It's funny how life comes at you but you never see it coming. You think 'Oh, this day will be just like the last, as the last was just like the day before' and it's true, until it isn't. It is important to understand the series of events that led to the Great Thing and the Terrible Thing. At the time I didn't know it, but it began the night before in the library with a fallen stack of books.

But that evening, I went to bed dreaming of horcrux and almost-kisses, not knowing that this was the last time I'd ever see the world the same way. However, I shall begin this story the next morning as the wintery sun sent its dim light into the Great Hall. Because for me, that's when both the Terrible Thing and The Great Thing were hurtling full speed towards us.

That morning Brax and I got up early and went to breakfast. My eyes quickly scanned the Gryffindor table in search of Hermione though, to my disappointment, I did not find her.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said to Brax, taking a quick drink of milk. I wanted to act like it wasn't a big deal. A part of me considered not telling Brax about Hermione at all, but if she told him or if he ever found out, I wasn't sure how to explain not telling him without him realizing that I knew about his feelings for me. Besides he was my only friend. The only person I had to tell.

"What?" replied Brax, mouth full.

"I was in the library last night."

His eyes looked at me, surprise sparking in them. "I thought you were sick?"

"I was – but then I felt better." I never used to mind lying to him but had really started to bother me.

His brow furrowed. "Okay."

"I ran into Hermione there."

"You didn't kill her, did you?" Brax whispered.

Why did everyone always think that? "No."

"Good," he breathed.

Here it was. I knew if I didn't admit it to him now. I wouldn't. "I almost kissed her."

His ears reddened slightly and he didn't look up at me. He stabbed the yolk of his egg with a fork. "Did she slap you again?"

"No. I would have – she would have let me kiss her if we hadn't been interrupted by that idiot librarian." The memory made anger bubble inside my stomach. I had been so close. In my life, I'd never wanted anyone – let alone as much as I wanted Hermione.

"Madam ..." Brax said her name then but like I said earlier, I don't remember it.

"She was going to let me kiss her," I repeated, reminding myself as much as Brax. After everything she'd said, after everything we'd said to each other, it was hard to believe. But we were connected somehow, like wizard and wand.

"This isn't part of your plan to humiliate and shame her, is it?"

I thought about it for a moment. It was funny because I'd almost forgotten all about that. "It's actually not."

Brax paused and though he still didn't look at me he replied, "Then I'm happy for you. I really am."

The bench shook as Avery jumped down on it with a ridiculous amount of force. He was pressed right up to Brax his black eyes like tiny leeches.

"Hello, Abraxas," he hissed. Brax shifted uncomfortably.

"Morning Avery." Brax sighed. Neither one of us had ever been in any way close to Avery and weren't really on speaking terms since that night I accidentally fell asleep on the couch in the common room.

"You look good today." His lip curled. Thinking back on this day is strange because at the time I thought very little of it – but still there was something unsettling scurrying around inside my gut, like a black widow spider.

"Excuse me?" Brax leaned away from Avery.

"I just meant I liked your tie. Merlin, Brax, what are you so jumpy for?" Avery winked at him and then walked out of the Great Hall.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Brax shrugged.

We attended classes where I saw Hermione but she was already sitting with some of her pals from Gryffindor. Longbottom and Potter. But neither one of those two simpletons took arithmancy, so that was the first time I really got a chance to speak with her.

"Hey," I said as I stood by Hermione, trying to sound smooth, but terrified I sounded like an idiot.

"You going to sit here?" She sighed.

"I was," I replied sharply. A part of me tired of fighting with her, another part of me turned on by it.

"Okay."

I sat down, placing my book on the table. "You kind of ran out last night."

"Can we not talk about that?" she asked.

This was ridiculous. We had to talk about what happened. I would go mad if we didn't. "Why not?"

Without looking at me, Hermione said, "I just – I would rather – we're not friends remember? We made a deal."

It seemed no one wanted to look at me that day.

"Who said anything about being friends?" I tried to joke but it always fell flat. Brax was the funny one. Besides, I wasn't good at having friends but I'd be good at kissing her, holding her, touching her. I knew no one would be better at that than me.

"Riddle," she growled.

I paused, waiting for her to settle. "Did you understand the homework last night?"

"Yes."

Shrugging, I said. "Me too." I should have tried harder to leave the subject alone, but I just didn't care. "We almost kissed."

Her face blushed with a fiery red, her eyes wild, like a trapped animal. "We didn't. We were... I was... we were just standing close to each other."

Anger is a strange heat – it starts in your head in moves downward building and filling your limbs like a virus – and I quickly succumbed to the illness. "You're going to pretend like nothing happened between us?" I spat.

She swallowed, steadying herself. "I'm not pretending." I almost thought she believed it but we both felt what happened the night before. She don't get struck by lightning and forget it happened.

My eyes narrowed as the anger leaked out. "You're insufferable."

"So are you," she snapped.

Hermione and I didn't speak for the rest of class, but sometimes her arm would bump into mine making my heart jump. Sometimes she'd lean over too far to write something and I'd get a quick glimpse she probably didn't want me to see.

Trying to get her out of my head, I headed back to my room to work on a plan for more horcrux and Dracula research.

"We're playing Gryffindor this week. They're the only team that has any chance of beating us. Their seeker, Potter, he's pretty good." Brax was standing by the mirror bare chested, running his fingers through his hair as he grabbed his quidditch robes off the chair by the window.

"I'm sure you're better," I replied, flipping through the vampire book I'd taken from the library.

"Well, of course." He laughed and it built a coolness inside me that pushed out the remnants of anger lingering in my blood.

"Hermione's pretending like nothing happened," I said with a sigh. Feeling suddenly disappointed rather than mad.

"If she's uncomfortable, maybe you should just give her some space," said Brax as his quidditch robes covered his muscled chest.

"She's attracted to me she's just afraid to accept it," I said as I stared down at my shoes.

Brax shook his head. "Why would she be afraid?"

"I'm intimidating."

Brax laughed.

"What?" I crossed my arms. People had always been scared of me – basically since the day I was born.

"You are intimidating. I just think she's the one person you don't intimidate. For some reason."

Yeah. I noticed that too.

"I've never said this before and I'm going to sound like an idiot when I do. But actually like her."

Brax paused, licked his lips then smiled cautiously. "I know."

"So what should I do?"

"I really have no experience-" mumbled Brax.

"Every girl in this school's in love with you," I nearly shouted. He was being so dense. There was no one better to help me.

"Merlin, Tom. Would you drop it? When it comes to someone I actually like – when it comes to a guy I like. I wouldn't know what to do. So I can't help you. I have to go to practice!" stood there stunned. I'd hardly seen Brax raise his voice, let alone seen his face flush with anger, his hands clinch into fists.

"Brax- I didn't..." My lips searched for an apology but I was never any good at those.

He waved me off. "It's fine. I've got to go."

As he slammed the door, guilt swept over me. I understood just how frustrated he must be and I was sorry to have hurt him. I'd never wanted to see Brax hurt.

When he finally returned from practice, I was still sitting on my bed, but by this time I was surrounded by notes and possibilities about what horcrux could be. My next research idea was going to be to try and break down the root of the word and search for information on the parts. But I'd need the library restricted section for that rather than Brax and mine's personal supply of books.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked Brax as he undressed from quidditch, his hair slick with sweat, his neck and hands red. I'd never noticed the thin scars across his pale skin before – I imagined they'd come from quidditch. It was a rough sport.

Brax shook his head as he splashed some water from a glass on his face. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was just stressing about the game tomorrow." He took a step toward his dresser and limped.

I jumped off the bed and walked to his side. He flinched in pain as he turned and tripped into me. My hand caught his sharp hip bone, steadying him. He tensed and so did I.

"Hey – are you okay?" I asked without taking the time to breath.

He nodded, his gaze flicking to hand before stepping away from my touch. " Lestrange wasn't paying attention – accidentally hit the bludger at my leg. Not a big deal."

I paused, my eyes still on him. "Want to get dinner?"

He pulled on a collared sweater that was open at the top, showing off his neck. "I'd love to man but I got this note saying I needed to go see Professor Slughorn." He smiled.

"Oh. Okay. See you tonight." I was starving so I headed to the bedroom door, but before I stepped out, I heard Brax's voice.

"Hey and Tom – I really do want you and Hermione to work things out. I can tell you really care about her."

I could tell by the kindness in his voice, he meant every word, but I also knew it broke his heart to say them.

...I think that's when I knew...

The corridor was mostly empty because I was running late for dinner. Just as I stepped out of dungeon hall, Hermione turned the corner in front of me.

"Riddle. Can I show you something?" asked Hermione, her small hand grabbing my arm. I jumped at surprise and at the power in her touch.

"Uh. Sure."

She dragged me into a nearby classroom and locked the door. There were black tables lining the floor and maps of the world on the wall. A stack of muggle literature on the table. It was the muggle studies classroom. I had never been in there before.

She pulled the soft grey pages of the Prophet from her bag. "The library has a collection of old Daily Prophets and look what I found."

"That's Count Dracula," I said, recognizing the sallow face and sunken eyes.

"The cemetery he was buried in is just outside Hogsmeade," replied Hermione. "Do you think the grave is empty now?"

"I guess it would be," I said. "Seeing as he's walking around trying to kill people."

Something sparked in her eye, an idea, a plan, something. But it was the same notorious spark I'd seen on Halloween. There was so much power in a such a small girl. "Or maybe he returns to it."

However that didn't sound very likely. "Are you suggesting he buries himself every night?"

"I'm suggesting he's not in a grave but in some type of mausoleum."

"This is all extremely fascinating Hermione but why do I care?"

She shook her head and pulled something from between the pages of the newspaper."I wasn't going to show you this but it affects all of us – including Brax. After Halloween night, I found his the pocket of my sweater."

You'll pay for this. All three of you.

I felt sick – my hunger washed away. Was that crazy freak who almost killed me coming back? And not just for me but the only two people I'd ever known who I cared anything about? There was no way I could stand for it.

"Are you suggesting we find a way to kill Dracula and hunt him down?" I asked.

"Is that a crazy thing to suggest?"

"Yes."

She crossed her arms, the movements giving me a whiff of her sweet perfume. My feet tingled. "Isn't it better to be on the offensive than the defensive?" she asked, staring up at me, so strong and unflinching, that made my legs shake. "What?" she asked.

A smile burned at my cheeks so let it free. "I've just never met anyone like you before."

She rolled her eyes, those perfect round cheeks pooling with color, her bottom lip just barely sticking out. "Why? Because I'm a bossy, overbearing, know-it-all?" By the way she said those words I could tell she'd heard them before. That this is what other people cited as things about her she should change.

Those people were idiots.

I grabbed her shoulders, causing her to gasp. She bit down on her lip, her eyes flashing, probably deciding between being afraid and fighting me. But all I could think of was the soft feel of her skin under my fingers, the warmth she radiated. The way she drove me absolutely mad. "You shouldn't say that like it's something to be ashamed of. You're smart, ambitious and a leader – why in the hell should you feel bad about that?"

I honestly didn't see it coming. It was thunder without lightning. It was magic.

She kissed me. It was Hermione who started it. Her hot lips captured mine and just as she did, I kissed her back. My fingers twisted in her hair, my arm around her waist pulling her into me. It was like falling into lava, like burning from the inside out.

I pushed her against the wall, hard, never breaking the kiss. Hermione's arm was locked around my neck and her other hand gripped my tie, nearly choking me. I'd been waiting for this for so long that it knew it would disappoint me. That I'd built it up too much – that I'd realize I'd been right all along and feeling was not worth it.

As with everything in her life, Hermione did more than exceed expectations. She was bloody outstanding.

Walking through the halls back to the Slytherin dorms, I experienced a lightness in my limbs. Everything seemed to have a golden glow to it. I could still feel her lips weaving with mine, that quick moment when she'd opened her mouth and my tongue slipped inside.

"Tom," a deep voice jarred me from my thoughts. I turned around. It was Slughorn but even he couldn't ruin this night for me. I'd just kissed Hermione Granger.

"Professor? How was your meeting with Malfoy?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" His thick mustache twisted in confusion.

"Malfoy said he got a letter from you asking him to meet you. He's not with you?" My heart twisted like I'd jumped from somewhere very high. I knew something was wrong. I could feel the wrongness eating at my skin.

"No, Tom. I've been looking for you. I actually wanted to talk to you about your friend." Slughorn grasped my upper arm with a pitying gaze.

"What about him?" I asked, hoping against hope that he was just asking for something like me to help Brax with his homework – but that was a stupid thing to think because Brax was great at Potions.

"Something's happened to Abraxas."

A/N: Sorry to end on a cliffhanger but it's too much fun not to. Thanks for reading and please review if you're reading. I love hearing what you all are thinking. If you want - answer the question. What happened to Brax? in the review. I've already got it all planned out but I'd love theories. Thanks again! You guys are the best.

I had a comment about the Potter on Gryffindor's team. I was just kind of "assuming" that Harry may have had a grandfather or great uncle or something at Hogwarts during Tom's time. It's not James Potter - sorry if this confused anyone.