Hey guys, i'm so terribly sorry that it took me so long to update. :( I have really bad procrastination habits and i kept putting it off till later. sweatdrop

So i finally told myself that i was going to finish this darn chapter. It's not as long as i'd like it to be, so maybe i'll come back and edit later.

So without further ado, here's chapter 8! (OH! And don't forget to write a review for me!)

Disclaimer: If i were JK Rowling, i'd be throwing my money into the air and rolling around in it, not writing fanfiction. DUH!


Chapter 8

"Whhhgunenbwnunredle?" Jake asked while devouring Hermione's pile of Chocolate frogs she had gotten from her Hogsmeade trip a month after the ball.

"He said 'what's going on between you and Riddle?" Clarice said, deciphering what Jake had meant to say had his mouth not been full of chocolate. "I've been meaning to ask you that."

Hermione sighed. "Nothing. Nothing's going on."

"Urgusur?"

"He says are you sure? Did you accidentally pour some potion on him during NEWTS class or something?" Clarice translated, adding another question of her own.

"No." Grumbled Hermione. It'd been two weeks since the "incident" and Hermione and Tom were still as close as ever. If by "close" you meant at each other's throats close, then yes, they were very close indeed.

Hermione hated to be ignored, especially if she was being ignored by the future Dark Lord that could destroy the future if he were not changed.

So these few weeks, their relationship had moved from flat out ignoring each other to the future Draco-Hermione-arguing-every-moment-possible-and-blaming-each-other relationship. So as you can tell, many of the students tried to steer clear from the two Heads when they argued. Although the chance of getting stunned or having something thrown at you was small due to the fact that the Heads still tried to behave like Heads and refrained from hurting anyone, better safe than sorry! No, the other students would like to stay out of the Hospital Wing and away from the hospitality of Madame Dona and her disgusting bubbling sleeping potion.

And no matter how much Hermione wanted to dig her heel onto his foot for being a bloody idiot, she refrained herself and only had a few "mishaps" during class in which she accidentally dropped various objects on him.

Tom Riddle sucked in a breath when the cauldron went in contact with his little toe.

"Sorry Professor! I'm very clumsy this morning! I didn't sleep very well last night." Hermione stated innocently.

"That's quite alright Hermione. Are you feeling sick? Do you need to see Madame Dona?"

"No, that's okay professor."

"Okay Ms. Granger. Just notify me if you feel ill. And make sure you're more careful when you're making the potion today so you don't spill." Professor Slughorn said pleasantly, not detecting any mishap between the two Heads' behaviors.

Tom sent a glare towards Hermione, but she just ignored it, going back to work. Within the first ten minutes of class, the atmosphere had become strained, and everyone could feel it, everyone except the oblivious Professor Slughorn. When he dismissed the class, the other students leapt out of their seats and hurried out of the classroom, trying to put as much distance from the two quarreling Heads as possible.

But damn, that boy was patient, (either that or had no emotion) and never spoke up about Hermione to her or any of the professors. A month passed, Christmas was coming, snow was falling, and still Tom Riddle put up with it. It was at times like this that made Hermione Granger want to yell out in frustration and kick something, and kick something she did, only to inflict more pain on her than to the chair. And that brought her back to her senses. Funny how pain can make everything make sense. Hermione remembered her task and what she needed to do; to change Tom Riddle for the better. This unleashed a new wave of tactics, always annoying but never getting her in trouble.

Hermione walked slowly to her common room, snickering as she remembered the look on Riddle's face after the prank she pulled on him. A few years ago, Hermione would've never intentionally done this, but now, she thought it was pretty funny. Peeves would've been proud. No, the Marauders themselves would be proud!

Hermione's mood quickly diminished as she crossed the threshold into the Head's dorm, only to find Tom Riddle waiting to pounce on her like a cat.

Damn.

Hermione stared at Tom, waiting for the inevitable, only to be met by silence. Whoever said silence is golden was never on the receiving end of a glare from Tom Riddle. No, silence was scary.

Pretending nothing was wrong; Hermione gave Tom a fake smile and proceeded to climb the stairs up to her room. She could feel his eyes on her as she made her way towards the stairs, boring a hole in the back of her head.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" A low voice asked, so quiet that Hermione thought she imagined.

Hermione whirled around, brown eyes meeting piercing dark grey eyes. She could see a storm brewing inside of him through the doorway of his soul and knew that something was going to happen.

"E… excuse me?"

"Why do you insist on getting in my way in everything I do? Why won't you bloody leave me alone like the rest of the Gryffindors?"

"Has it ever occurred to you I'm not like the other Gryffindors?"

"Yes! No! I don't know! Why're you so confusing?"

"How the bloody hell should I know why you think I'm confusing? Tom, I wanted to be your friend! Is it such a bad thing to want to be your friend?"

" Why couldn't you have stayed in your own little world and with your friends?"

Hermione felt like she'd been stabbed in the chest. Because you killed them all. Moments of the last battle flashed through her head at the thought of her friends, all falling from the death curse. Tears filled her eyes, tears that hadn't resurfaced in three months, and fell down her cheeks. Hermione looked down at her feet, trying to control herself, trying to hide her tears.

"Why won't you just leave me fucking alone?" Tom yelled.

"Because I can't." Hermione whispered, never looking up, before running up the stairs and into her bedroom, but not before Tom noticed a single solitary tear fall down to the ground.

Tom stood there, staring at the spot where the tear had fallen down onto the carpet.

DAMN! Why am I such a bastard?

Tom kicked the table, not feeling it due to the immense anger and self-loathing he felt. He'd made plans to destroy the wizarding world for merlin's sake! And even then his conscience didn't kick in. What was it that made her, the transfer student from Beauxbatons so special? Why did she make him feel like a jerk? A bastard? A bloody idiot?

Before she'd entered his world, everything was simple; Tom knew what he had to do exactly, he knew how he should feel, how he should act, everything. Now, it seemed his world was crumbling down, the world he'd so meticulously built, brick by brick, stone by stone.

Tom scowled as he walked towards the stairs, still trying to figure Hermione Granger out. What was it about her so important to him?

"Damn it!" He cursed as he felt the aftermath of kicking the table. His toe was definitely going to bruise later, if not already. Tom limped up the stairs and into his room and fell onto his bed and instantly fell asleep.

That night, Hermione starred in his dream. She was running in a field laughing, and Tom was entranced. He couldn't stop staring; staring at her curls as the bounced with ever step she took and her eyes that sparkled like the stars…

Tom woke up. That was it. Her eyes. Tom had a solution.

If he didn't look into her chocolate eyes, then he wouldn't fall under the spell.

Tom smirked. No one messed with Lord Voldemort.


Hope you liked it! :) Please write a review! Thanks!

-CCC

Next chapter will be Christmas! ;)