Hello!
Here is the Twelfth chapter and not even one week as passed! I know it's not the bigger one I've posted but it's not the shortest either! Believe when I say it had to be this way, otherwise it would mess the story flow...
*Spoiler alert *
So we have a little Hermione/Tom interaction here, but don't get too excited! It's still a while before things really get going full speed.
*End of Spoiler*
Having nothing else to say I guess I will just leave you to read. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter therefore all recognizable characters in this story belong to J. K. Rowling
Chapter Twelve
"Hermione wait!" it called loudly, creating echo in the corridors which seemed to be taking pleasure in mocking her.
Turning around she found herself staring into the dark eyes of Tom Riddle. How could her Tom be you-know-who? Sure, he had not been pleasant towards her the first few days, but then they had actually gotten along. How could he act so normal when he was (or would be) a coldblooded murderer?
"Why are you avoiding me?" he asked, his voice the smooth baritone she had considered innocent back in the orphanage. Said voice was like a rose now: Beautiful but with thorns.
Hermione didn't know what to answer.
"I thought you were a muggle," she countered avoiding his question. What was she supposed to say? Sorry I'm avoiding you, but I don't really want to be near you since I know you will become the most dangerous dark lord of all times? Oh, and by the way, my best friend was prophesized to defeat you AND when you tried to kill him while he was a baby you lost your body during a little more than a decade.
Even if Hermione would like to see his reaction she would never tell him that.
"Well, I'm not. And you aren't too, obviously."
Something didn't sit well with the tone of his voice. It sounded forced, as if he had thought about it countless times before and was finally saying out loud.
Hermione saw a tiny fray of light at the end of the tunnel.
"That came out strange Tom. I mean, it actually sounded as if it was too obvious for you. It's not like you knew I was a witch before…"
He looked away. Apparently Tom had yet to master the art of deceiving others. Hermione grasped the opportunity with teeth and nails.
"You knew!?" her voice echoed in the corridors "How? Why didn't you tell me?"
"When I found you, you're wand wasn't inside your bag. I put it there before you woke up," Hermione's hand travelled to her bag. It never left her possession nowadays and she even slept with it beside her pillow.
"Still... Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione sounded immensely angry even to her own years. She was amazed at how well she could perform. Of course the fact that she was truly mad helped the act.
"I-"
"You wanted to play around with me, right? Just like the little Slytherin you are – "
"OH! So you have already learned of the rivalry between our houses!"
"I have been warned," she lied. She needed Tom to think she was just another prejudiced Gryffindor. Not enough the effort of finding out her secrets.
"Well then I guess I should just free you of my presence." Tom's voice sounded angry too, insulted even. Had she not known his true nature she would have felt bad for him. In the present case however, she only felt glad.
"Please do."
And he turned around the way he had come from, leaving Hermione free to walk the rest of the way to the library. There she would read her way through what she had left of her free period.
Transfiguration with Dumbledore as its teacher was simply amazing, and just like she had heard Phillip complain he gave them homework – a three feet long essay about human transfiguration to be delivered the week after.
At the end of the class he requested for Hermione to stay behind so he could have a word with her.
"I know my way back to the great hall guys, I'll join you there for dinner," she told Phillip and Thomas who had seemed to be ready to wait for her by the door. Seeing as she doubted Dumbledore would speak about more important matters than the ones he was entlited to as her head of house she needed to send the boys away. She was very happy they and Minerva had embraced her – a perfect stranger - into their little group, but it wouldn't do any good if they found out she was from the future.
Once the boys were gone Dumbledore spoke.
"How was your first day?"
"Stressing to say the least. I recognized way more faces and names then I was ready to."
"I understand it must be hard. Rest assured I'm already researching how to send you back, but you can learn all you want about time travel too. It's always better to have another head thinking, and maybe you'll find something I missed."
"I will do so."
"Good, good. Now I believe you have your classmates waiting for you to join them?"
"Yes, thank you professor."
"Just one more thing," she said turning to look at her old headmaster, her hand already on the door knob.
"Yes Miss Granger?"
"What if someone finds out?"
"I speak only the wild guesses of an old fool, but from where you come from I would say they always knew."
"Thank you professor."
On her way to the great hall she never noticed tom on the other side of the corridor hidden in the shadows the castle tended to make. He had only heard the last part of the talk between her and Dumbledore – and only her side of it as she had been very close to the classroom's door, but it had been enough to pike his interest on her person once again. What was it she didn't want people to find out?
All he knew was that, if he wanted to know whatever it was she was trying o hide, he would have to be extremely sneaky.
During dinner he did not look her way twice – the only time he did was to find her stare somewhat angrily at her, as if he was mad at her and had decided to ignore her from then on. It was necessary to give her a false sense of security so as to ensure he would have more freedom in the future.
That night, Hermione fell asleep quicker, thinking that at least Tom seemed to be out of her hair. She decided she wouldn't have to worry much about him and could focus more on finding possible ways to send herself back home.
The moment Hermione fell asleep, Tom was still starting to write to his diary, so that he could keep record of everything that had happened during the day.
Tom,
Today during breakfast…
"Whew! You don't know the weight you have taken from my shoulders Hermione!" Phillip said the moment he joined Hermione and Minerva the next morning.
Hermione who had done nothing but wait for the boys along with Minerva stared at Phillip as if he had grown a second head.
"Have you gone bonkers Phillip?"
"Don't insult me sweetcake. I am very fragile."
"What is your reason for relief, Mr. Fragile?"
"I've just come to the conclusion that you aren't moody every morning, and that yesterday was but an exception. I was tremendously afraid of your temper in the mornings if it were a regular occasion."
The smack echoed through all of the common room. Phillip rubbed the back of his head where Hermione's hand had hit.
"How can you say that to me? It was my first night in a strange place. It was only natural for me to wake up in the wrong side of the bed. Besides how can you be so sure that today is not the exception and yesterday the rule?" Hermione said not letting her voice or manners show how amused she was by his antics.
"Sorry, sorry – "he said his voice anything but sorry. Hermione smiled.
The playful banter between the four of them ended only when they had to go to charms class, Thomas happily going back to the common room bragging about how he had a free period and both Hermione and Phillip had to go and endure a class so early in the morning. Minerva only smiled, holding Thomas arm going back to the common room with him. She too had free period as she refused to have divination like some of her fellow Gryffindors were having. If someone could predict the future it would hardly be through tea leaves and crystal balls.
"Those two are so lucky! They have free period TOGETHER, and we're stuck with charms!" Phillip complained as he and Hermione began their way to class.
"Don't pity yourself too much. Next is herbology, a subject which you don't have, which means you have a free period. After that its lunch break which gives you another free period."
"I still don't understand how you can take so many classes I think you'll go crazy."
"Oh believe me: I will! It doesn't mean I won't get good grade though."
"Has anyone ever told you how big headed you are?"
"I'm not big headed!" Like Phillip, Hermione had a playful tone to her voice.
"Well… if you say so then you must be right. In that case you're just incredibly confident of your capacities, to the point of telling about them to everyone else just how good –"
"Oh, shut up!" Phillip interrupted.
"Yes miss, I do believe your partner is right, it is indeed time you quiet down." An unknown voice said from behind her head. They were already seated in class, but seeing as the teacher had yet to arrive she and Phillip had continued on talking to each other just like the rest of the other students. However they had been so focused on their playful banter they hadn't noticed the abrupt silence in the classroom, nor heard the footsteps that had approached them from behind.
"Yes professor Bulstrode," Phillip said immediately after, taking his parchment and quill out of his bag. Hermione followed the example silently seeing as all her classmates were either doing the same or had already done it.
The control the teacher had on the class was nothing short of amazing. As he practically glided across the room, neither Gryffindor nor Ravenclaw emitted a single sound. Already all the way in the front of the class, he stood still and silent, waiting for everyone to get their material out. As the last student stopped moving he smiled an empty smile and said in a polite voice:
"Today you will only need your wands so you can put your parchment and quills back in their places. Next time you must wait for my orders."
Apparently, Hermione thought, he is also a downright jerk. She couldn't help but wonder if he was related to Milicent Bullstrode, a girl that had been in Slytherin in her own time. Surely the man in front of her seemed to be Slytherin enough to be a relative (probably some great-uncle, grandfather or even great grandfather).
The students however did as he told without even blinking twice in his direction. Repeating herself Hermione thought once again that the control the teacher had over his class was marvelous.
"Today you will begin practicing the bubblehead charm we studied in these last lessons. In front of each of you are water tanks – as soon as he these words he moved his wand and said water tanks appeared in front of them. To test your charm you will test it's resistance under water. To do that you will lift the tanks to your head and then turn them upside down. Do not worry; the water is charmed to stay inside the aquarium. You may begin."
The day before, in all of her classes, every teacher had tried to make sure she could catch up with the work that had been done in class. It seemed that Professor Bulstrode preferred a more practical approach, deciding to wait and see how she did. At least Hermione hoped that was the case because otherwise the only conclusion that came to her was that he wasn't a good teacher. Assuming his super control over the class was to him actually being good at what he did the last option didn't really make much sense.
By the end of the class only Phillip had managed to hold the charm for eight minutes. Hermione was proud to be able to hold during four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Contrary to her pears she had not had weeks to study the charm, pronounce the incantation or practice the wand movements.
Even if did not show it, Professor Bulstrode was honestly impressed.
Hope you liked it :D
Please let me know what you think about it!
Next chapter is already halfway typed so I think there will be no problem in updating on time next week.
Lady Featherweight
