Hello there!

Here is the fourteenth chapter! I have bad news for you thought: next week I won't be home so I won't be able to update, but I will try to have the new chapter up by Monday or Tuesday of the week after so it's not all that bad! Problem is that I'm going to start college that same week so the chapter will be updated later in the day.

That's all, please read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter therefore all recognizable characters in this story belong to J. K. Rowling

Chapter Fourteen

It seemed that Hermione's reputation as a know-it –all followed her. It hadn't taken her a week in Hogwarts and not only was she known as the new girl (something that almost never happened in the school) but also as the girl whose hand was always up even before the professor finished asking whatever it was he was asking.

To that reputation was added the fact that she had taken to carry more books around than the one's the lessons demanded. They were, of course, books from the library that she had loaned and was currently reading. The covers read things like "Transfiguration at its worst", History: true or false?" and "What not to do in potions". What no one could actually see was the insides, spelled so that only Hermione could read the true contents of the texts, which talked about basic time travel theory and recent discoveries. Needless to say she was devouring the books quicker than Ron would eat his mother home cooked dinner after an entire day of Quidditch with his brothers.

"Honestly, how can you?" Phillip asked as he and Thomas joined the girls after goofing around in the black lake. It was nice day for November and both boys had decided to spend their Saturday afternoon outside. Hermione and Minerva had been dragged outside too, but had decided to lay reading under the sun instead of running around like crazy cats, as the boys had been doing all afternoon.

"How can we what?" Minerva asked sitting up to kiss her boyfriend as he sat beside her.

"Read in this beautiful afternoon," Phillip said in a complaining tone joining the trio in the ground.

"And what do you propose we do? What can you offer us that's possibly good enough to pry us away from our books?" Hermione answered looking away from her book to stare at Phillip.

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Phillip answered in a suggestive tone leaning against Hermione. It had become a habit of Phillip's to flirt with Hermione every second he could. It set Hermione's teeth on edge.

"Oh, don't start now!" Hermione answered.

"Come on, Hermione! Don't be so heartless."

"I'm not heartless. I'm honest."

"Pft… Honesty is overrated. Someday you will give me reason and ask yourself why you denied me for so long."

"Please! I've known you for a week!"

"Merlin! I'm wounded… Minerva! Please save me from her." Minerva and Thomas however were locked in a loving embrace away in their own little world. Phillip grabbed a small stone from the ground and threw it at the couple. Thomas made an angry sound and threw himself at Phillip making them both roll on the floor. Minerva who hadn't noticed what had happened looked at both of them confused.

Was it really so awful that Hermione was enjoying her time with the trio?

Tom had always enjoyed the library. He wasn't a bookworm (or anything like it) but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in what the books in the library provided. At first he had visited is as an attempt to know more about the beautiful and mysterious world he had – fortunately – been thrust into. But then, the knowledge he obtained became sufficient to warrant his fluid passage among those who had always lived in the magical world, and yet he still kept reading those leather clad tomes, learning new things with every turned page. He craved for answers to questions he hadn't known and those he could only find in books. And so, once or twice a week anyone could see Tom deliver the books he had loaned and search during entire hours for new reading material.

AS he went to the library that afternoon he wasn't expecting anything out of the regular proceedings. But then, ha also couldn't have guessed that Hermione Granger would fight with him over a book.

"I'm sorry but – you!" she said after Tom grabbed a book from a pile that was on the floor.

"Hermione? I'm sorry, are you going to loan these books?" Tom asked pointing to said pile. He still had the book that had been on top in his hands.

"Yes, these and the one you are holding, so if you could put it back where it was I would be very grateful."

He looked at the pile of books and at the book in his hands. "Uncovering the mysteries of time" its title read.

"I didn't know you were into divination."

"You don't know anything about me."

"Ouch. Must you be so bitter? I know we only spent two weeks together but –"

"Those weeks were a lie, because I didn't know you were a wizard even if you knew I was a witch, Therefore this argument is over and I would really like the book back," Hermione whispered as loudly as she dared. She had no intentions of talking to the future dark lord, much less about the weeks they had spent together. And to think she had actually thought him to be a good boy! Ever since finding out his true identity she had wondered if she could have killed him then, before he even grew up to make any kind of damage. But then why didn't she kill now? It wasn't like he was out of her reach, or even suspected she could be planning his death every time she glanced his way.

Dumbledore had said that no matter what she did it wouldn't change the future. Did that mean that Voldemort was alive because she had been too much of a coward to kill him when she had the chance? Or was he the way he was because she had indeed done something to trigger whatever it was that created the monster of her time?

Whatever the choice was it scared her. After all did that mean that no matter what she did, in the end she was fated to doing something, meaning in the end, that she had absolutely no free will whatsoever?

Could she kill him?

Was it even possible for her to do so, or was she fated to stand by and to absolutely nothing?

Hermione looked up straight into Tom's dark eyes. It wouldn't be so difficult –

And she understood exactly why Lord Voldemort still existed in her own world, despite the fact that Hermione had the chance to eliminate the problem before it even became a problem.

She saw herself in those eyes. Saw the entire days she had stared right at them, completely ignorant of what his future would be. In those brief moments she had considered herself kind of happy. Tom had been the happiness in the difficult situation she had been in.

That happiness she had cherished so much stood there, covered by the casual look on his face. Face which stared at her completely ignorant of her plots f murder.

Ignorant.

Undefended.

Innocent.

Because that was what Tom Riddle was in that moment. He was still innocent. Just a young boy who was much too curious about the dark arts, but had still not committed one single murder. A boy who had yet to decide his future.

It wasn't difficult to see how Tom had had the opportunity to grow up and become Lord Voldemort. Hermione simply could not kill him. Even if she knew that one day he would no longer be innocent.

She could only hope that when the right time came he would pay for it.

Tom was tired.

Surely Hermione wasn't capable of holding such a grudge against him just because he hadn't told her he was a wizard.

Good Merlin! What would she do if she knew everything about him? After some seconds he concluded that considering how she was reacting after such a little thing she would probably kill him almost immediately for what he was.

"You already made things pretty clear in what comes to your feelings about me. That however is not reason enough we shouldn't reach an agreement. You're going to loan those books and I only want this one. I'll read it first and give it to you after. You will have all those to read before this one."

Tom could see her hesitating and he could imagine why. She had already showed great distaste in having to talk to him, and the kind of arrangement he was trying to create meant that they would have to talk to each other again.

Of course that was the only reason Tom was trying to make the deal in the first place. He had already read the book and had picked it up with the sole purpose of checking something he was pretty sure he had gotten mistaken in his notes.

He wasn't going to complain though. If life gives you lemons make lemonade.

Reluctantly Hermione nodded her head.

"Be as fast as you can. These books won't last me long."

Tom nodded, thanked her and left. It was better not to push his luck.

He waited six days before finally talking to Hermione again. He had thought that maybe it was better to let her wait a bit more, but once again decided it was better to be on her good graces instead of giving her an even worse impression of him.

"Here; Thank you for letting me borrow it," he said after dropping the book in the only free space in the table where Hermione was studying. In his five years in Hogwarts he had never seen a library desk so full. It was a miracle how the girl managed to navigate through all the open books and parchment written with a tidy and tiny handwriting.

"Oh. Thank Merlin. I am going to need tomorrow or maybe even tonight if I can finish this in time. Thank you,! She said barely lifting her eyes from the parchment where she was writing and drawing diagrams to complicated to understand without serious amounts of study.

"It's an interesting book. I think you will like it," Tom said trying to stretch the moment as much as he could. Surely all the planning and waiting he had been doing wouldn't be in vain.

"I hope so."

Or maybe it would, for Hermione's tone was nothing but dismissing.

Tom felt frustrated. Just what did she have against him?

Back in his dorm Tom opened one of the two black notebooks he owned. One was where he wrote every essay and research he ever did. Of course that it had already been magically expanded, because there was no way five years worth of research would fit in such a small book. The other one was his diary where he wrote every single day.

"Dear Tom," he wrote.

Thomas, Phillip and Minerva were, for lack of a better term, starting to get worried. Not because anyone was sick or hurt or any other thing of the kind. When one thought about it, compared to all those other endless reasons someone could be worried about, their particular reason was pretty simple: It seemed that the newest acquisition of their group simply studied too much. Who knew that could ever be a problem? Even Thomas and Minerva who considered themselves good studious students had never managed to work as hard as Hermione was working. Not even during their OWLs and they suspected they wouldn't reach the new record the girl had set during their NEWTs either.

It simply shouldn't be possible for the human brain to support such work load.

It had started about a week before when Hermione devoured her entire dinner within six minutes so she could go back to the library. She has never gone there after dinner, preferring to lounge in the Gryffindor common room with her friends.

However one day weren't days and the trio barely batted their eye lashes two times.

It took her four minutes and thirty-three seconds to eat her dinner the day after. Apparently there was something extremely interesting in one of the books she had found the night before, and she wanted to look at it before the night ended. Phillip joked about her having to be careful in case the words ran away from the book before Hermione had a chance to read them. Hermione was already halfway through the great hall.

The rest of the week she did not even bother appearing for dinner, preferring to grab some fruit, cookies and milk on the kitchen before going to sleep.

The work level was reaching the insane border and the trio simply wouldn't have any of it. It wasn't healthy!

In that afternoon before dinner they confronted her in the common room (her first appearance there in seven days). However they weren't surprised for very long. What difference did it make if she in the common room or in the library if she was holding a book in her hands and reading it as if her life depended on it?

Thomas peaked at the cover: Uncovering the mysteries of time.

Uh, divination, he thought.

They sat together in front of her.

"What?" she asked looking up at their faces, all with the same determinate expression.

"Hermione, we think you are working too much. It isn't even exam's week and you don't rest for one minute."

Hermione blinked. Sure it wasn't exam's week but Hermione had barely spared any time for school work doing only the essential. Her research on time travel needed advance as quickly as possible. She had already lost so much time before even coming to Hogwarts!

"I'm fine, really."

"But love, surely you could rest a little more, hang out with us…" Phillip said moving closer to Hermione. He had certainly taken a liking to her and made absolutely no effort in hiding it.

"Thank you for your concern, but I know how to take care of myself," she said half angrily.

"Still, maybe you could come with us to the grounds tomorrow. It's Saturday afternoon and with how much you have been studying certainly you can spare the time."

"Fine," she grudgingly accepted not knowing how to refuse Minerva's begging tone. "But only because it's been a while since we all hang out together."

Phillip had begun cheering the moment he had heard her positive answer and by the time she finished speaking he was already on his feet and pulling her to him, hugging her and then spinning her around.

"Fine, fine! I gathered you're happy but put me down. I still want to finish reading this book tonight."

And so Hermione went back to her place right by the fire and continued her reading. No one heard Hermione utter another word all night long so enthralled she was in her book, but they weren't all that much worried anymore. She had agreed to go outside with them the following day, and they would make sure she relaxed.

Hope you liked it!

Now I have a question to ask you: what is your opinion about Tom? Anything you find odd about him? *Hint,Hint*

As I already said I will try to update on either Monday or Tuesday of the week after the next (don't get confused :P)

Thank you for reading and please review!

Lady Featherweight