Hermione ran out of the Gryffindor common room in a rush. She had overslept, and needed to get to the Great Hall before the Quidditch team left to go to the Pitch. She was out of breath when she arrived. The Slytherin table was filled with excited players and students, but the one she was looking for wasn't there.

"Hermione."

She quickly turned on her heels. Her hair and robe whipped around with her movement. A huge smile crept on his lips.

"I overslept," she said, as her eyes swept over him in his Slytherin green Seeker uniform. Underneath his robe, he wore a matching shirt and black bottoms with long black socks as he held his favorite broom. She smiled at him and blushed when their eyes met.

"I was waiting for you before I go down the Pitch," he took her hand and led her to an empty hall nearby.

When they got there, she pulled him by his robe and he pressed his body against hers, trapping her. "I don't like arguing with you. I don't like how we left things last night."

Yesterday, rumors began. First, she heard whispers whenever she passed. It wasn't until after classes, she was finally filled in by her two best friends. Her boyfriend since the end of Fifth Year was engaged to someone else. Now that they were months into Seventh Year, she didn't expect such devastating news. She confronted him last night, and they ended up arguing until she left whilst crying.

"Neither do I. Sorry, you found out that way. Mother arranged my engagement and announced it without telling me. Can we talk after the match?" his eyes pleaded.

"I heard both of your parents are going to be here watching, and make the announcement formal after the match," she barely managed to say above a whisper. Tears were threatening her eyes. She knew this was the beginning of the end for them.

"I don't want to break up. Is that selfish of me?"

She nodded with tears in her eyes. "I don't either, but what's the point?" she looked up at him. "Your engagement to Black has been announced. We've only got a few months left in Hogwarts. After, I'm sure you'll soon be married to her. It's what your families want. No pure blood wizard or witch has gone against it."

"Until now," he said. "Let's not break up because of this. Give me time," he pressed his lips on hers, but she gently pushed his chest.

"Even if we stay together, nothing will come of it but a broken heart. I'd rather we break up sooner rather than later," she avoided his eyes and looked away to wipe her tears.

He let go of his broom, and it fell with a thud on the floor, echoing in the empty hall. "Is that it? You came to see me before the match to break up?" he said, with clenched jaw and fists. He punched the wall, in anger.

"Of course not. I wanted to see you. I wanted to wish you luck. What am I supposed to do when everyone already knows? This is just as difficult for me," she cried. Tears stained her cheeks.

His knuckles bleed, and he wiped it on his robe. "It's not over," he shook his head. "We're not over," he picked up his broom. "Eat something and come with me to the Pitch."

"Tom," she said, as she wiped her tears.

"You're mine. You belong to me, Hermione," he said as he held her hand in his.

"It doesn't matter what we want," she said, and let go of his hand. She wanted to stay with him and fight for them, but she was only a Muggle born witch. Pure blood was on top of the hierarchy, and even half blood had more say. She was at the bottom of a very powerful pyramid. It would the best for her future not to burn any bridges before she connects them.

"Stop being stubborn."

"You're the one who's being stubborn," she retorted. "Do you want me to stay with you until before you get married?"

"Yes," he sighed and ran his fingers through his curls. In frustration, he slammed his broom on his thigh and broke it in two. He threw the pieces down across the hall. "I don't care about some fucking bloodline. I want to be with you," he yelled.

"You and I both know that there's nothing we can do."

"So you're giving up on us?" he towered over her and trapped her between the wall.

"There's not much I can do. You already know how powerful your families are."

He held her by the hips and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he placed his forehead on hers.

"After everything, you just want to break up?"

"I love you," she finally broke down. They were each other's first everything and always talked about their future together after Hogwarts. "I don't want to break up, and I don't want you to marry her."

xxxx

Luckily, Tom was able to borrow a broom from a very unlikely peer. Thanks to Hermione, his rival Seeker, Harry Potter, let him borrow an old model he no longer used. He made it down the Pitch on time to practice with the broom as she watched him on the stands.

The Riddle's and Black's were sat next to each other with the D.A.D.A. Professor. They were in the high stands in the Slytherin section, who welcomed them with applause. It caught everyone's attention, especially hers, as Tom hovered near where she sat. She avoided his watchful eyes and turned away when the tears began again.

She sat where Gryffindor usually sat, across the Pitch from Slytherin, and had a perfect view of the families. There wasn't many in her area. The match didn't matter for them. It was Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. She was only there because he asked, and she couldn't say no. She had a difficult time paying attention to what was going on in the match. Her eyes kept going back across the Pitch to where the two families sat. That was the future they talked about, and knew in the bottom of her heart that it could never be.

Once the game ended with Slytherin winning, after Tom caught the Snitch, she hurried down the stands to hopefully avoid everyone and the following announcement of his engagement. He was flying down when their eyes met. Instead of running to him, which she usually did after every match, she turned away. It was for the best, she told herself.

"Hermione," he called after her when the crowd began to descend upon the team. "Hermione," he shouted, but she ignored him again as she walked further away.

Chants of Riddle followed, tuning out his voice. She drifted further away from him. Tom pushed through the crowd and fought his way out.

"Hermione," his voice fell on deaf ears.

The four parents were together when they came down to the Pitch to congratulate the team and the Seeker for doing what needed to be done to win. It was the last thing on both of their minds.

"Hermione," he finally got through the last section of the crowd when he was grabbed on the arm. His mother's nails dug through his robe. "Let go of me."

"Son, don't you think it's rude to ignore your future in law's? Is that how you would like to be treated?"

He looked at his father and pleaded. The elder Riddle had grey streaks in his hair, the same color as his eyes. His personality was unlike his wife, who he was engaged to since his teen years. "Let him make his own decision, dear. He is old enough now," he always regretted not being able to go against his family's wishes. Most of his adult life, he watched the only witch he loved be happily married. "Go on, son."

Tom ran as fast as he could and chased after her. "Hermione," he shouted, silencing the crowd. "Hermione," he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him.

"Tom, please. Let's just end it here," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse from all the crying since last night.

He shook his head and refused. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, as if he wasn't tired from the match and running after her. "I don't want this to end. I never want us to end. I love you."

to be continued, next chapter.