"If you could just stop eye-fucking Riddle for five seconds, that would be fucking brilliant 'mione" Harry muttered under his breath, as he waited for his best friend to return her attention to them and the incredibly difficult homework Snape had assigned.

"Oh leave her alone" Ginny smirked, not looking up from her own homework, "she's in loveeee"

"I am not" Hermione snapped, turning her attention from the head boy and glaring at her friend.

"Whatever" Harry said, waving his hand in front of the stack of books Hermione had told him to collect from the shelves when they'd entered the library, "are you going to help me or not?"

Hermione glared across the table at him, but didn't say anything else, merely pulling the top book from the stack and opening it at the page he would need. She did this with each of the books before she stood and made to leave.

"Wait. You can't just leave me to do this all by myself" he hissed at her, wary of madam pince rounding the corner and throwing him out.

Hermione turned, her eyes narrowed at him and Harry suddenly remembered who he was speaking too.

"Sorry" he murmured quietly, pulling the nearest book closer and watching his friend leave.

It hadn't happened overnight, it had happened over several years and they just hadn't noticed. Too caught up in their own lives and quidditch and stupid tournaments to notice that the girl they'd first befriended in first year wasn't a push over anymore, wouldn't take their shit, wasn't spending as much time with them as she used to.

They hadn't noticed her spending more and more time with Malfoy and Riddle and Nott and -

They hadn't noticed, and she didn't think they deserved to know where she spent all her time – it wasn't like they asked anyway

She still went to quidditch games and she still went to class and she still saw them over the summer

She just also happened to spend part of her summer at Malfoy Manor now and at Nott Manor and at Riddle manor and -

They didn't notice until it was too late

Hermione had been aiming for head girl since she'd been ten

That hadn't changed when she found out she was a witch

So, it wasn't a surprise to her or anyone else in her year when she was awarded the badge,

It was probably a shock for them to see her step off the train with her hand tucked firmly into Tom Riddle's on the first day of seventh year though

It had definitely shocked harry and Ginny and Ron -

Ron had flown off the handle, claiming imperious and a love potion and -

McGonagall had stared at the boy and asked him if he even knew his 'friend' since they'd been close for years now

She smiled at them when she passed them but that was it

She spent all her time in the library and the heads dormitory's, rarely visiting the Gryffindor common room unless she had to

The only time they saw her was if she decided to sit with them in class or at dinner or -

Hermione rolled over in Tom's bed when he finally entered the room later that night.

"Gods I missed you today" he murmured against her lips, slipping into the bed beside her and pulling her under him.

"Obviously" she moaned, rolling her hips against his erection, which was still encased in his boxers.

"Witch" he hissed even as he slipped a hand between them and shucked them off.

"Ginny said I was in love with you today" she said as Tom moved his way down her bare body pressing his lips against every inch of her bare skin

"Of course you are" he murmured, "Just like I'm in love with you" he said, completely sincere. He didn't seem to have noticed how still she was beneath him.

"Right?" He asked again coming up to cradle her face with his hands.

"Really?" She asked, cradling his with hers.

Have I really never told you he asked through their soul bond, as he kissed her worries away.

No she answered, as he thrust into her, never.