A/N: This is a magical AU in which Tom Riddle is just a brilliant young wizard.

Fancast for Tom Riddle is forever Tom Hughes

ONE

Tuesday, 1 September 2020

To a vast majority of students around the world, no matter what school they went to, the first day usually started off with a groan. They would plead and beg with their parents; bargaining anything they could think of for one more day of summer. But not Hermione. For her, it was the best day of the year. She never had to bother with an alarm because she was up long before it even went off. That morning she was up before the rising sun began to color the sky.

It was her last year of Hogwarts. The last year she would be able to attend the place that had once only been a part of her fantasies. From the day she turned eleven and an official from the school came to deliver the news that she wasn't an ordinary person, she had been dreaming of the castle they said was a school. And the moment she stepped into the library, she knew she never wanted to leave.

This year, she was Head Girl; the highest accolade a student could get. She intended to be early to the train, wanting to make sure she was as helpful as possible for all new and returning students. A part of her wondered if her counterpart would be there just as early. She snorted at her own thoughts knowing full well that Draco would take every last minute of his beauty sleep that he could get. And knowing him, he would be extra late this year because he knew that it would drive her mad.

For all the teasing that he did to her over the years, when it came down to it, she didn't mind his presence. He was only second behind her in all of their classes and when he wasn't being a prat, he was nice to talk to. Their friendship befuddled a lot of people and they were known for going from zero to a hundred in five seconds or less.

It wasn't a surprise that most of the school thought there was something going on between them. Something she was sure would only get worse because as Heads, they would be sharing a dorm outside of their normal Houses. The thought had crossed her mind once or twice in the last year or two, but knowing he was attractive and being attracted to him were two vastly different things. Even if he was slightly interested in her, she knew logically they would never work. They were both far too similar.

But even the thought of the rumor mill crashing down around her wouldn't deter her mood for the day. She penned her parents a letter, letting them know she had gone out to grab breakfast and would write to them when she got to Hogwarts. They had said their goodbyes over dinner the night before and they knew she wouldn't have any problems getting herself to King's Cross.

Since she was seventeen, her birthday only two weeks into the school year, making her the oldest of her class, she could use magic to get to the train, but called for a Muggle cab instead. She loaded her things into the car, hoping the driver didn't get too nosy or ask questions like the last one had. At least she had remembered to cast a charm on her trunks to lighten them before she left, that way there were less chances of getting caught. It made juggling everything far easier. If only she had done the same to Crookshanks…

She told the cabbie to take her to the train station, but asked that he drop her off at the café a little bit further down the road. Since the train didn't depart until eleven, most students and their families would be arriving between nine and ten. That meant she still had a good hour before she had to be there. It would be nice to have the train to herself for a bit anyway.

She took a seat outside on the patio, enjoying the last bit of warmth that clung to the air. She placed her order with the waitress and then pouted at her familiar. "I'm sorry, Crooks. When we get to the train I'll let you out of that dreadful carrier. I promise."

He responded with a noise that Hermione determined to be not quite a growl, but not quite a meow either. As it was, she opened her trunk, plucked out the book on the top of the stack, and opened to the place she had marked. When her food arrived, she picked at it while continuing to read; all the while feeding bits of her meal to Crookshanks. When it was time to head out, she placed enough Muggle money on the table to cover her order and tip quite generously and then gathered her things to head to the station.

It took a fair bit of precise juggling, but she managed to make it down the road without dropping anything or jostling her cat too much. It was easier once she took hold of a trolley and set everything down on top of it. She began her walk towards the correct platform and after a quick check to make sure she wasn't being watched, she picked up pace and sprinted toward the barrier.

Her grin was wide at the sight of the Hogwarts Express. It was a bittersweet moment to see it and she was glad that she was alone for a moment. It was the last, first time she would see the locomotive. The next time she saw it, it would be taking her back here, marking the end of her introduction to the wizarding world. Unless she went home for any of the holidays, but she wanted to spend as much time as possible inside the castle this year; something she had already discussed with her parents.

Able to use her magic freely now that she was beyond the barrier, she charmed her things to follow in a neat row behind her as she ditched the trolley and went to board the first car. She stashed her trunk into the proper place, taking the book she had been reading along with her, and continued on until she found the Head's compartment. She let Crooks out of his carrier and he bounded away immediately. She shrunk the carrier and tucked it into her handbag. She wouldn't be needing it again until after graduation.

She debated changing into her robes, but decided there was still enough time to do that later. Typically, no one wore them until the train got closer to Hogwarts anyway. Instead, she settled for pinning her Head Girl badge to her shirt. Wanting some time alone with the train for sentimental reasons, she tucked her book under her arm and set off through the compartments, taking her time to look around and reminisce.

Not that there was much to look back on. For the most part, she kept to herself. Aside from Draco, someone she barely classified as a friend most days, her only real friend was Harry Potter. They had met on the train their very first trip and had bonded rather quickly. They hadn't had too much in common, but there was something about him that made the two of them inseparable. Other than that, there were acquaintances, but largely, unless they needed help with an assignment, not many people went out of their way to talk to her.

And honestly, she didn't mind one bit. It gave her the freedom to work her way through the library, book by book. If it wasn't for Harry making her attend all the House parties, Quidditch games, and other social events, she wouldn't do anything other than read.

She was drawn from her thoughts at the sound of a throat clearing. She stilled for a moment and then took a few steps forward, peering around one of the compartment doors. She did a double take at the sight of Professor Riddle sitting near the window reading the paper. "Oh, hello Professor," she said, a wide grin on her face.

He folded the paper and stared up at her with wide eyes for a moment before smiling back at her. "Miss Granger," he said, looking down at his watch. "You're very early."

"Well I wouldn't be very helpful if I was anything but," she said.

He gave a nod and she wet her lips as his eyes traveled down. She saw the way they paused at her actions before lowering further. His brow lifted slightly before his gaze snapped back to hers. "Is that the textbook for my class?"

She felt the heat creep up to her cheeks as she removed the book from under her arm and nodded. "What else am I supposed to do with my spare time?"

He chuckled as he set the paper on the seat beside him and ran a hand through his dark brown waves. "There are other types of books, Miss Granger. Perhaps you could read something that isn't your school texts while on your summer holiday."

"And let Malfoy have a chance at taking my spot at the top?" she teased.

His smile widened as he tried not to laugh more. "He might be second as far as scores are concerned, but we both know it isn't even a close second."

There was a moment of silence that settled between them. Hermione looked down at the ground between them, tucking her hair behind her ear several times while her other hand clutched her book to her chest. "Are you able to resume our tutoring sessions this year?" she asked, unable to keep the hope out of her voice.

The briefest flicker of hesitation shone in his dark grey eyes, but his smile never wavered as he nodded. "Once everything settles, I'll let you know the day of the week and a time that works best." His head canted to the side ever so slightly. "Have you narrowed down your list of careers you're interested in?"

She bit her lip and gave the weakest nod of her life. "Technically, I crossed some options off, yes, but it wasn't many."

Riddle only shook his head softly and gave her the look that made her heart race and her breath quicken. Granted, she had seen that look cause the same effect on nearly every female student at least once a year, but it was different when it was the two of them. It always had been. From the first time she had laid eyes on him at the age of eleven she knew there was something different about him. She had always been told she was mature for her age, but whenever she was around him, she felt the opposite.

Realistically, she knew it was some silly crush, one that even academically driven bookworms such as herself weren't able to abstain from having. But she had seen the way he acted with the other students. He never looked at them the way he looked at her. When she was younger, it was the admiration of her thirst for knowledge that earned his praise, but as she grew older, she recognized that that wasn't the only thing lingering in his gaze. And there were times when she was around him, whether alone or not, that she could feel his eyes on her when she wasn't looking. She'd caught him a handful of times; enough to know who it was the times she didn't. Though, if she were completely honest with herself, some of those times it was him that caught her lingering gaze.

But he never acted on anything and neither did she. They kept their discussions academic, though they would occasionally venture out into other social topics. That in itself was what had helped develop her crush. No one else in the castle could have such a passionate discussion with her about a variety of topics. Things her peers would consider too mundane were the things he perked up at.

She knew a part of why they got along so well was that he was the youngest professor in the history of Hogwarts. He had started the job right at the age of twenty-one, making him just ten years older than she was. And the next youngest professor was in their fifties which meant he enjoyed having someone to discuss his interests with as well.

All in all, nothing they did was inappropriate. At least, it hadn't been until the last day of her sixth year. She had purchased a gift for him from their last trip to Hogsmeade earlier that month. She had gone into his office before breakfast with the intention of just leaving it in his desk drawer, knowing he would find it eventually, but he was on the other side of the door when she let herself in.

He invited her in regardless and she had handed him the monogramed dragon scale notebook with a never ending quill, complete with a phoenix feather plume. He had taken it from her, eyes wide in wonder as she told him it was a thank you gift for all his tutoring sessions. And before she even knew she was moving, she had reached out and wrapped her arms around him. Realizing her mistake, she went to move, only to find his arms around her instead.

They had stayed that way for quite some time before slowly pulling back at the exact same moment. And when they did, they paused again, faces dangerously close to one another. He had cleared his throat and stepped back rather quickly, a nervous smile on his lips. She thanked him again and took off before either of them did something they couldn't take back.

She had thought about it several times over the summer, mostly wondering if things would be awkward between them, but so far, she was glad to find that wasn't the case. She just hoped that didn't change.

"We'll have to work on narrowing it further," he said, drawing her from her thoughts.

Hermione nodded and just as they lapped into silence again, she heard voices from outside the train, signaling that others were starting to arrive. "I guess that's my cue," she said with a smile. "I'll see you at the welcome feast," she added and inclined her head before taking leave of his compartment. Once a little further down the hall, she paused to shake her head and straighten her clothes before switching into Head Girl mode once again and stepping out to see what she could do to help.

A/N: As for updates, I have no set schedule. Currently, plan on just posting one so long as I have another written. Right now, I'm focusing on my original works and making an actual living as an author (my dream since I was thirteen)!

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