"Hey Weston." Hermione smiled at him while the Gryffindor and Slytherin Sixth Years waited outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to be let in. He had an arm around Alexa Jagmetti's shoulders and she smiled at Hermione.
"Hey 'Mione! Long time no see." Weston grinned. He'd been doing better since Ben's Petrification. He still missed his best friend, but he knew Ben would be back soon. Professor Samuels, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher opened the door and the students were let him. Hermione was aware of Riddle at the back of the group.
She walked in and sat at her shared desk with Gabriel Kingston, a well built, curly, brown haired boy with grey eyes. His girlfriend, Sadie Brians had been keeping a close eye on him ever since Professor Samuels announced the seating arrangement. Hermione glanced back at her and found that she wasn't glaring at her today, instead she was looking at Riddle. Hermione blinked, looking around and finding that many of the girls, and boys, were looking at Riddle. She'd found that a lot of people enjoyed looking at him. Which made her feel a bit better about doing the same.
Riddle. He'd been avoiding her since that confrontation in the dungeons. He knew that Hermione had the upper hand. All he knew about her was that she was a Mudblood. She winced at the memory of the times her blood status had been brought to attention. Professor Samuels roused her from her thoughts as he bustled about his desk. He was lean, mousy hair askew and round glasses a little crooked on his nose. He wore only brown robes and was always seen with a book or two in hand.
Last lesson Hermione had asked Professor Samuels if she would be able to switch duel partners. It was painful work duelling with Kingston, not that he was bad but he only ever cast an Expelliarmus for everything and never defended himself. Hermione hoped Professor Samuels would let them switch partners.
"Good morning class!" Samuels called to get the students' attention. There was a murmur of 'good morning' about the class and Samuels continued, "Today we will finish with our simple spells practice. But, I feel that we should give you all a chance to duel with others in the class. Let you practice with a different opponent." Hermione smiled and sat up straighter, excited to practice duelling with another student.
He began reading the names of the pairs off of a sheet of parchment. Weston was paired with a scrawny hazel eyed girl called Martha Johns. Kingston was paired with Brians. Professor Samuels continued to read out the names until it was just Hermione left. There was an even number in the class and Hermione looked around to see who would be her partner.
Her eyes found Riddle, whose eyes were already on her as Samuels called, "Ms. DeLuca and Mr. Riddle."
Tom Marvolo Riddle, the future most powerful Dark Wizard in history, was her duelling partner.
And he hated her too.
Great. It's like Professor Samuels wants me to be murdered in class.
The students pushed back the desks to the wall and took their places with their new partners in the room.
Riddle soon was standing beside me and he cleared his throat. "Shall we?" he asked. Hermione nodded and stood a few paces away, facing him. She took out her wand and found that Riddle already had.
The other students had already begun their duels around them, so Hermione raised her wand and cast a non-verbal Anteoculatia.
Tom recognised the wand movements, raised a shield and cocked an eyebrow. Hermione had stepped closer when she had cast her spell and now Tom stepped forward as well and said, "Is that the best you've got, DeLuca?"
Arrogant, insufferable, impertinent little snake. Hermione fell back into her duelling stance and sent another spell at him. Calvorio!
Tom sidestepped the spell, smirking at her.Avis! A flock of silver birds appeared above Hermione and circled over her head. Oppugno! The birds shot towards Tom, but he waved his wand and the birds caught fire, turned to ash and fell. Cantis! He flicked his wand and the spell diverted and crashed into the stone wall behind him.
Hermione frowned and cast another. Colloshoo! Tom diverted it lazily.
Right. Time to get serious.
Confringo! Tom's eyebrows shot up at the sudden change in spells and in his surprise he was forced to raise a shield. Hermione couldn't help but smile.
He sent a silent curse at her. She recognised it as Defodio and quickly raised a thick yellow shield.
Deprimo! Hermione waved her wand and sent it at him. He performed a complicated wand movement and her spell shot back towards me, even more power behind it. She raised her shield but realised it would break through it and supported it with another shield. The spell crashed into the first and then the second and Hermione was safe.
She looked at Riddle, his expression was sour. Hermione wasted no time and sent him a spell. Diffindo! He parried. Duro. She parried. Ebublio! He grunted and flicked his wand, sending the curse into the wall.
They continued the duel as such, till Tom sent a dark curse her way.
She didn't recognise it, so she sidestepped it quickly. In her anger she sent one back at him. Occidere Ferio! He recognised the dark curse heading towards him.Tom looked up in shock, his eyes on her as he raised a thick shield. The shield was four layers thick. Hermione watched as the curse smashed through three and was stopped by the fourth and she smiled again, pleased with herself.
The shock was still evident on his face as he started to send another curse her way. Hermione sent a Stupefy at him. Tom didn't notice until it hit. But neither did she.
His spell hit her the same time hers hit him. Tom's spell was a modified version of Incendio and Hermione flew backwards. Fire burnt her clothes and hands. She quickly put it out with a jet of water, but it stung terribly.
Hermione winced and got up, wand still in hand. She walked over to Riddle. He lay on his back on the floor, but he was stirring from her stunning spell. Hermione used Diffindo and cut his arm. His blood blossomed across the sleeve of his white shirt. Hermione knew it was wrong to cut him when he was down, but she wanted both of them to have scars from their duel. Not just her.
His eyes met hers and he was about to speak when Professor Samuels interrupted them.
"Ms. DeLuca! Mr. Riddle! What is the meaning of this?" he strode over and spotted Hermione's burnt clothes and the red blisters on her skin. He looked to Riddle and noticed the red line of blood on his arm. "I will speak to the both of you in my office after you go straight to the Hospital Wing." he said sternly, shaking his head in his obvious disappointment. Hermione moved to the door, Tom getting up and following after her, his hand over the cut on his arm.
They walked out of the classroom in silence, every pair of eyes on them. After a moment of the two of them walking in silence, Hermione spoke. "We may have gotten carried away." she murmured, looking to him and finding he was already watching her. "We did." he nodded.
There was something strange between them now. Some form of respect. Tom looked at her again and Hermione frowned, "What is it?" Tom nodded to the burn on her hand and forearm. "You'll need a new shirt." he said. Hermione almost scoffed, "I have another. You'll need a new one too." she said, looking to the cut on his arm.
Tom smirked, "You cut me when I was down." he said. "It doesn't seem like something you would do, DeLuca." Hermione shrugged, "I was angry. If I walked away with a scar so should you." Tom let out a grunt of understanding, knowing he would have done the same if their roles had been reversed. Perhaps worse than just a cut.
"You fight well." he said, removing his hand from his arm and wiping the blood on his shirt. He held out his hand to her, eyes unreadable. "Shall we call a truce?"
Hermione stood, stunned, and she stared at him for a moment till he frowned his annoyance and Hermione quickly took his hand, shaking it firmly. "That cut is really bad." she pointed out when the awkward handshake was broken. "Come on, we should get you to the Hospital Wing." Hermione said, walking off. Tom followed and managed a smirk. "Your burn looks worse." he boasted.
Hermione was glad he didn't see her smile.
When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Madame Emerson, the current nurse ushered us towards two beds and then quickly went to fetch what she needed. Hermione winced as she studied her burn and Tom watched her, hand over his cut.
"Tom." he said, making Hermione look to him in surprise. "What?" He shrugged, a move that on him looked more calculated than it should have. "Call me Tom."
Hermione blinked in shock. "Okay." she murmured. Tom raised a brow, "Are you going to invite me to call you Hermione?" he asked. Hermione was saved a reply by Madame Emerson, who came back over and began to clean his wound efficiently. He winced and hissed through his teeth. "Sorry about the cut." Hermione said, feeling obliged to apologise. "I shouldn't have cut you when you were down." Tom nodded and looked to her. "I would have done it. Perhaps I'm rubbing off on you, DeLuca." he said.
Hermione smiled, "I hope not." Madame Emerson tied off Tom's bandage and he winced again and watched as Hermione was tended to.
When they were both bandaged and sent away Tom turned to her, "So, how will we get out of trouble with Professor Samuels?" he asked. Hermione and Tom brainstormed ideas on the way back to class, but still suffered through a long, angry lecture from Professor Samuels. By the end of it, Tom winked at Hermione and left for his next class, leaving her confused and frightened by the sudden change in him.