CHAPTER 9- Damage

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Hermione was eating dinner amongst the cheerful chatter of the Great Hall, trying to tackle the mound of food Ella had placed on her plate.

Tom Riddle had protected her. Tom Riddle. His dark head was nowhere to be seen at the Slytherin table when she glanced across the room. Hermione was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the person that had caused her so much pain had saved her. Malfoy had cornered her in the deserted corridor to force her to join the Knight of Walpurgis. Hermione was about to draw her wand when Tom showed up staring down Malfoy with a frightening look in his eyes. Then after Malfoy had slinked away, Tom had asked if she was all right with an uncharacteristic softness that made Hermione melt. She had replied without thinking. For days now, she had been calling Tom by his first name in her head for days, but the look he gave her took Hermione aback and made it worth it. All his barriers were down. His dark eyes held a genuine softness to them. Then the moment was ruined when Tom doubled over in pain. Hermione felt so helpless, seeing him like that. He was supposed to be strong not weak. It made her want to cry while he was in pain. But the thing that made Hermione feel like a knife was stuck in her chest was that she was doing this to him. It was her fault he had to go through this pain, hers and hers alone. The only thing that made Hermione feel better is the fact that the Hate Potion would make him better in the end. She'll just have to keep telling herself that. She wished it would end, but she had a feeling it was just beginning.

Hermione set down her fork in defeat. She couldn't eat, there was no point. She was too distracted.

What Hermione didn't understand why it was Malfoy that approached her about the Knights, not Tom. She was beginning to think that Tom might not be the horrible person they thought he was. Sure, he might have turned into Voldemort later, but he wasn't that now. Not now. This Tom had not turned totally dark. There was still goodness in Tom. She had seen it today in his actions and words. It was just his circumstances that had turned him into the dark lord.

Hermione was determined to not let that happen to Tom. Not her tom.

TOM

The very thought of Malfoy made Tom's blood boil. Tom clenched his hands and looked around at the scant number students in the library daring them to come any closer. Why did the thought of Malfoy and Evans together bother him so much? He put his head in his hands. What was happening to him? He shouldn't have annoyed Malfoy like that, he knew better than that. Things were already tense as it is, but there was something about Evans that made him forget about everything else. She made him feel different, want to be different.

"Riddle" Tom looked up, ready to curse the person who dared bother him and stiffened.

Evans.

Why does she always seem to see him at his weakest?

"Evans," he greeted. She looked nervous, and kept shifting her gaze periodically so she couldn't focus directly on his face. She finally seemed to decide on something and sat down opposite him.

"Thank you again for what you did," she said.

"I'm sure you could have handled him" Tom replied honestly

Evans blushed prettily. "But you made Malfoy go away."

"I should have done much more" Tom said darkly. If Malfoy ever touched Evans again…

"Riddle..I..uh" For some reason, Tom was disappointed that she had reverted to calling him by his last name again.

"Yes?"

HERMIONE

She had been about to say, "I'm sorry" but had decided to change tracks at the last second. What was she supposed she say? I'm sorry that you're in pain and it's all my fault? Oh and by the way I slipped Hate Potion into your drink to do this? Tom looked up waiting for an answer.

"Well, thank you again, Riddle. See you later," she said in a rush and got up from the table.

Out in the safety of the corridor, Hremione replayed the conversation with Tom in her head while slowly walking towards her common room. She had no idea why she went over to talk to him in the first place. She had nothing to say. When she saw him in his dark corner of the library, Hermione found herself gravitating towards his hunched form. Something about Tom made her want to be near him.

"Evans" Malfoy's pointed face appeared directly in front of her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione sighed. She was tired, confused, and annoyed. Malfoy was not going to get in her way.

"I want to finish our conversation."

"Funny, I thought the subject was closed." Hermione said and tried to walk past Malfoy, but he blocked her path again.

"No, Evans. It was not closed. I told you you're going to join my Knights and you will. Whether you join voluntarily or otherwise," Malfoy growled menacingly.

"I said NO, Draco Malfoy!" Hermione felt like her stomach had dropped to her feet. Malfoy's face was suspicious and showed the same sneer as his grandson.

"What did you just call me?"

"I used your name" Hermione tried to make up for her disastrous mistake. This could ruin everything.

"No, you didn't, Evans. You called me Draco. And as far as I know, my name is Abraxas not Draco"

"My mistake then. If you excuse me I need to get to the library." Hermione said as confidently as she could. She walked off in the direction she came back straight and head held high. She would not show Malfoy her slip up had unnerved her.

"There's something different about you Evans. And I intend to find out what," Malfoy called after her.

Once around the corner, Hermione broke into a run, desperate to get to the safety and comfort of the library. She walked briskly to the back to find someplace private, so she could break down in peace.

Finally, Hermione sat down in a dark alcove somewhere in the Herbology section, tears running down her face. What was she going to do? This could be a disaster. If anyone knew where she came from, they could use the information to do horrible things, worse than Voldemort. It would be all her fault. Malfoy knew something was going on, he was too smart. What would her friends say? She could see all their disappointed faces. Their deaths would be in vain.

Hermione groaned. Why did he have look so much like his grandson? For a moment, Hermione felt like she was back in her own time, where nothing else mattered besides grades and her friends and her only problems were Malfoy's taunts.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione glanced up to find Tom's handsome face, a strange expression on his face. "I'm fine. Don't worry," she waved him off.

"You don't look fine," he said softly.

"It's nothing. Don't' worry" Hermione repeated.

"What happened? Was it Malfoy, again?"

Hermione debated telling him. If she said it was Malfoy, would Tom do something stupid? If she didn't answer, he would still assume it was Malfoy and still do something stupid. Hermione decided on a half-truth.

"Partly, but I had it handled. I'm just very stressed and I broke down, that's all." Tom's face grew stony.

"Tom, promise me you won't do anything. It'll just make it worse." Hermione said. He didn't reply and his gaze held a stony glint.

"Please," Hermione pleaded and placed a hand on his arm. He immediately stiffed and looked down at her arm and back up at her again. "Please," Hermione repeated softly.

"Alright. But on one condition." Tom said seriously.

"What?" Hermione said warily and removed her arm, regretting it instantly.

"You have to tell me the rest of the problem"

"Why?" Hermione raised one eyebrow.

"I would like to know what made Hermione Evans cry," Tom stared down at Hermione with an expression that made Hermione want to kiss him. He looked like he actually cared about her; like he was able to hunt down whatever had dared hurt her no matter what it takes. Hermione blinked and the expression was gone. Had she imagined it?

"Ok, but I retain the right of not answering a question," Hermione sighed.

"I'll take what I can get, Evans," Tom said. Hermione watched as he sat down in the same alcove Hermione had just vacated.

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Sit," he ordered, pointed toward the seat next to him and Hermione reluctantly sat down beside him.

"What do you want to know?"

"What made you run back to the library?"

"I said something I'm going to regret. It could ruin everything." Hermione replied honestly.

"Everything?"

"Everything I've worked for. Next question."

"What else made you cry?" Hermione had known this was coming. How could she tell him without lying horribly?

She sighed. "I've had to do something, and it's costing me more than I thought it would." This was true. She never dreamed seeing Tom in pain would affect her so much, but it had.

"What did you do?"

"Not my secret to tell," Hermione said. That was a lie, she should tell Tom, she really should, but she couldn't. Hermione couldn't bear his reaction.

"You don't like Malfoy? Many girls would give their right arm to have his attention." his question caught Hermione off guard.

"Like him? He's a disgusting, spoiled, git. Why would I like him?," Hermione scoffed. Tom visibly relaxed. Why would that bother him?

"Why did you come back here, of all places?" he asked, changing topic.

"The library was always there for me. It always has answers, never failed yet. And I always feel safe here. Books aren't biased"

Tom nodded like he solved a great problem.

"I agree. The library gives me more friendship than anyone else," Tom replied.

"And the smell is wonderful. All that knowledge, just waiting to be read. I smelled that in the Amortentia."

"I did too," Tom said quietly. Hermione felt like a great understanding had passed between them. She had never met anyone who felt the same as she did about books. No one didn't understand like Tom did.

"Thank you, Tom" Hermione whispered and on impulse, leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before rushing out of the library. She didn't want to wait and see what would happen.

TOM

"Thank you, Tom"

Thank you? Thank you for what?

Then she kissed him on the cheek and rushed out of the library. Tom raised a hand to touch the place where her lips had brushed his cheek. He felt wonderful, like he could do anything. Suddenly, the pain in his abdomen rushed back, longer this time. Tom breathed deeply as it passed.

This was something more than residual curse damage.

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