Author's Note: I will not even attempt to justify the lengthy pause between updates. I apologize for the amount of time that it took. So, here's chapter ten, and it's a little longer than usual to make up for how long it took me to update. Please read and review! Also, I'm looking for a beta reader, so if you're interested, Private Message me.
Enjoy!
Chapter Ten
That night, the Common Room was abuzz with conversation about the rogue Dementor; it was described as "the most exciting thing at Hogwarts since that Myrtle girl bit the dust!" This statement made Hermione feel slightly sick, but she would only smirk in response to the comment, just like a good Slytherin would do.
"Blishwick!" Several voices chorused as she entered the Common Room after dinner. Nagini, who had been walking with her, smirked in her direction,
"Oh Hermione, you're famous!" She exclaimed, only half of her voice dripping with sarcasm, the other half quite serious. Before Hermione could reply, she found herself surrounded by a group of first and second years,
"Blishwick, tell us how you fought off the Dementor!"
"Blishwick, show us a Patronus Charm! We've never seen one!"
"Blishwick, what does the room really feel like when a Dementor comes in?"
"Blishwick-"
"Miss Blishwick is still exhausted from the ordeal and will not be speaking on it at the present time. Now, don't you all have studying to do?" Tom Riddle ratted off coolly, gazing at the group of younger students.
"S-s-sorry, sir." One of them stuttered, the bravest of the lot. The others, taking this boy's futile attempt as satisfactory, quickly retreated to the opposite end of the Common Room. Hermione smiled faintly,
"Thank you, Mr. Riddle, but studying so late in the evening?" She asked softly. Tom shrugged, his perfectly sculpted features mimicking her slight smile,
"Ah, well, they could use the practice, I suppose. Will you join us?" He questioned, gesturing over to the usual collection of the best couches. On them sat the usual crew; Lestrange, Rosier, Malfoy, Avery, and Wilkes.
"Certainly!" Hermione replied, glad to be away from the overly eager young students. As she began to walk towards the couches, she noticed that Tom did not bother to invite Nagini. Nagini, however, did not seem to notice, and walked with them to the gathering of her friends, tossing her head, hips oscillating, her red lips curling into a smile. Maybe Tom's right. . . maybe there is something odd going on with Nagini. Hermione thought for a moment, but quickly banished the thought. Tom Riddle was a master of manipulation, and a future Dark Lord. There was no way she could ever trust him.
"Ah, Riddle, you brought two lovely girls with you! Much appreciated." Lestrange greeted them with a dashing smile. Hermione just shook her head, but Nagini's smile remained on her face,
"Lestrange, you're too much!" She exclaimed, sitting down next to Malfoy, who looked positively livid, and humming softly to herself. Hermione took a seat on the only couch left; between Tom and Wilkes. It was an awkward seat, to say the least, but no one seemed to notice her discomfort; all eyes were fixed upon Nagini, who pretended not to notice.
"Do tell us, why so cheerful, Nagini?" Rosier questioned, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. Nagini tossed her hair back grinning,
"Oh, no reason, dear Rosier. Must a girl always have a reason for being so cheerful?" She questioned in a breathless, airy voice so unlike Nagini that it was a bit startling. Tom, however, simply shook his head,
"Nagini, you might as well stop faking and tell us how we wronged you this time." He said flatly, not buying the impossibly giddy act. Nagini's face fell slightly and she leaned forward in her seat,
"And what on earth makes you think that you did something wrong, Tom? What did you do?" She asked, her voice still sweet, but with a quality to it that made Hermione extremely uneasy. Tom's lips smirked,
"Ah, my dear Nagini, it is nothing. Absolutely trivial to the point of nothing." He answered cryptically, but the answer seemed to satisfy Nagini, who leaned back in her seat again and continued humming quietly. Tom, too, leaned back in his seat lazily. Just as the group was on the verge of a strange silence once again, Alphard Black appeared in the Common Room.
"Hullo there, fellow Slytherins!" He greeted the group with a smile, ignoring that fact that he was not exactly wanted there, "Oh, and our heroine of the hour, Miss Blishwick!" He said with a smile and a wink.
"Hello, Black!" She replied amongst the chorus of hellos.
"Accio armchair!" He said with a lazy flick of his wand, startling several students as the armchair came whizzing through the air to their corner of the Common Room. With an amused smile, he took a seat.
"Are the theatrics really necessary, Black?" Nagini questioned with a roll of her eyes. Black smiled at her,
"Oh, most certainly, Nagini. Most certainly!" He responded, his voice sounding completely serious, but somehow, nothing Alphard Black did seemed serious at all. Nagini clicked her tongue a little, shaking her head. Nagini, along with Tom, did not seem to be particularly fond of Black. Hermione thought that she should ask Nagini about it later in the evening.
"Come of it, Nagini, he was just having a bit of fun." Wilkes responded defensively, breaking his usual silence. Nagini shrugged,
"I was merely asking a question." She responded, and the group fell into silence, "Why the hell is everyone so quiet today?" She asked loudly, gathering a few stares from the other students outside of the little group. Malfoy shrugged,
"Maybe the issue is that you're simply too loud, Naginski." He responded acidly with a glare at the girl seated next to him. Nagini laughed, throwing her arm around his as she leaned back in the chair,
"Oh Abraxus, do let our little scuffle in potions the other day go! It was nothing."
"If I do recall correctly, you were the one that started it." He replied stiffly, glaring at her arm that resided around his neck.
"Actually, I think. . ." The two fell into heated conversation once again, causing Hermione to shake her head and lean her head against the back of the couch. Tom looked away from Nagini and Malfoy and smiled slightly,
"You look rather tired, Miss Blishwick." He commented, his eyes unreadable as ever. Hermione sighed,
"Yes, well, it has been an eventful day, to say the least. It takes another day or so to recover fully from a Dementor encounter." She responded. Too late did she notice the slight spark in his eye. She waited for his reply, dreading it, feeling as if she had let something slip.
"Do you make it a habit to encounter Dementors regularly?" He questioned casually, his eyes fixed upon hers. Remembering that Lord Voldemort could always tell when someone was lying, she broke the eye contact,
"No. . . reading. Yes, I've read a lot about them in my studies." She answered somewhat lamely.
"I see. Do you read a lot of ancient runes?" He asked. Thinking his questions to be slightly impertinent, Hermione snapped her gaze back to his,
"I do, actually. Why exactly do you want to know? If you want a book suggestion, all you have to do is ask. I regret I cannot lend you any books, however, because they are all back in Australia." Hermione responded confidently. Tom looked slightly taken aback, but recovered smoothly,
"Oh, I don't want your books, Hermione." The way he stated the comment unnerved her slightly, "I would say that you should have your books sent over though, but I am not sure it would be entirely safe. It would, however, probably lend to your comfort. Books are very much like old friends."
"That they are." Hermione agreed, surprised once again that Tom Riddle Jr. could carry on a seemingly normal conversation. Hermione yawned, politely covering her mouth as she did so, but realizing just how much of a toll the Dementor attack had taken on her. Deciding that it would be best if she got an early start on sleep, she stood up, addressing the group,
"Well, I regret it, but I'm extremely tired. I think I'm going to go on to bed." She said. Avery, who had been quiet most of the evening, smiled and said,
"Goodnight, Blishwick! I hope you feel more refreshed in the morning." The others followed suit with their goodnight's, Nagini barely pausing from her argument with Malfoy to say that she would catch her later, and Alphard Black standing up and saying goodnight. Tom stood up also,
"I will escort you up to your dormitory, Miss Blishwick." He said. It was not an offer. Panicking slightly, wondering what could possibly motivate Tom Riddle to do such a thing, Hermione refused,
"Oh no, Mr. Riddle, I will not trouble you with so trivial a thing." She politely replied. He shook his head, offering her arm with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes,
"But I insist." He pressed. Reluctantly, Hermione took his arm, not wanting to make any bigger of a scene. Several members of the Slytherin Common Room eyed her curiously, including Lestrange and Black. Hermione swallowed, attempting to squelch the nervousness that stirred in her throat.
"Goodnight again, everyone." She said as her final goodnight, hoping it would not be her final goodbye. But they would know if something happened. . . wouldn't they? She thought frantically. But are they really my friends? Or is this just part of some elaborate plot and they're all Death Eaters? Resisting the urge to grab her wand, Hermione firmly held onto Tom's arm and followed him out of the Common Room and up the stairs.
"Now, most male members of our House cannot cross this point." He said as they began to mount the spiral staircase, "They can only go to the first door, which is their own dormitories. My apartment as Head Boy, however, if at the very top of the Slytherin wing, so I can walk past the female dormitories. I can enter them, emergency only, but thankfully, that has never happened." Tom explained nonchalantly. Was it Hermione's imagination, or did he stare most intently at her during the last sentence?
"Do the same rules apply for girls?" She asked just as something to say. Tom shook his head,
"No. As far as I know, girls may enter the boy's dormitories with nothing happening." He paused, "Is there a reason you ask?" Hermione blushed,
"Oh, goodness no! Just curiosity, I suppose." She replied quickly, relieved to see that they had arrived at the door of the girl's dormitories.
"I enjoyed our brief conversation this evening. I will be most interested to continue it, Miss Blishwick." Tom Riddle stated formally.
"It was most stimulating." Hermione replied with a forced smile.
"I would also be most interested in learning the Patronus charm, since you seem to be in such control of it, if you do not mind. Did I not say that we should practice spells again sometime?" Tom said in a relaxed, cool manner, and easy smile slipping to his lips. Hermione gulped,
"You did indeed. Maybe sometime soon." She paused, "Thank you for your escort." His smile widened,
"Anything for you, Miss Blishwick. Goodnight."
Hermione, freed of her escort, quickly said "Goodnight!" and scurried into her dormitory. Not that it would help if he were to attack me. . . She thought glumly, remembering that Tom, as Head Boy, could enter her dormitory without punishment. With a sigh, Hermione began to rummage though her drawers, looking for her nightclothes.
A few minutes later, as Hermione was just about to finally climb into bed, Nagini entered the dormitory, yawning loudly and collapsing onto her bed. For a moment, she didn't speak. Then, she looked over at Hermione,
"You know, I am glad that Florence and Lucille flirt so much downstairs in the evening. It keeps them out of the dormitory." Hermione smirked, nodding in agreement,
"They are exceedingly annoying. . . not to mention exceedingly dim-witted." She concurred, sitting down on her bed and looking over at Nagini, who lazily lounged on her bed. At the moment, everything seemed to be returning to normal; Hermione, however, knew that Nagini was unpredictable. Deciding to test the waters a little, Hermione softly asked, "Nagini. . . what happened? Earlier, I mean."
Nagini looked over at Hermione, shrugging,
"Oh, nothing. Honestly." She paused, "Well, something, though it was very little. Just a little jealousy, I suppose." If Hermione was expecting an answer, it definitely would not be this one.
"Jealousy? Of whom?" She asked, puzzled. Nagini laughed lightly,
"Well, of you, dear Hermione!"
Now, Hermione was confused. Very confused.
"Nagini, if it's about the Dementor. . ."
"Oh, no, it's not about the Dementor. I will admit that I was amazed that you performed the Patronus charm so well, but that's not enough to make me jealous. No, I am jealous of the relationship you have with Tom." She explained, sitting up and looking over at Hermione, "He likes you, Hermione. A great deal."
"Do you have any. . . romantic inclinations towards him?" Hermione asked softly. Nagini quickly shook her head,
"Hell no! I'm just used to being his closest friend, and it's uncomfortable when someone else comes into the picture." Somehow, Hermione doubted that Tom Riddle Jr. had any true friends, much less close ones.
"I'm not in the picture, Nagini. I don't think he even likes me at all!" At this remark, Nagini laughed heartily,
"Poor, hopeless Hermione! Why are you so afraid to acknowledge a man's fascination with you? You already have half of the male population of Slytherin wrapped around your little finger!" Hermione smirked,
"Well, you have all of them wrapped around your little finger." She shot back. Nagini grinned, brushing her hair off of her shoulder,
"True. All in a day's work." She replied, "But you must forgive me. It's just so much fun!"
"Even with Alphard Black?" Hermione questioned delicately.
"Oh, god no! That BOY is a goddamn idiot!" Nagini spat, shaking her head, "I've come so, so close to hexing him when he's not paying attention. So close. Soon, I don't think I'll be able to contain myself."
"Is he that bad?" Nagini snorted,
"That bad? He's entirely bad! He can't keep his nose out of everyone else's business and is always following me, Tom, Malfoy, Lestrange and the rest like the plague!" Nagini paused, "It's almost like he's trying to catch us so he can get us thrown out. He hates us." Hermione's ears pricked up,
"Trying to catch you? Doing what?" Nagini looked at Hermione,
"Doing anything, anything at all that we're not supposed to, even if it's just cutting class." She replied, but Hermione knew that she was lying. Did the Death Eaters exist at this point in history? It was clear Tom had enough followers to have them, but she couldn't be sure. Nagini yawned, "Well, I'm beat, Hermione. I'm going to go to bed. See you in the morning?"
"Yeah, see you in the morning!" Hermione replied, she, too, laying down in her bed, "I'll get the lights." She grabbed her wand, "Nox."
The room fell into darkness.
* ' * ' *
Saturday came quickly and as a relief to Hermione from her school work. Although she had never disliked schoolwork, she felt particularly bored of it because of its redundant nature. As Hermione got up on Saturday, treating herself to sleeping until 8:00, she noticed that Nagini was not in their dormitory. Hermione looked around, confused at the girl's absence, since Nagini did not seem to be a morning person. Shaking her head, Hermione stood up, stretching and heading into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
Twenty minutes later, a good book tucked safely under her arm, Hermione opened the door and descended the staircase into the Common Room.
"Good morning, Miss Blishwick!" Hermione jumped at the voice, turning towards its source: Tom Riddle sat in one of the armchairs in the otherwise empty Common Room.
"Good morning, Mr. Riddle!" She greeted, still a little jittery.
Tom Riddle smiled, "Did I startle you, Miss Blishwick? I'm terribly sorry." Hermione quickly shook her head, gathering her wits up enough to answer,
"No, no, I just was thinking and not entirely paying attention." She explained, this time, being entirely truthful.
"Yes, I could tell." Tom replied with smile, "Have you eaten yet?" Hermione shook her head,
"No, I was just going to grab some toast before heading out towards the lake. It is such a nice day." She answered.
"My dear Miss Bliwshwick, have you forgotten our plans for today?" He asked, sounding slightly offended, but mostly something else. Was it amusement? When Hermione just looked at him, thinking hard, he smiled yet again, "I had promised to teach you to fly a broomstick today. It is perfect flying weather; the others are already down at the pitch. It's the only thing that will make Nagini actually get out of bed before ten o'clock on weekends." A feeling of dread filled Hermione; she had forgotten about her little stunt in asking Tom to teach her how to fly. Why had that seemed like a good idea at the time? She couldn't even remember.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I had quite forgotten!" Hermione said, desperately trying to think of something else to say, "But are you sure that you really want to help me? I don't want to waste your time; I really am terrified of flying." Tom stood up, walking a few paces across the Common Room until he stood in front of Hermione. With a small smile, he reached forward, taking the book out of her hand,
"You know that I am in no way opposed to reading in the slightest, but I must entreat you to take a little risk, Miss Blishwick." With a wave of his wand, he sent the book zooming back up the stairs and to Hermione's dormitory, "Accio broomstick!" He added, waiting for his own broomstick to arrive by his side, "It won't be a waste of my time." At that moment, his broom, narrowly missing Hermione's head, raced into his outstretched hand.
"O-okay. But only if you're sure." Hermione stuttered, knowing that there was no getting out of this now. Tom's smile widened,
"I am quite sure. Come, we'll eat breakfast on the way to the pitch." He extended his arm to Hermione.
She took it.
* ' * ' *
"Hermione!" Nagini exclaimed with a smile, waving from up in the air, one hand waving, the other grasped firmly to her broomstick, "Hold on, I'll be right there!" And with that, Nagini went into a quick dive, hurtling towards the ground at a breakneck speed before leveling out at the last minute, "I'm so glad that you decided to come! And look, you even dragged Tom out of the castle on a nice day! Truly, it is amazing."
Nagini certainly seemed to be in her element on a broom; her curls flew around her unchecked, her lips in a smile of pleasure.
"Blishwick!" Abraxus Malfoy greeted, joining Nagini on the ground, "Good to see you! Ready to fly?"
"Well. . ." Hermione chuckled nervously, repeating again and again in her mind exactly how much of a mistake this whole stunt was. Tom lightly put a hand on Hermione's shoulder,
"She'll be fine. I told her there's really nothing to flying." He answered for her, and Hermione could not help but be grateful for the answer. Nagini caught her eye, raising her eyebrows a little, but simply saying,
"Of course she will be! Just start out slow, and don't worry if you don't get it right away." Hermione nodded,
"Okay, I'll try!" Nagini gave her an encouraging smile before kicking off from the ground and taking off once more, Malfoy doing the same. Hermione could not help but admire how well they both flew as they went through drills, throwing a beat-up quaffle back and forth. Indeed, this seemed to be the only time that Malfoy and Nagini got along.
"Alright, I'm not going to bore you with all of the formalities associated with broomstick safety. Just know that you can quite easily fall off and break your neck and be done with it." Tom Riddle said crisply, Hermione's stomach dropping at his words,
"Mr. Riddle, that doesn't make me feel any better." He smirked,
"It's not supposed to." He replied, and the tiny bit of tenderness that Hermione had felt but a few moments before was gone with his arrogant response, "So, I'll put the broom on the ground, and you start by putting your right hand over the broom and saying 'up'." Hermione, slightly humiliated by the fact that she had done this her first year of school, did as she was told,
"Up!" She said firmly, and the broom floated up into her broom. Without waiting for his instruction, she mounted the broom.
"Okay, now just try kicking off and floating for a moment." Tom commanded, and, again, Hermione did so. She kicked off and hovered a foot off the ground or so, "Try and find a center of balance." He instructed. After a good deal of wobbling, Hermione finally managed to get the broom to remain still, "Okay, now wait one moment; I'll go and get one of the school's brooms so I can ride along side you." Tom said, turning and walking towards the broomstick cupboard at the far end of the pitch.
"How's it coming?" Nagini asked, flying down to the ground next to Hermione, who was still hovering slightly,
"Well, alright, I guess. Tom's gone to get another broomstick."
"Oh, because you want to ride his?" Nagini asked, winking suggestively. Hermione smacked her on the arm lightly,
"Nagini!" Laughing loudly, Nagini smiled,
"What? It was just a question." She paused, "Seriously, though, I would be careful. My petty jealousy doesn't amount to anything, but I think that Florence and Lucille have it out for you for spending time with their precious Tom." Nagini gestured behind her. To her horror, Hermione saw the two girls seated up in the stands, pretending to study.
"Oh, fantastic!" Hermione exclaimed sarcastically, "Now, they'll taunt me forever if I fall!"
"Who will taunt you forever?" Lestrange asked, walking up to the pair, his own broomstick in hand, "Oh, and hello, Blishwick! Nice to see you out here."
"Florence and Lucille." Hermione replied, nodding towards the place where the two girls were sitting,
"Ignore them. All they are are two pretty faces, and nothing more. They're harmless." Lestrange answered, mounting his broom, "Well, I better start flying before Nagini murders me for being late."
"That I will!" Nagini said, wagging her finger at him.
"Alright, I have one of the school's better brooms. It will do for the occasion." Tom told Hermione as he walked up, holding a gently used broom in his hand.
"Riddle! Good to see you out here at last. Miss Blishwick, you truly are a miracle worker." Lestrange said, smiling at her before kicking off.
"We'll talk later, Hermione." Nagini said with a significant look before kicking off as well. Once again, it was only Hermione and Tom.
"Let's try a little bit of low flying now, just at the height that you were hovering. I'll be right beside you, just in case if something goes wrong, which it probably will." Tom said in his most gentle voice. Deeply annoyed with his cleverly embedded insults, Hermione laughed,
"Well, perhaps you should just teach Florence and Lucille over there to fly instead of me, if I'm so accident prone. I'm sure they would love to learn." Tom followed her gaze to the two girls, who instantly began waving at him,
"Good morning, Tom!" Florence Greengrass called, smiling absurdly and waving. Tom Riddle returned her smile with a dashing one of his own,
"Good morning!" He replied with a little wave that made both of the girls blush. Hermione rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Tom turned his attention back to her,
"Okay, so hold the broom like this." He leaned over her, taking her hands in his own and placing them in the proper position on the broom, "Now lean slightly forward." His hand lightly touched the small of her back, pushing her forward slightly.
Hermione's heart pounded in her chest at his touch, his closeness. The gasps of the two girls with satisfyingly hilarious.
"Stay right there, and kick off." Hermione kicked off, hovering about three feet off the ground. Tom got onto his broom and hovered beside her, "Now, lean forward."
Soon, Hermione and Tom were taking slow, careful laps around the pitch, increasing their altitude each time slowly.
"That's it, Hermione!" Nagini called encouragingly, "Come on, come up here!"
"I can't!" Hermione replied, terrified, her heart about to beat right out of her chest.
"I'm right here, Hermione. Come on! Tom's spotting you."
"That's okay, Miss Blishwick. Don't do it if you're too scared." Tom Riddle said to her, and only then did Hermione realize that he was enjoying her fear. That made something snap inside Hermione,
"Coming, Nagini!" She announced, and took off from her current altitude to join Nagini up near the goal rings. Her fear gone, replaced by annoyance and anger, Hermione zoomed up beside Nagini, only wobbling a tiny bit. Tom seemed slightly surprised, but he continued to spot her, flying a few feet below and behind her.
"Catch!" Malfoy called to her, tossing the quaffle in her direction. To Hermione's astonishment, she dove a little to the left and caught it. Nagini clapped,
"Wonderful! We'll make a chaser out of you yet! Here, throw it to me!" Hermione tossed it over to Nagini, poorly, but luckily, Nagini still managed to dive and catch it with ease. Nagini then tossed it to Tom, who put it through the goal before catching it again and sending it in Malfoy's direction.
The rest of the morning passed pleasantly enough, with the little game of catch they had going on. Eventually, Hermione managed to become tolerable at the game, although she knew that in the heat of a real Quidditch game, she would fail miserably.
As Hermione, Nagini, Tom, Malfoy, and Lestrange headed up the castle for some lunch, Hermione walked beside Lestrange, who was eagerly trying to invite her to Hogsmeade. Nagini and Tom walked together behind them, engaged in conversation.
"Lestrange, come here for a moment!" Malfoy called to his friend from up ahead, pointing towards the lake.
"I'll be right back, Blishwick." Lestrange promised her, jogging ahead to catch up with Malfoy. As Hermione continued walking, she heard snippets of Tom and Nagini's conversation.
"Either you or Hermione need to be our last Chaser this year! Come on, it will be fun." Nagini said pleadingly,
"No thank you, I do not like Quidditch. Though, I must say that today was rather enjoyable."
"And why was that?" Nagini prodded. Hermione knew that there would be a smirk on her face as she said it.
"Well, flying is fun, I will admit. And spotting Blishwick today made me realize that Alphard Black might not be a total idiot after all."
"Why's that?" Nagini asked, sounding doubtful.
"It isn't enough to seriously interest me, but I will concede: Blishwick really does have a nice ass."
Nagini laughed.
Hermione's jaw dropped.