"I've already told you two thousand times; I was not going to kiss Tom Riddle"

"Yes you were. Please admit it already!" Lucia's eyes shone in excitement. She had repeated the question at least a hundred times this morning. Even though Hermione always answered the same.

"No, I'm not."

"Ha! You admitted it at the moment you said 'no I'm not'" Lucia was euphoric when she realized that she was right.

"You are blushing, Hermione."

"No, I'm certainly not!"

"Yes you are. Besides I'm not blaming you, he is probably the most perfect human god have created for us women. Actually when you're thinking about it he is more than a human, I think he's a god!"

"You may think he looks god. Our relationship between me and him is nothing more than professional."

"Wow relationship! How long have you hid this for me?"

"I have nothing to hide, Lucia."

"Good. Tell me, is he good at kissing?"

Hermione stood up and left the great hall. She left her unfinished breakfast and a snickering Lucia Stanford behind. The best friends were so unlike each other and why they actually get along was a mystery.

"Miss prefect!"

Hermione turned around to see Armando Dippet, the headmaster walk down the stairs with Tom Riddle behind him.

"I guess you have heard the latest news, Miss- Such a tragedy." Armando Dippet peered at her and tried to remember her name.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I don't know what tragedy you are talking about." Hermione replied polite.

Suddenly Armando Dippet looked like he had come to a realization, he remembered the name of the top student and Gryffindo prefect! "Miss Granger, a terrible murder has taken place in this school. The Slytherin monster has been released and a girl has been killed." His voice was very dramatic. "But fortunately, Mr. Riddle came to me last night and had information about who the responsible was. The Slytherin heir has been captured and the board of the school is going to be pleased with our fast intervention." Armando Dippet smiled contentedly. "But that doesn't mean I've forgot you, Miss... "

"Granger, sir." Hermione corrected him.

"Yes, Granger. Mr. Riddle told me about your assistance in the capture."

Hermione's eyes grew wider. What did he actually mean by saying 'assistance in the capturing'?

But Armando Dippet kept on talking without noticing her behavior.

"You and Mr. Riddle can find a Hogwarts Honors Award in the trophy room each, this evening. Actually, I would love to have a great ceremony, but after the horrible murder I don't think the girls parents would like that." He tinkered with a big diamond ring on his right index finger.

Hermione realized she was supposed to say something here; "I appreciate that, Professor Dippet."

For the first time Tom opened his mouth. "I have to leave for class, Professor Dippet." His polite voice hung in the air before Hermione understood.

"Yes, me too. I have transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore." She said.

"Oh of course. You are not top students for nothing." Armando Dippet shook Tom's hand but contented himself with just nodding at her. He retreated back to the great hall. When he reached the opening he gazed at the teachers' table. Professor Albus Dumbledore sat beside Mrs. Dyce, the librarian, clearly discussing something related to books.

He turned his head back and saw Tom Riddle drag Hermione Granger away, rather violent. A couple of years old memory came to his mind.

Dumbledore passed in Armando Dippet's office, he was obviously stressed.

"Slow down, Albus. It's going to be mark of your footsteps on the floor, if you're not sitting down." Armando chuckled at his own poor joke.

Albus let out a sigh and sat down. "I'm telling you this Armando. The muggle supervisor on his orphanage had files about his strange behavior. One was pretty bad, a bed had caught on fire after a fight."

"Relax Albus, it was just experimental magic. All kids in his age are doing it." Armando tried to calm him down.

"But this is different! It's not like the others, it seems like he could control it". Albus took a breath to continue. "He and another muggle had a fight and he takes revenge. You remember when I told you, he's collecting trophies. Stealing things."

"But Albus." Armando interrupted him. "Every kid steals once. Besides I thought you made it clear for him that stealing wasn't allowed in Hogwarts"

"Yes I did." Albus admitted.

"So what are you fighting about then?"

"He's not like the other kids. I think he was a part of the battering of Olive Hornby."

"Are you serious? Olive Hornby fell down the stairs, it was a tragic accident. Not a battering!"

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was involved. Olive Hornby had insulted him just before..."

".. Albus this is a serious accusation. The boy is only twelve years old."

"It's not impossible, the first grades learns the spell 'wingardium leviosa'..."

At this point Armando Dippet lost it. "That's outrageous! Have you seen his grades? Have you witnessed his magical powers? This boy is something special, he hasthat! It wouldn't surprise me if he is the youngest minister of magic, England have ever seen, twenty years from now."

"I don't doubt his magical powers nor his intelligence. I'm concerned about his classmates safety. I think we should keep an eye on him." Albus replied.

Armando Dippet shook his head. "Professor Dumbledore with all the respect, I believe you have received too little sleep." He opened the door and gestured to Albus to leave. "Come back tomorrow when you are rested."

Albus accepted it with a sigh. "Goodnight, sir."

Armando remembered another meeting in his office a year ago. Dumbledore had been talking about Tom Riddle again. He was against Armando Dippet's choice of prefects. For Armando it was a obvious to choose Tom Riddle, the boy was a top student. Dumbledore was concerned and didn't want to give him too much power... He had also mentioned his concerns about the girl who was living at the same orphanage as him. Hermione Granger.

But Armando pushed it away. He didn't want the the trouble in dealing with it.

...

"Get of me!" Hermione whispered angrily.

Tom didn't answer. Instead he dragged her into the bathroom were the entrance to the chamber of secrets hides. He finally let her go.

"Why did you have to drag me into this mess, by saying I 'assisted you in the capturing'?" She asked him furious.

He smiled lightly. "Haven't you figured that one out, yet, 'Miss Prefect'?" His smile became wider. "I only did it so you couldn't blackmail me without reveal yourself."

"You... you.." Hermione was to angry to find anything ugly enough to call him. "I trusted you!"

He sighed. "Why are you so mad? You got yourself a trophy."

"I don't care about trophies!"

Yes you do, every girls are the same.

"Our dear headmaster is happy. He can tell the board, he has captured the responsible one fast. He's not going to investigate this more. Armando Dippet cares too much about his reputation. Did you even see that he didn't notice, that you didn't know about the murder until he told you about it? He's believing this story too much, that he is turning blind." Tom said and raised a brow. Boy genius did it again, saving the day as usual.

"I didn't want to be a part of this anyway." Hermione said half – heatedly. "But who did you blame? Where did you get the evidence?" Even though Hermione didn't like this, she was impressed. Tom had manage to lie straight into the headmaster's face and blame another student.

"It's a third year who likes to have wild 'pets'." Tom's face twisted lightly.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, actually he kept his 'pet' in the Slytherin dungeons. And the spider, in this case, was big and hairy enough to convince Armando Dippet that it was the Slytherin monster. I guess it's because Acromantulas are so... scary looking."

"Wait a minute... Did this third year keep an Acromantula in the Slytherin dungeons?"

"Yes." Tom rolled his eyes at her. "To be considered as a smart witch, you are very slow."

Hermione didn't like to be called slow. She had worked hard to gain the reputation of being a smart witch, probably the brightest on Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw. She didn't have money, her brain was everything she had.

"Thank you so much for that." Her words dripped with sarcasm. Hermione turned on her heel and left him.

But she noticed annoyed his footsteps behind her when she strode back to her common room. She walked faster and noticed his footsteps keeping up the pace. She ran around the corner and tucked out her wand.

When Tom rounded the corner he found her standing ready with her wand, pointing at him.

"Are you going to hex me?" he asked her with a amused tone.

"Depends on." Hermione answered. "It depends on what you are going to do next... You followed me, why?" Hermione continued. "You know, I can hex you and throw your lifeless body into that broom closet." She pointed to the right, were fortunately a broom closet was placed.

Tom didn't have the chance to answer. Another voice drifted around the corner. A voice that was very familiar. Both Hermione and Tom recognized the high pitched voice, the voice of the at the moment awfully annoying Olga-Isabelle Malfoy. It seemed like she was talking to someone and judging by the other voice that was answering, things could turn out ugly. Hermione didn't want to explain to Olga-Isabelle Malfoy why she was pointing her wand at Tom Riddle... alone in the corridor.

This time Hermione dragged Tom away, and into the broom closet. It was the only place they could hide at. She shut the door behind him one second before Olga-Isabelle came walking through the corridor.

"Why are we hiding in a broom closet?" Tom asked her confused but with an amusing tone in his voice.

"Shut up. Wait until she leaves."

"I have no space here, and I'm almost losing my balance." He said.

"Don't whine so much." Hermione replied. "I've got a broom in my back and I can't breath."

Tom made a move. "No, I'm serious." Brooms around them started to fall on them and he lost his balance. Hermione gripped after his robe to keep him in the closet. But she failed.

He fell out of the closet with brooms falling around him. And unfortunately, Hermione landed on his chest which made him lose his breath. Olga-Isabelle turned around confused at the sound of clattering brooms.

"This is not what it looks like." Hermione assured her with a false peal in her voice. She jumped of him and helped him to get up.

"We're just- eh.. Tom, this broom closet seems to be very... safe! For the... brooms and the..." Hermione's voice broke and her bad half – heart explanations hung in the air before it faded away.

Olga Isabelle raised a brow. "Yes, the brooms needs to be safe." She said with sarcasm. Before she backed away from them. It seemed like she didn't want to be infected by a disease. Which in this case was, Hermione Granger.

"Why is she always around me?" Tom asked himself. Hermione wasn't sure if she should answer that question.

Instead Hermione changed the subject. "Hey! I never found out who the third year with the Acromantula was." She asked him instead to clear her mind from the disaster.

He chuckled. "Haven't you guessed it? He's in your house." Hermione stared at him. "His name is Rubeus Hagrid. Or the elephant boy as I'm referring him to." He smiled and showed his perfect teeth in an angelic smile.

Hermione hit herself in her forehead. No not Hagrid. He was a sweet boy. Hermione liked him, he was always so polite. And actually a great friend even though he was younger than her. He didn't deserve this!

It itched in her hands.

She slapped him on his left chin, hard.

"You deserved it!" Hermione said before she left him, furious.

...

Tom watched the angry female prefect leave. It hurt on his cheek.

Women. You don't know what you are going to do with them.