It wasn't easy to avoid him, but Hermione managed it for the few days following the incident in the forest.
Weston and Ben had rejoined her with Ben as stoic as ever. Weston was trying his best to ignore the fact that Hermione had 'crossed over to the dark side, but now she was back' - as he put it.
But she didn't feel she was back. In her mind she wasn't anywhere now. She wasn't with Tom and she wasn't with Ben and Weston.
That was the way it should have been from the start, I should have kept to myself.
She ached to think of Tom and what he had done. That sharp, tight pain in her chest would return when she would glance at the Slytherin table during meal times and found him missing. Or when she saw him in classes.
Hermione knew she was not anywhere close to forgiving him, but she was coming to terms with the knowledge that she could not turn her feeling on and off at will no matter how much she wished it.
She went to classes, answered the questions when called upon. She ensured that she was no longer sitting beside Tom in any class. But soon that didn't matter, because after a while he stopped showing up for classes.
Hermione found it odd that he wasn't coming to class.
Surely he was alright? I mean, he was the one who had hurt me. I had not hurt him. She was on her way back from another dinner where she could not find Tom at the Slytherin table.
He should be coming to class and gloating about how weak I had been. But he wasn't... And that was strange.
It was a week and a half after the incident when she saw him again.
Hermione was outside on the school ground, walking near the Quidditch pitch. It was a free-period, so of course Weston and Ben were finishing homework in the library, leaving her to pass the time alone. The air was dry and cold, meaning that not many people were outside. Hermione enjoyed the cold, she felt that it helped her clear her mind so she could think.
She was just turning to head back to the castle when she heard someone call her name behind her.
Hermione immediately recognised Tom's voice. She paused for a moment, unsure what to do. She took a step forward, still not facing him.
"Hermione, please!" Tom cried out behind me. She paused again, wincing at the desperation in his tone. She could hear his footsteps drawing closer, could hear the despair in every panted breath he was taking.
She took another step away before a strong hand gripped her arm and turned her to face him. On instinct, Hermione shook his hand off, mouth opening to yell at him not to manhandle her, but the words died in her throat when she took in his face.
The handsome face looked exhausted. He had dark circles beneath both eyes and his skin looked paler than usual - somehow he looked sick.
Hermione felt a bout of concern wash over her before she reminded herself who this was and what he had done to her. She kept her expression guarded, her eyes meeting his dark ones haughtily as she raised a brow in question.
He didn't hesitate before he began to speak, his words rushing out as if he couldn't organise his thoughts or he was afraid she would walk away from him before she could hear what he had to say.
"I'm so sorry, 'Mione. I-"
"Don't call me that." Hermione interrupted him, her arms crossed over her chest.
Tom blinked, hurt flashing over his face before he kept going, eyes wide, "I don't know what I was thinking! I was obsessed. I needed to know what you knew."
He shook his head, looking at his feet, "But I hurt you and that kills me. I know that what I saw... What I saw in your mind wasn't mine to see. I..I-I just can't believe... I turn into th-that... monster... And now I know you were trying to protect me. And that's what makes this so much worse."
For a horrible moment it looked like he was about to cry, but when he looked at Hermione again there were no tears in his eyes, just anguish.
Hermione didn't know what he wanted from her. She couldn't forgive him. The memory of his betrayal was fresh in her mind.
She wasn't heartless, she did feel sympathy for this poor, foolish boy who had made all the wrong choices.
She could admit she even felt love for him. But now she could not forget what he had done.
"I-I don't want.. to become that thing." Tom murmured, rousing Hermione from her thoughts. "I can't control it... I'm so sorry, 'Mio- Hermione."
"You mean you can't control yourself?" Hermione frowned, shifting her weight to her other foot.
Tom hesitated and a muscle flexed in his jaw before he nodded once. "Please know that I'm sorry. And if you can't forgive me then I just want you to know that…" he paused, unable to meet her gaze, "and I regret hurting you more than anything else I've ever done."
Silence fell between the two of them and after a moment he took a step forward, expectation in his eyes. Hermione instinctively took a step back, but she paused and watched him in confusion.
What was he expecting? Forgiveness? A kiss and a hug and for me to forget?
Hermione frowned and Tom seemed to realise that she wasn't going to say anything because he stepped back. For a moment Hermione wondered why she wasn't saying anything. Why she wasn't willing to forgive him.
I wanted to, didn't I?
The answer came when she looked at Tom's face and she took another step back.
Because he would do so much worse if our roles were reversed.
"I know you're sorry, Tom. I know... But I can't help you if you don't have any control over yourself. I cannot change who you are." Hermione murmured and took another step back. Tom opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione stopped him with a raised hand.
"Goodbye Tom." She spoke and turned away, tears threatening to fall as she walked away from him. She almost expected him to follow, to force her to forgive him like he wanted her to. But as she kept walking she heard no sounds of pursuit and she was too afraid of what she may see if she turned to look back at him. If she were being honest with herself, she was too afraid of what she may do if she saw him standing there alone and hurting the way he was.
Hermione was stopped in her tracks by an enormous, echoing boom sounding out over the grounds. She whirled around to face the castle and heard the sounds of distress within. Something is wrong.
The sound was deep, rumbling through the ground and reaching the both of them. Hermione turned to look to Tom, who was already starting towards the castle with his wand drawn, his face set into a deep frown.
Hermione caught up with him, wand in hand, and both of them quickened their pace as they drew closer and saw smoke rising from the west of the castle. They began to run towards the building and as they entered they could hear the screams, loud and shrill, as students of all ages ran the opposite direction and out to the grounds. Professors passed by, attempting to calm the stampede of frightened students, but it was obvious that whatever had happened had them in a frenzy to get away.
Hermione weaved through the students, the familiarity of the situation sending a stab of fear into her heart. She glanced across at Tom. The last time I saw Hogwarts this chaotic it was Voldemort trying to break in.
She reached a large group of teachers who had formed a semi-circle about three people deep around the source of the chaos. In the commotion the teachers barely registered Tom and Hermione as they slipped through the group to reach the front.
A mammoth hole had been blown out of the castle wall, debris scattered around the floor. Hermione instantly noticed the shadowy figures entering, under the cover of conjured smoke. Tom nudged her arm and Hermione looked to him. He nodded to Professor Killiney, the Charms Professor, and Hermione noticed that he had his wand in hand. Hermione looked around and realised that every Professor was armed and ready. Instantly, she understood that she was about witness a battle of some kind. But still, she didn't know who they were fighting. She turned her gaze back to the break in the wall and the figures entering through it.
The smoke cleared - at the command of one of the shadowy wizards - and Hermione finally spotted the reason for this break in. She glanced at Dumbledore, stoic faced and stern where he stood at the front. Then she looked at the man she had only ever seen in pictures - the man people said had been the second most powerful Dark Wizard besides Voldemort - and her hand tightened around her wand.
The blond man grinned wide. He stood tall and proud, and his blue eyes roved over the crowd of Professors, finding Dumbledore with ease. Curiously, his gaze did not linger on his old friend, for it moved on through the crowd till he met Hermione's gaze. His grin widened into a chilling leer.
Gellert Grindelwald has broken into Hogwarts.
