Disclaimer: these characters are not mine – they belong to JK Rowling

AN:

Chapter 5 – Late Night Meetings

Harry made his way down to the Slytherin Common room after his last class of the day. He had promised Hermione that he would keep an eye on Tom, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

Tom was sitting on one of the leather couches by the hearth when Harry entered the common room. Abraxas was leaning down whispering something in Tom's ear when he glanced up at Harry and smirked. Whatever they were discussing, couldn't bode well for him and Hermione.

"Jones" Abraxas nodded as he swept past Harry and left the common room.

Harry narrowed his eyes and headed past Tom up to the boy's dormitories so that he could made some adjustments to the Maurader's Map in private. Once he was on his bed with the curtains drawn around him, and wards in place, he pulled the map out of his back pocket and tapped it with his wand muttering, 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', and watched as the ink spilled across the parchment forming a map of the castle.

Harry thought about all of the Death Eaters he knew of from his own time, and added their names, along with Tom Riddle's to the map, so he could plot their movements. Abraxas Malfoy, apparently was headed to the library. Tom was still showing up as seated in the Slytherin common room, and Hermione was still safely in the hospital wing. Feeling exhausted from a long day, Harry leaned his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes just for a moment.

Tom placed the book he had been reading, 'The darkest Art', back into his satchel. He stood, brushing a small piece of lint off of his robes and decided it would be a good time to visit Hermione in the hospital wing, since her brother was otherwise occupied in the dormitory. He knew that there was something off about the two of them, though he wasn't sure yet what it was. He knew that they were definitely hiding something though, and he was going to find out what it was. If there was something Tom despised, it was being lied to. He knew Harry would never willingly give him the information he desired, but Hermione…well, she was a witch who was not immune to his charms, so it seemed. Tom made up his mind and slipped out of the common room and made his way up to the hospital wing.

When he arrived, she had her head turned to the side and her eyes were closed. Her brows were knitted together tightly, as if she was experiencing some level of pain, or anxiety, her breath came out in short pants as she shook her head back and forth. Her hands suddenly flew up into the air, as if she was trying to fend off an invisible attacker, and a scream erupted from her throat before Tom grasped her arms and shook her awake.

Her eyes were wild at first, and as soon as her eyes met his, a look of terror crossed her face, and she scooted as far away from him on the cot as she could, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"Please…" she whispered, her voice sounding small even to her own ears.

He held up his hands, not wanting to frighten her any further, and used the most soothing tone he could to calm her.

"Hermione, you were just dreaming. I'm not going to hurt you." He said slowly

The past twenty-four hours flashed though Hermione' mind, and she let out the breath she had been holding.

"No, of course not" she replied evenly, though he noticed she hadn't moved her position.

"What…what were you dreaming about? You were acting as though someone or something was attacking you…" he asked in a tone that implied curiosity and concern.

Hermione knew that he was trying to get information out of her. There was no way she was going to tell him she had been dreaming about Lord Voldemort.

"I don't remember", she lied smoothly, "I used to have night terrors when I was a child, so more than likely, that's all it was."

Tom could tell that she was lying. Nightmares he could believe, he'd had many of his own back in his days at the orphanage. It was her reaction to him upon waking though, that gave her away.

"Hm." Was all Tom said in response. Interrogating her over the matter would surely not bring the desired results, so it seemed the best thing to do was drop the matter entirely for now, and work on building up her trust in him. Once he gained her trust, she would tell him everything he wanted to know; of that he was certain.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, gesturing to her ribs.

"Much better, thanks. The crack should be healed by now, and my head feels much less foggy now. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey will release me before breakfast tomorrow."

"It was an accident, you know that, right?" he asked tilting her chin up with his fingers so that she would look at him.

"Yes, of course. I noticed you healed your arm as well right after the duel. Sorry about that, though I suppose that is the whole point, isn't it?" she laughed, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Yes, it is. I just had not anticipated you landing anything, and well…I guess I got carried away." He said, though the words 'I'm sorry' never actually left his lips.

"It's fine. Really. It's in the past." She told him.

A breathtaking smile spread across his face then, making his face light up in a way she could never have imagined. He really was gorgeous, it was so tragically unfair.

"So, I never actually asked you…" he started to say, and he saw a frown beginning to form in the corners of her mouth

"…That is, if you want to…you don't have to…" he stumbled over his words nervously.

"Tom, Ask me what?" she said not sure where he was going with this.

"To the Slug club dinner tomorrow night…I mean, Slughorn suggested we come together, but…I never actually asked you. Would you like to? Go with me, that is?" he asked giving her a hopeful look that made her heart beat wildly in her chest.

She smiled then, a real smile; and shook her head, "Yes, Tom, I'd be delighted to attend with you."

He reached out then, and grasped her hand caressing the back of it with his thumb. She felt a jolt once again run through her from this simple touch that went straight through her. It was as if some primal part of her brain was wired to throw all caution and logic out the window the moment he touched her, despite the alarm bells going off telling her to stay away. Her mind wandered of its own accord, imagining if just a simple touch could illicit these feelings, what kissing him would be like.

"Well, I should let you rest. Between classes, quidditch tryouts, and Slughorn's party; tomorrow will be a long day." He said squeezing her hand once more and giving her his most charming smile.

"Until tomorrow then." Hermione replied, biting on her bottom lip as she watched him make his way out of the hospital wing.

When she thought about how nervous he seemed when he asked her to attend Slughorn's party with him, she idly wondered if his nervousness had been genuine. If she knew anything about Tom Riddle, it was that he was anything but a nervous school boy. More than likely, it was calculated. He seemed to want to get close to her for some purpose, although what that purpose was, she couldn't be sure. A thought crossed her mind then that left her cold…he had unrestricted access to the Chamber of Secrets, and the Basilisk was still alive…what if…what if he is making a show of caring for me so that he could order his Basilisk to kill her without raising suspicion? The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She would have to be extremely careful when dealing with him from now on.

In order to keep up appearances, she would continue to play the part of simpering school girl, and hope that somehow, somewhere, he would slip up, and tip her off as to what his true intentions were. When it happened, she would be ready. With that final thought, she closed her eyes once again, and fell asleep.

~~{0}~~

Harry's eyes snapped open, and he glanced at the clock on his bedside table; it was 11:58pm. He had fallen asleep for several hours when he had only intended to close his eyes for a few moments. He listened quietly for a moment, and realized he didn't hear any sounds coming from within the room; no snores, no quiet breathing. None of his dorm mates were in their beds. Harry pulled out the Marauder's map and tapped it once again and whispered the incantation to reveal itself. On first glance, seeing a group of Slytherin's gathered in the common room may seem innocuous, but Harry knew better. More than likely, Tom was having one of his little 'meetings'.

As quietly as he could, he crept out of bed with his wand drawn, and cast a disillusionment charm on himself. He wished fervently in that moment, that he had the invisibility cloak, which sadly, had been left behind in the future. He also cast a silencing charm in the hallway so that he could creep down towards the common room without alerting the group to his presence.

Tom stood in front of the hearth, pacing back and forth in front of several Slytherins, all boys he noticed; there wasn't a single female Slytherin among them. He focused once again on Tom as he heard him speak.

"My knights, tonight we meet to discuss something which greatly concerns me. As you all know, nothing goes on in this castle, that I am not aware of. However, this morning brought the arrival of the transfer students," he'd said it as if the word alone left a sour taste in his mouth, "which, frankly, I find very suspicious. Something about their story isn't adding up."

Harry's eyes widened. He knew it was too much to hope that Riddle would buy their story, but now, he knew for certain that he clearly didn't.

"Not to mention, that they are mudbloods who have been sorted into the noble house of Slytherin; this is a grave insult against our ancestors who embraced Slytherin's ideals. This was done purposely, but for what purpose, I do not yet have the answer to; rest assured that I will soon." Tom stated confidently

"My lord, we have ways of persuading the girl to talk" Abraxas offered, grinning evilly.

"NO. I forbid any of you to touch her. I'll deal with her myself." Tom commanded.

Abraxas knew from Tom's tone of voice that this would be the one and only warning they would receive. If anyone disobeyed his commands, then Salazar have mercy on their soul.

"And what of her brother, my lord?" Edmond Lestrange spoke up.

Tom's smile spread wickedly as he looked around at his 'knights', "He is planning to try out for the Slytherin team tomorrow…it would raise no questions if he were to meet with an unfortunate accident." He said cryptically.

Harry's hand tightened around his wand. He was sorely temped to send a well placed 'Avada Kedavra' at Tom Riddle right now, though he knew there were too many others for him to escape unscathed. Not to mention, He and Hermione currently had no way to return to their own time, and he didn't fancy spending the rest of his life in Azkaban for murdering a fellow student…Even if said student had it coming.

Harry crept back to the dorms, and reset the wards around his bed. No doubt at least one of them would check to make sure he was sleeping before they all retired for the night. He resolved to go straight to the hospital wing first thing in the morning to tell Hermione what he had heard. He had to warn her about Riddle. Maybe for once, she would actually listen.