"You were an only child, weren't you?" Tom asked her one day, completely at random.
Hermione looked up from her book, slowly processing his words along with his placid expression of polite interest. He'd begun doing this lately... just asking her questions, making small talk, being much too friendly for her liking. Tom Riddle wasn't friendly.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she shortly replied, "Yes."
Part of Hermione wanted to ask him how he knew, but she didn't want to encourage this sort of behavior. It wasn't natural and she didn't understand his motives. Avoiding his eye, she frowned at his perfectly styled hair.
He tilted his head, trying to catch her eye. "Doting parents? Pleased you were a witch?"
This topic put her on edge. She ran a hand through her hair haphazardly and sighed, "Yes. Why are you asking?"
Tom shook his head, reaching out to place his hand atop hers. He'd never done that before. Hermione wasn't sure if she liked it or not – had anyone even touched her in this time? How long had it been since someone had so much as hugged her? It was like receiving an electric shock, and she jerked her eyes up to meet his.
Soft but stern, he playfully scolded, "Are you always so resistant to talking about yourself? What are you hiding?"
Hermione smiled back and teased, a glint in her eye, "As if you aren't the same way."
The smile faded away and he firmly stated, "My mother died shortly after giving birth to me. I never knew my father."
In the face of his sharing, even knowing that it was all strategic, Hermione felt pressured to return the vulnerability. Those dark eyes bore into hers, somber and accepting. She knew he wasn't someone with whom she could put any trust in, but found herself whispering, "I had a good childhood. My parents love me very much and... while they don't understand this world, they're proud of me."
"I'm sure it's hard trying to explain magic to a Muggle," he sympathized, thumb rubbing slow circles on the back of her hand.
Hermione met his eye this time, softly returning, "It's better than returning to a place where you have to pretend you're not... something more."
Whether strategic or not, both of them left the conversation feeling distinctly unnerved and far more vulnerable than they preferred.