flood the corridor as well, finding its way into her polished shoes and drenching her tights. Hermione scowled.

"You'll go to Minerva in the morning and break up with her, tell her that you love her and that it's not her fault." She began, her wand still pointed right at his chest. The boy dared to laugh in her face, and she went cold with anger.

"And what exactly makes you think you can tell me what to do Lestrange?"

"Don't test me, Prewett, it won't end pretty for you." The boy scowled at her threat, not realising how outmatched he truly was.

"Let's make a deal, you stay out of my business, and I won't convince Minerva that you're a horrible friend." Hermione had to use all her willpower not to curse the boy. Be rational about this, Tom will have my head if I get caught hexing a fellow student.

"I won't repeat myself, do as I say or face the consequences, Prewett." The boy pursed his lips at her words, clearly not impressed by her answer.

"Accept it, Lestrange, I've won. If you want to keep your friend, you'll let me go right now." He began moving towards her, the water around his feet rippling with each of his steps. Hermione felt her control slip at his victorious smirk, and before she could stop herself, her lips had already moved.

"Incarcerous." Thick ropes appeared around the shocked Gryffindor's arms and legs, and he suddenly found himself on his knees. Hermione scowled at the seething boy, somewhat underwhelmed by his lack of reflexes.

"Minny told me you play Quidditch, I would've expected you to at least try to evade my spell." She mocked him, feeling smug at the sight of his incredulous face. Idly twirling her wand, in the same manner, she'd seen Rodolphus do countless times, she waited for him to speak.

"When Dippet finds out about this, you'll regret your little temper tantrum soon enough." He hissed through clenched teeth, the ropes cutting deeper into his arms with every move he made. Internally seething, Hermione stepped towards the boy and kicked him square in the chest. He fell backwards into the freezing water with a surprised yelp before Hermione lowered herself towards his face, her wand painfully digging into his jugular.

"I don't think you understand the situation you're in Prewett. Your family may have some money, but one word from me, and your father won't have a job tomorrow." She spoke with a deceptively calm voice, feeling disgusted with her own behaviour, the years she'd spend in the company of the Lestranges had evidently left a mark on her character.

"And you call yourself a Gryffindor, you don't deserve to be a member of our house," Prewett answered coldly, causing Hermione to push her wand even deeper into the soft flesh under his jaw.

"You know nothing about me Prewett, promise me to talk to Minny tomorrow, and we can forget this ever happened." She spoke, her wavering voice betraying her calm façade. Just agree already, damn it.

"Did you know that she's still innocent? I'll make sure she isn't by tomorr-" Hermione drew her hand back in a flash, her hair sparkling dangerously,

"Cruc-"

"Experlliarmus!" Before she could finish, her wand was ripped from her hand, and Hermione was pulled away from her trembling housemate.

"You- You tried to curse me with the.." The ropes around his body vanished, allowing the boy to finally breathe properly again. Hermione struggled against the bruising hold she'd suddenly found herself in, but it was to no avail. She craned her neck to see whose arms she was in and spotted the familiar pale hair of the Malfoy heir.

"Let go of me right now, Abraxas." She hissed, but the boy didn't budge. She finally became aware of the other people in the corridor, first noticing Avery and Dolohov before freezing under Riddle's furious glare. I'm so dead.

"We will talk about this later when Mr Prewett has been taken to the hospital wing." He spoke calmly, and it was then that Hermione remembered that tonight had been a Club meeting. She wondered if Riddle would just kill her after this or if he'd first torture her until she wouldn't even remember her name. Watching silently as Riddle discreetly signed Abraxas to help him pull the soaked boy up, she tried to calm herself.

Hermione felt Abraxas' grip on her loosen before he hurried after Tom, flashing her a worried glance before vanishing around another corner.

"You're so screwed Lestrange." Avery sang gleefully behind her, and she whirled around to give the boy a piece of her mind when she suddenly found Dolohov standing right behind her, her wand in his hand.

"Clean this mess up and go back to your common room before Tom gets back here, I'll try to calm him down as much as I can." He spoke with a surprisingly soft voice, his blue eyes boring into her own with an unsettling intensity. She quietly inclined her head and took her wand from his outstretched hand.

Turning around she made sure to leave no trace of the fiasco that had happened just a few minutes ago, attempting to ignore the two boys watching her every move. The entire situation felt awkward and more than a little surreal, and she could feel the tension rolling off the boys bodies. Everybody knew what awaited her once Tom got his hands on her and she suddenly wished that Evan was by her side. She could count on him to help her, she wasn't so sure about the others, especially not about Dolohov or Avery for that matter.

"Make sure to avoid Tom for the next few days, he'll calm down eventually, and you can explain yourself then," Dolohov spoke up behind her and Hermione jumped at the sudden interruption of her thoughts.

"Thanks for your help Antonin, I know what I did was stupid, but he was messing with my friend." Avery made a disgruntled noise at her comment.

"You're such a Gryffindor Lestrange, couldn't you've just left the issue alone? Your friend isn't a child anymore."

"Shut up, Avery, I'm really not in the mood for another fight right now." Before the boy could answer, she turned on heels and strode back to her common room. Her hands were shaking as she pushed the door to her dorm open and she knew that whatever would happen tomorrow, it wouldn't be good. Her eyes wandered over to Minerva's bed, the other girl was already fast asleep, and Hermione felt dread pooling in her stomach as she thought of the potential consequences of her little outburst. I'm so sorry Minny...


December 1941

She'd managed to avoid Tom until their next club meeting, a rather impressive feat in itself as Hermione liked to think. Silently sitting between Evan and Abraxas, she listened to the other boy's scolding words, grateful that at least he hadn't hexed her yet.

"Attempting to use an unforgivable on another student at the risk of anyone walking in on you, what were you thinking Lestrange?" He questioned her, the corners of his mouth turning downwards as he regarded her with a furious glare. Hermione shifted in her chair,

"I'm sorry Tom, it won't happen again." She began, but Riddle interrupted her.

"I felt your magic, you would've reduced the boy to a mindless, blabbering fool if I hadn't stepped in." Are you barking mad, Hermione? The unspoken question hung in the room like a Damocles sword above her head. She'd felt it for a while now, no sane person could've endured what she'd went through without losing some part of themselves. Rabastan had coped by burying his old life under a heavy layer of lies and deceit, playing the role of the charismatic wizard from abroad to near perfection.

Rodolphus had undertaken the seemingly impossible task to change the future while drowning his worries in whiskey and letting his anger out on Hermione and the house elves. And herself? She was constantly torn between the guilt of leaving her old life behind and trying to fit in with the people around her. She had befriended people who'd been raised in a world that Hermione had fought so hard to change and helped the man who would one day cause so much grief to them. It was sickening.

"I acted irrational, from now on you can expect better from me." The other members watched the two of them with indifferent expressions, careful not to make a sound. No one wanted to face Tom Riddle's wrath after what had happened to Avery. Word quickly got around, and most of them seemed to have realised that their group leader wasn't someone to be messed with.

"This wasn't the first time you've used this spell, why did you learn it?" She noticed that he hadn't asked her where she'd learned about the Unforgivables, probably assuming she'd been taught by her father. Somewhat thrown off by his direct question in front of the whole group, she tried to sort her thoughts before answering the boy.

"It might've escaped your notice Riddle, but Grindelwald is an active threat on the continent, and the French Ministry is almost entirely run by his supporters at this point." Racking her memories about the political situation in France during Grindelwald's heydays, Hermione continued.

"Living under the reign of a man whose primary political agenda is to usurp governments isn't the most peaceful experience, so forgive me if I sometimes overreact." Considering the pitiful glances she received from some of the other occupants of the room, Hermione figured that her explanation had been believable. Riddle regarded her with a calculating gaze, clearly contemplating how to use her past experiences to his advantage.

"So your family was actively involved in the Résistance?" The room seemed to grow colder at his words and even Hermione knew how dangerous it was to openly speak up against Grindelwald's regime, his spy's seemingly lurking around every corner, waiting for people to slip up. "Or is your family, in fact, spying for him?" Hermione sucked in a breath at his accusation.

"It'd be a brilliant move, he'd have an insight into our government with your family's seats in the Wizengamot and even some eyes and ears in the country's most prestigious school." The conversation had taken a dangerous turn, and Hermione was aware of the underlying threat in his words.

With the help of his wealthy friends, it wouldn't be too difficult to raise suspicion about their sudden arrival a few years ago, and Hermione didn't think that the Lestrange brothers had covered their tracks well enough to convince the Aurors. Regardless of their non-existent connection to the dark wizard, Riddle had said the one thing that could pose a serious threat to their existence in this timeline and her sudden fear must've shown because suddenly, Evan grabbed her shoulders and whirled her around to face him, his eyes clouded with anger.

"Hermione, please tell me that this isn't true." Struggling to find an answer to his desperate question, Hermione pulled away from him and turned towards Riddle,

"We're not spies, nor are we part of the Résistance. We left because of personal reasons, that's it."

"If you have nothing to hide then why are you so shaken up right now?" Riddle asked casually, his dark eyes daring her to argue back. Why is it, that he always wins in the end, no matter what I do or say? She thought angrily to herself, unsure how to conclude the argument without digging herself an even deeper hole.

"I lost many dear friends in this pointless war, I watched our government crumble after his men took over, turning the country into a corrupt state where only the most wealthy strive, and you dare to question, why we took the opportunity to leave when it presented itself?" Making sure to pour all the hate and despair she felt towards Voldemort into her voice she watched the shame and guilt wash over the other Slytherins faces. Except for Riddle of course, who just continued to observe her through his dark lashes. At the memory of her fallen classmates, she felt her chest tighten uncomfortably, but she'd rather throw herself off the astronomy tower than cry in front of Avery.

"So you blame your sad childhood for your appalling behaviour last week? If you think this will save you from punishment, you're wrong." Riddle finally said.

"Of course," Feeling empty inside Hermione just stood up and raised her arms.

"Don't worry Hermione I will not hurt you today, I've found a much better way to ensure you will behave yourself in the future, group dismissed." Before anyone could say something, Riddle swiftly exited the room, leaving behind a very confused Hermione. As it became clear, that he wouldn't return, the others hurriedly got up and left the dimly lit room as well, eager to escape the tense atmosphere that had built up during their meeting...


"I'm so sorry Hermione, why didn't you tell me?" Evan asked her while carefully guiding the silent girl to her common room. Abraxas had excused himself after exchanging some meaningful glances with the Rosier boy, and he took it upon himself to take care of their younger friend.

"Because I'd like to leave this part of my life behind, Hogwarts is my chance to forget all of this so please lets never speak of it again." She pleaded, praying that he'd leave the issue alone. She hated lying to her friends, but for now, there really wasn't much of an alternative. Thankfully, the boy nodded, and her shoulder sagged in relief as the boy regarded her with a charming smile, that instantly melted the chilling anxiety she'd felt in her chest since the beginning of the week.

"Just remember that I'm here for you, one word and I'll give you a ring that you can shove into any of your bullies faces." He teased, causing the younger witch to roll her eye at the insufferable boy.

"Why bother with a ring if my wand works just fine?" Hermione turned to look at the taller Slytherin, feeling her cheeks grow hot under his thoughtful gaze. After turning sixteen a fortnight ago, he was suddenly nearing the age Hermione had been in her previous life, with worrisome speed.

Mentally shaking her head, she buried her growing feelings for the Rosier heir in the deepest corner of her mind. She didn't have time for silly school romances, nor engagements for that matter. Why are the wizards in this era so eager to settle down, this can't be normal. Recalling the impressive number of her pureblood classmates that were already engaged, she shuddered. Definitely not happening.

"Am I really that unappealing to you, dear?" Evan's face was suddenly inches away from her own and Hermione froze at their sudden closeness. She could count the golden specks mixed within the stunning green of his eyes. When Evan took her hands in his, gently rubbing his thumb over her skin, the world around them came to a screeching halt, and Hermione could feel the warmth radiating from his soft skin.

He inclined his face towards hers, and the moment his lips finally brushed against her mouth Hermione regained control over her traitorous limbs, hastily shoving the boy away from her.

"Don't." Hurt flashed through his eyes, and Hermione felt her heart sink, she didn't know what to think or what say to him, so before he could stop her, Hermione rushed past her friend towards the portrait of the fat lady. The woman waited until Hermione was only a few feet away before swinging open and ushering the distraught girl inside.

"Hermione, please wait!" She ignored Evan's pained voice and ran up the stairs towards her dorm, feeling deeply ashamed of her actions...


"How could you Hermione, I thought you were my friend?" Minerva's accusing voice tore Hermione from her unrestful slumber and confused she pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to get rid of the sleep in her eyes. When she finally managed to turn towards her fuming housemate, the memories of her previous encounter with Evan came rushing back into her head, and Hermione had to take a deep breath at the memory of his warm lips on her own. Merlin, what have I done.

"He told me that you harassed him for weeks, telling him all sorts of lies about me." Tears were running over Minerva's blotched cheeks, but Hermione's mind was still trying to comprehend her friend's words, so instead of calming the other girl down, Hermione remained frozen on her bed.

"What are you talking about Minny?" She rasped, her voice still rough from being woken up so suddenly.

"Stop pretending and just tell me!" Putting her hands on her hips, Minerva regarded her with a glare that could've frozen hell over.

"Tell you what, for Merlin's sake?!" Hermione shot back, fed up with her friend's antagonising behaviour.

"Ignatius broke up with me because you told him, you'd send your Slytherin cronies after him if he didn't." What?

"I'd never do that to you Minny, you can't possibly believe that git." Hermione mentally slapped herself at her slip up at the end when she saw Minerva's face contort in anger.

"That git is- was the first boy I ever liked and you ruined it, I hate you!" Hermione could only watch speechlessly as her upset housemate stormed out of their dorm, her billowing robes brushing against her ankles as she turned around. Shutting the door with more force than necessary, the other girl left Hermione to herself.

"What the hell just happened?" She murmured, before pushing away her covers and making her way towards the bathroom. Why would he tell her all those lies? She would've thought that after their little encounter he'd listen to her warnings, but apparently, she'd been wrong.

At the thought of Minerva's tear-streaked face, Hermione felt her heart clench, and while she attempted to tame her curls into a semi-presentable updo, she contemplated how to deal with this problem. The Holidays were fast approaching, which left little time for her to fix things and she didn't think that merely cursing the boy again would help in this situation.

Finished with her morning routine Hermione left for their last class in this term, still deeply in thought. If that boy dares to show his face, I'll hex his tongue off.

"Lovely day isn't it Lestrange, you look a little distraught did something happen?" Riddle's cheerful voice pulled her from her thoughts, and the girl narrowed her eyes at his suspiciously good mood. He fell into step beside her as they made their way towards the great hall, his whole attire as impeccable as always and Hermione instantly recognised the custom-tailored Robes she'd gotten for him last Christmas. They fit perfectly.

"It was you, wasn't it?" They both knew what she was talking about, and his smug smirk was answer enough for the young Gryffindor witch. Her heartbeat quickened as it became clear that this was her punishment for breaking his rules and she couldn't help herself when she shot him a baleful glare in return. She wondered how he'd managed to convince Prewett to tell Minerva all those awful things, but before she could ask him, they'd arrived at the great hall and went their separate ways towards their house tables.

Charlus was already sitting with Minerva, silently shaking his head as she made her way towards them. She felt her heart sink but decided that she didn't want to cause another scene in front of their housemates. It still didn't hurt any less, to know that Charlus was obviously taking Minerva's side, even though she hadn't even had the chance to explain herself. Happy fucking Christmas Hermione...


The day after their fight, Minerva and most of the other students had left for home, to spend Christmas or Yule in some of her other friends cases at home, leaving only Hermione and a handful of other students behind. She'd decided not to return to Lestrange Manor, the thought of having to play house with Loreen and the baby- Edwin, she reminded herself, making her queasy. So, she'd written a short notice, telling everyone that she'd to finish an important potions assignment and spend most of her time in the library, reading.

On the last day of the year, Hermione had finally managed to pull herself together enough to seek out Riddle, who'd also stayed at Hogwarts, to wish him a happy birthday. She'd found him in the courtyard of the castle, sitting on one the benches, the snow around him seemingly untouched.

"Impressive spellwork, I don't recognise it, where did you find it?" She asked while sitting down next to him, careful not to get too close to the Slytherin. He turned his head at her sudden question, seemingly caught off guard by her casual behaviour towards him. She was still furious at him for pitting her best friend against her, but that didn't mean she couldn't play nice.

"One of Blishwick's early works, the book is awfully dry, but the spells are quite useful." He drawled, and Hermione made a mental note to look it up later. Riddle turned his attention back to a very familiar looking leather bound journal on his knees, causing Hermione in turn to draw a hitched breath. Noticing her unusual reaction, Riddle raised one of his dark brows at her.

"I just remembered that I forgot your present in my room." Awkwardly rubbing her neck, Hermione gave the boy an apologetic smile.

"Bribes won't work on me, Lestrange." Right as he had spoken those words, the last rays of sunshine had vanished behind the tall walls of the castle, causing the courtyard to darken rapidly. Just as she opened her mouth to suggest they continued their conversation inside, hundreds of little sparkling lights appeared on the large tree in the middle of the court, and awestruck Hermione stood up to gaze at the magical sight. In her time the tree had been replaced by a small bird bath, so it was the first time she'd ever seen anything like this on the Hogwarts Grounds.

"It's beautiful." She spoke as she watched the hovering lights, nearly forgetting about the other boy.

"It's said, that Rowena Ravenclaw planted it for her daughter after her death. She enchanted it to light up during a new moon to guide her daughter through the dark." During all her time at Hogwarts in this era, she'd never been in the small courtyard after dark, only occasionally walking past it on her way to some of her classes. She wondered why she'd never even heard about it, but then, she didn't have that many people to talk about romantic rendezvous places, to begin with.

"This isn't mentioned anywhere in Hogwarts, A history." She said, surprised to see Riddle shaking his head.

"I don't know which edition you're reading, but it's listed in mine." He replied and Hermione again, wondered, what would happen to it in the future because she hadn't read anything about the enchanted tree in her book from the early eighties. After admiring the tree for a few more seconds, she sat back on the bench with a heavy sigh.

"I guess I missed that part then, it's been a while since I read it anyways." The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of her time back at the orphanage where they'd sat together for hours, quietly enjoying their books. It felt surreal. Where did he even learn to read, most of the other kids couldn't even spell their names properly.

"I'm surprised they let you stay at Hogwarts." Riddle cast her an annoyed glance but to her surprise still answered her indirect question.

"With the muggle war escalating, they made an exception for students who live in the non-magical parts of London." Hermione's eyes widened at his statement, and she couldn't believe that she'd more or less forgotten about that. How can I forget the second world war for Merlin's sake? The wizarding community really is cut off from the rest of the world.

"How surprisingly considerate of the Headmaster."

"Dumbledore was against it, but Dippet convinced him in the end." He spoke bitterly, and at the mention of her future Headmaster's name, Hermione suddenly felt guilt wash over her. She hadn't talked much with the older professor, only ever seeing him in class or at dinner. In the beginning, it had felt strange to act so distantly towards the man, but after a while, Hermione had realised that this Dumbledore wasn't the one that had helped them countless times in their quest to defeat Voldemort. He was much younger, his hair still Auburn and his clothes considerably less offending to the eye. There was no reason for her to approach him outside of class and so she had stopped worrying herself over the issue.

"Well, good for you. I guess Hogwarts is a much better alternative to Wool's Orphanage." Bringing up their shared memories from the dreadful place always seemed to put him in a pleasant mood with her and Hermione guessed it was because he felt like she could to some extent understand his motivations better than the others in their group. It was something she'd shamelessly taken advantage of multiple times in the past and probably would in the future to make to the boy listen to her opinion.

"Of course it is." Riddle tended to act differently when they were alone, less intense- or maybe he was just unusually high spirited on some days. She'd forgotten that he could be quite tolerable when he wasn't cursing or threatening people. He'd been such an insufferable prat for the past months, that it felt downright strange to have a normal conversation with the boy.

"I just came here to wish you a Happy Birthday Riddle, in two years you'll finally be able to move away from that place," Hermione spoke softly, watching as the boy gave her an unreadable look.

"Thank you." His usually pale skin glowed in the warm lights of the tree, and when his grey eyes found hers, Hermione realised that the boy from her memories, had been replaced by a young man that would soon commit his first murder and suddenly she felt terrified. At fifteen Tom Riddle wasn't just a troubled boy anymore, she couldn't tell how much her presence in his life had changed the path he was walking on, but as far as she was aware, he was still unable to feel compassion for anyone and hellbent on making the wizarding world his own. This time around, in a more conventional way but still. She didn't doubt that he would eliminate any threat on his mission for absolute power.

"Hermione?" It was jarring to hear her name from his lips. His voice no longer that of a boy, but a young man. Like Evan's it had begun to change over the past months, turning smoother and seemingly deeper whenever she had spoken to them after a few days of not seeing each other. Why the hell is he acting so familiar with me right now?

"Yes, Tom?" She eventually answered, satisfied to see his lips curl for a split second at her use of his own name.

"I appreciate you, but don't challenge me in front of the others from now on, understood?" Hermione had stopped listening after his first few words, feeling her heartbeat quicken at his compliment. Merlin, what's wrong with me at the moment?

"It was never my intention to do so Riddle." More for her own sake than anything else, she decided that she would stick with his last name for now.

"No more incidents from now on, all of you have the honour of witnessing history in the making and once we take over the ministry nothing will stop us." Hermione could see the madness lurking behind his excited smile, and she knew that the next two years would determine what kind of wizard he would become one day.

For a moment she thought about killing the boy, but his magical prowess was already far superior to her own and the possibility that she would fail grew with every passing year. In that case, he'd probably snap completely, reverting back to his snake-like future self, and that was a risk she just wasn't willing to take anymore. She'd come too far to fail now. So she decided to swallow her pride and agree to his request.

It would've been a lot easier for her to defy Riddle hadn't he been so wickedly intelligent. Hermione, despite her best efforts, was still naturally drawn to people with great minds and regardless of all his shortcomings, Riddle was still one of the brightest wizards she'd ever met. His understanding of magical theory was breath-taking for an academic mind like her own, and no matter how twisted, his words still instilled some kind of respect for his achievements, in her.

"I promise Riddle." She finally said, earning herself a curt nod from the boy.

"I knew that I can count on you Hermione, you're a good friend." His honeyed words embraced her body like a warm summer's breeze and Hermione felt her internal resolve weaken. It was so quiet, she could hear every breath he took, and she suddenly realised how close he had gotten. It would've been so easy to just surrender and give up on her friends in the future at that moment. She would be over sixty years old when Harry and Ron would enter Hogwarts, they probably wouldn't even know her. She didn't even know what would happen once her parents had her, maybe she wouldn't even be born in the future.

Would anything she did even affect the future she'd come from or was this just one of the millions and billions of parallel timelines, just as real as her previous one. Time Travel was a tricky thing, and she was under no illusion that everything that had happened to her was highly improbable. Magic was inherently illogical, following its own laws and physics that she couldn't even begin to understand. What had come to Tom Riddle as naturally as breathing had taken her years of hard work and determination. Watching him cast wandless magic like it was the most natural thing in the world, made her ill with envy.

On the other hand, his potential for greatness was the perfect lure for a person like herself. She strived in the presence of people like Riddle, the constant challenge pushing her to go beyond her limits and achieve far greater things than she could've ever imagined.

"We should go inside, my spell wasn't created for such low temperatures." At his words, Hermione forced her mind back to the present and only now did she notice, that he had extended his spell to cover herself as well. Once he dropped it, she suddenly felt the chilling cold creep up her thinly clad legs and shuddered. How could I've missed him casting that spell?

"You're right, if you'd like to accompany me to my common room, I can give you your present." Riddles eyes found her own as he nodded silently, and suddenly feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation she hurriedly turned around and walked towards the Gryffindor Tower. He just turned my best friend against me, he's not a good person.


After she had given him the small box she had gotten from Rodolphus for Riddle's birthday, the boy had excused himself, and Hermione found herself alone in the deserted common room. Sitting down on one of the comfy leather chairs in front of the crackling fire she let her mind wander over everything that had happened in the past few weeks. With Charlus and Minerva treating her like air, Hermione realised that she really didn't have that many friends. Sure, there was Evan, but after their kiss, she didn't know how to act around the older boy. Which left only Abraxas, and even though he wasn't bad company per se, he still wasn't Minerva. Absentmindedly letting her hands wander over the maroon jumper Mrs McGonagall had knitted as a Christmas present for her, Hermione felt tears forming behind her eyes. She suddenly felt incredibly alone, and her heart ached for the motherly embrace of the kind woman. What am I supposed to do now?...


Thanks for your patience everyone! With Hermione approaching her fifteenth birthday I think it's finally time to introduce some romance to this story :D Thanks for all the lovely reviews and the next chapter should be up in a couple of days xoxo.