Chapter 25

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as her hand hesitated for a long moment, poised in a fist just in front of a door, preparing to knock. Beyond the door to Tom Riddle's Head Boy quarters, she had no possible idea what would await her there. Just as Tom Riddle was starting to become almost predictable to her, he changed in a flash, his volatile emotions under his smooth control but sometimes leaking out.

Was there true feeling? Did he hurt, did he lust, did he anger? Those three emotions she could almost sense in him – the apparent lack of happy emotion, of love and a feeling of belonging was disturbing, and created, in turn, a cold but emotionally calculation human being. It then hit Hermione that that was her first mistake when it came to Lord Voldemort; she expected him to be a monster, of a different species than she. Perhaps his future self was indeed a monster, but this man, Tom Riddle, was not. He was, regrettably, a human being just like herself. Just like Hermione, he thirsted for knowledge and strove towards his ambitions with unbridled desire. Even if his ambitions were quite different than Hermione's, they were ambitions nonetheless that he believed in whole-heartedly (or, with as much of a heart as he had). It was difficult for Hermione to continue to so blindly hate someone when that person served as a mirror to her darkest desires.

Did she dare to knock? What dangerous secret would she discover if she did? Once she took her plunge from ignorance, there was no turning back. At one time, Hermione wold have considered to be in Tom Riddle's confidence to be a unique privilege, a useful tool to aid her in his eventual destruction. Now, however, she was not so sure. Now, it almost felt as if each new thought that he confided in her was another step into a complicated web that she did not understand and could not escape.

But Tom Riddle knew her all too well; he knew her curiosity, and he knew her desire for knowledge. He knew that she would knock.

And she did. Knock, knock, knock.

From within, measured footsteps were heard approaching the door with seemingly agonizing slowness. She waited impatiently, annoyed at his obvious attempt to irritate her. The door swung open to reveal the handsome youth, all of his poise regained, clad in black sleeping pants and an emerald green robe.

"Can I help you?" He asked coolly, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips as he saw the blush spread across her cheeks. Hermione felt the blush burn her cheeks, which only caused her to blush more as she realized that she was staring at Tom Riddle in his nightclothes. Had she been so wrong in supposing that he wanted her to come to his room? She had waited about an hour before approaching the door, but she was so sure that he wanted her to come.

"I thought that you wanted to talk with me." Hermione finally responded, but the words sounded childish to her ears. He would surely send her away now; after all, she had seen him at his vulnerable moment. Why would he want to talk to her about that anyway?

Surprisingly, he stepped aside to allow her inside, "But of course." He said obligingly. Hermione looked up at him in surprise, but slowly stepped into his quarters, not entirely sure what to expect. The last time she had been in Tom Riddle's quarters, it had only been for a few hours after Halloween when Nagini locked them both in the quarters with no wands. He also used the Cruciatus Curse on Nagini while I was asleep. Hermione added mentally, feeling slightly sick. Hermione stopped as she reached the middle of the living room, looking around awkwardly. Tom looked on, a smirk still on his lips, "Please, do sit down." He said insistently, waiting until she sat down on the couch until he sunk into the arm chair beside it.

"Erm. . . your younger self." Hermione forced out the words, desperately searching for something to break the awkward silence, "Did you manage to lock him away somewhere?" She asked.

"Oh, yes." Tom replied easily, nodding, "I dealt with him. I must admire the skill of your spellwork; he still had not managed to escape before I reached him, amazingly enough." He paused, leaning back in his chair and studying her face carefully. Hermione suddenly got the feeling that he knew far more about something than she did, and that it was a mistake to come into his room in the first place.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Hermione pressed, trying to shake the feeling. Tom raised his eyebrows,

"I wanted to speak with you?" He shook his head, "No. I simply said that I would be in my quarters if you needed me, and now you're here." He paused, another smirk creeping up to his mouth, "So, is there anything I can do for you, Miss Granger?" Hermione responded slowly,

"I'm. . . not sure." Hermione said clumsily, but honestly, "I must have been mistaken. I'll just leave and turn in for the night." She said, beginning to stand up. Tom Riddle stood up quickly, stepping towards her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and pushing her back onto the couch,

"No, stay. I insist." He insisted warmly. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a female figure emerged from the doorway of Tom's bedroom,

"Tom, I was wondering-" Nagini cut off as her eyes drifted over to rest on Tom's hand resting on Hermione's shoulder in what could have been a compromising position. She abruptly stopped in her tracks. Nagini's clothes hung loosely around her thin frame and she had managed to clean the blood off of her clothes and face, although her hair remained rumpled and wild, "Oh, hello Hermione." She said uncertainly, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Nagini. . . hi." Hermione replied, immediately standing up from the couch, looking towards her friend with confusion, "I haven't seen you in a while." She commented, realizing that she had not seen Nagini for several hours. Nagini laughed easily,

"Oh, I've just been doing this and that." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand, but Hermione could see in her dark eyes that she was hiding something, "What have you been up to?" She inquired further. In response, Hermione shrugged,

"This and that." She said, mimicking Nagini's tone. If Nagini was not willing to give up information, neither was Hermione. Nagini's eyes narrowed a little and she looked slightly hurt,

"Well, sounds like a decidedly dull afternoon." She attempted to bring some humor back into the suddenly cold conversation and phishing for information, but Hermione just forced a fake laugh and nodded,

"Yes, quite dull." She remarked, but Nagini looked unconvinced. Her pale hand reached up and ran through her rumpled curls, attempting to set them straight in some kind of order but with little success. Unlike her usual confident self, Nagini seemed shaken, confused, and. . . suspicious. Why did she insist on lying to Hermione so much? "How was your's?" Hermione questioned back.

"Dull, huh?" Nagini asked, a half smile sliding unconvincingly, "Mine was too. Decidedly uninteresting in every way." As usual, her attempt to cover all bases made the lie obvious.

"Were you in the Common Room all day? I didn't see you." Hermione remarked lightly. Nagini shook her head,

"Oh no, I was. . . around." She finally managed to say before laughing nervously, "Well, it's late, so I'll just leave you two to whatever you were about to be up to. I'm sorry for having spoiled it." She winked and took a few steps in the direction of the door on seemingly shaky, unsteady legs. Tom suddenly stood up from the couch; in all honesty, Hermione had even forgotten he was there.

"Nagini, you do not look well." He commented, his brows knitted in concern as he walked towards the girl, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder. Nagini flinched involuntarily as he touched her and he frowned, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just need rest." Nagini insisted, her voice still sounding scratchy. Hermione looked at the girl, confused and concerned; even if she was being secretive, there was something very wrong here. For once, Tom seemed to be actually trying to help her, but Nagini was giving him the cold shoulder. Why? Was she plotting against Tom?

"Do you need help getting back to our dormitory?" Hermione asked her. Nagini quickly nodded, then looked slightly sheepish,

"Yes, that is so kind of you to offer. I don't know why, but I seem to be in a bit of pain today. Probably from Quidditch practice yesterday." She laughed hollowly. Tom still looked concerned,

"You don't think it was something that happened in the lake, do you?" He asked softly. Nagini shook her head, looking up into his eyes,

"Definitely not something from the lake." She whispered softly, attempting to pull her arm out of Tom's gentle grasp and wincing. Tom's head tilted to the side at her wince, biting his lip as he pulled her a little closer to him and cupped her chin with his hand,

"Tell me where it hurts." He muttered softly, and Nagini's eyes closed. It seemed that, for a moment, they had forgotten that Hermione was even there. Hermione fought to keep quiet and just observe, fought to keep her own emotions out of the situation, since she felt the most unusual emotion rising in her heart. She could practically see green as Tom treated Nagini with such tenderness and found herself wishing that the kisses that Hermione and Tom shared had not been in searing self-loathing and hate.

"Everywhere." Nagini breathed, her eyes abruptly opening again and she seemed to be struggling with her feelings as well. She seemed so terribly confused, so haunted. Tom just nodded, releasing her chin and looking over to Hermione,

"We had better get Nagini back to her own bed." He said softly, but the word "own" did not go unnoticed by Hermione. Where else had Nagini been, then? Hermione nodded,

"Yes, alright. That would be best." Hermione agreed, stepping forward to Nagini's left side as Tom moved to her right. They gently escorted her down the stairs until they reached the girl's dormitory. Tom halted, allowing Hermione to escort Nagini the rest of the way.

As they entered the room of sleeping girls, Nagini said nothing as she tumbled into her own bed, her face turned away from Hermione. Why was she treating Hermione so coldly? Hermione sighed, resting a hand on Nagini's shoulder,

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Hermione asked gingerly. Nagini turned her head to look at Hermione, and she could see Nagini's tears glistening in the moonlight,

"I'll be fine." Nagini said nonetheless, her eyes softening a little, "I appreciate you trying to help me, Hermione. You're a real friend, and a good person. Know that." Something in her voice suggested a warning, and Hermione felt uneasy.

"What's going on?" She whispered softly, feeling a prickle run up her spine. For a moment, it looked like Nagini might finally tell her everything, but suddenly the girl seemed to clam up again, her expression becoming guarded once again.

"Nothing." She mumbled, turning back onto her side, "I need to rest." Another abrupt dismissal. Hermione sighed,

"Goodnight, Nagini." She muttered softly before turning and exiting her dormitory. She found, unsurprisingly, that Tom was still standing on the staircase, apparently waiting for her. In the shadowy moonlight, his cheekbones were quite pronounced and his eyes and hair seemed to melt into the darkness around him. The effect was almost skeletal, and for a moment, Hermione could see a glimpse of his future appearance. It was a pity that something so beautiful was going to be destroyed by ambition.

"Shall we go back up? You do not seem to be tired." Tom observed, apparently getting impatient with her silence. Hermione knew that she should probably politely decline and turn in for the night, but something kept her from doing so.

"Sure." She finally responded, following him back up to the top of the stairs and into his quarters once more. As Tom knelt before the fire to tend to it, Hermione took the opportunity to steal another quick look around the living room. Unfortunately, no traces of personality were to be found in the perfectly adequate décor. She walked forward and sat down on the couch once again, the warmth from the fire settling over her comfortably. Tom sat down on the couch beside her and they fell into silence that wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

"Nagini. . ." He finally stated, and Hermione felt a strange flutter of jealousy at the way he said her name in such a hesitating manner, "Is she alright?" Hermione nodded,

"I think she will be in the morning. She seemed upset by something, though, but she would not tell me what." She carefully replied, looking into his eyes for a response.

"Ah. Women." Tom said, only half teasing, as he raked a hand through his hair seemingly nervously. His acting almost seemed to be too good. For once, Hermione could not tell if it even was acting, or if he was being serious.

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione asked cautiously. Tom shook his head, chuckling,

"It's impossible to tell what they're thinking, ever." He responded with a shrug, "Nagini especially. She's so cryptic. She hasn't come to my bed in months and then she practically forced herself on me this afternoon. Merlin only knows why."

Hermione stared at him in shock; Nagini had run up to Tom's room for all of the afternoon because she wanted to have sex with him? How long had this been going on, and why had Nagini lied about wanting Tom and Hermione to get together? Then, there came the inevitable question that Hermione barely wanted to think about; had Tom actually. . . done it? Her mouth dry, Hermione tried to chuckle and sound light-hearted as well,

"Well, it doesn't sound like you minded." She half-teased, practically begging him to contradict her. Tom's smirk widened and he leaned down next to Hermione's ear, as if he were telling her some great secret,

"The only part I minded was having to cast a Silencing Charm over the room because she screamed so much. Did you notice how hoarse her voice was?" His answer was a slap in Hermione's face and she found herself momentarily unable to respond.

"O-oh." Hermione stuttered in response, not really able to think of anything else to say. In her mind, she was replaying hers and Tom's passionate kisses, their flirtations, his special attentions towards her, Nagini's encouragements. . . did it all really mean nothing? Of course it meant nothing; he's Voldemort! Hermione attempted to scold herself, but somehow she still felt angry, but not at herself.

"Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?" Tom suddenly said in that same soft, wicked voice, his smirk still playing across his delightful lips. Hermione balked at the question, quickly shaking her head. He laughed musically at her response, "I'll bet you haven't even had a good love-making experience. That's too bad, really."

Hermione fought the lewd imagines that came unwanted to her mind, disgusted with herself. She jerked away from Tom, finding that he had gotten far too close to her in the last few moments for her to feel comfortable. He simply followed her and she found her back against the arm of the couch. Unable to move further, she huffed in a frustrated manner. He raised an eyebrow,

"My dear Hermione, whatever is the matter?" He asked, feigning concern as he reached his arm over to rest on the arm of the couch, effectively pinning her to the couch. She scowled at him, attempting to push him off,

"Aren't you worried that Nagini will be upset?" She spat, not able to keep the venom out of her voice. Tom grinned down at her,

"Jealous?" He taunted, and Hermione felt the urge to slap him for so accurately pointing out her regrettable emotion. Hermione scoffed at him,

"Me? Jealous? Never." She replied defiantly, "But you, disappointed? I'm sure you were thinking of someone else the entire time."

Hermione truly did not know why she wanted to provoke him so much, but the glittering of his unusually dark eyes suddenly made her extremely uncomfortable. Suddenly his weight felt like too much and she felt as though she was being suffocated by the smell of Tom Riddle. It was intoxicatingly treacherous.

"Perhaps I was." Tom said darkly, his hand sliding up to play with one of her curls, "Tough, intelligent, but caring. That's what Nagini told me about you when she told me your surname, you know." He suddenly said absent-mindedly. Hermione's eyes snapped up to his and Tom found in them exactly what he expected to; surprise.

"Nagini told you my surname? How?" She asked suspiciously, not seeming to fully believe him.

"But of course she did." Tom said, releasing her hair and standing up from the couch, straightening out his bathrobe that he still managed to make look refined, "Nagini is a Seer, and a good one at that. She can tell lots of different things about people." He said seemingly carelessly. Hermione only stared up at him in shock; after she had trusted Nagini, Nagini had still betrayed her. What else did Nagini know about her, and what had she told Tom?

"Hermione, it is so late. Why don't you just spend the night right there." Tom suddenly said, whipping out his wand and transfiguring the couch into a small but very comfortable bed. Something about his suggestion definitely was not a question.

"It's fine, I can just go back to my dormitory. . ." Hermione began, but his hard look silenced her, "Fine, I'll stay." She relented grudgingly, not wishing to provoke his anger further. Tom smiled,

"Good." he said, turning and walking into his bedroom and rustling around his something before emerging, tossing her an identical green bathrobe as the one he was wearing to her, "Something to sleep in." He said, the epitome of a gracious host, "Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Tom." Hermione replied, reluctant and soft. He smirked,

"I'll be in the bedroom if you need anything during the night." He winked and pulled his bedroom door closed behind him, leaving Hermione blushing furiously. Honestly, men were insufferable; he had already bedded one girl today, why did he need another?

Huffing, Hermione stood up and pulled off her clothes and pulled on his bathrobe, trying to ignore the pleasantly tantalizing scent that settled around her as she drifted off to sleep.

* ' * ' *

On the other side of the door, Tom Riddle smirked to himself, imagining the delicious shade of pink that Hermione's cheeks would be turning right now. Flustering the girl was just too much fun, and he couldn't seem to stop doing it lately.

The Nagini story was necessary, of course, he reasoned with himself. There had to be some explanation for why Nagini was laying in his bed, and he obviously could not tell Hermione that Nagini was simply recovering from the effect of the Cruciatus Curse, so a romantic afternoon had been the next-best explanation.

Well, perhaps not the next-best, but certainly the most entertaining. Hermione was definitely jealous, and the knowledge of her jealousy sent a strange jolt of pleasure through Tom's body as he pulled off his bathrobe and settled into bed, the cool sheets resting contently against his suddenly warm skin. He scoffed at the thought of being pleased with her jealousy and quickly pushed it out of his mind, turning his thoughts towards Nagini.

The girl had still not given up the vision that he wanted, but she could only resist him for so long. Eventually she would give in, and he would have everything that he needed to finish his rise to power. The knowledge of his own death would, ironically enough, make him immortal. He could time travel, and he could stop it. Simple, really.

So, for the first time in several weeks, Tom Riddle slept soundly, his dreams drifting back and forth between a certain bushy-haired witch and the intense satisfaction that he felt as he gazed upon Nagini's broken expression as he taunted her about the Cruciatus Curse.

Both were equally as pleasing.

Author's Note: Hello, and thanks for reading Chapter 25! I surprised myself a little getting this up so fast, so I hope that you enjoyed it. I am pleased to say that this story has received the move amount of views and visitors EVER this month, so thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story!

A note about this chapter: I felt as if Tom was coming across maybe too soft in the last few chapters, and that certainly was not the intention; he has (almost) full control over his emotions and uses them (or replicas of emotion) to the greatest possible advantage. I hope that getting into his mind a little at the end helped to understand his thought process.

I've received some great reviews and questions about the past few chapters, so feel free to leave a review or PM me with any questions or feedback. I really do appreciate it.

Cheers!