Hermione could no longer recognize the reflection in the mirror. On her left forearm was a mark she got because her boyfriend told her to, and for him, she was willing to do anything. She did so without question. She trusted him blindly and thought she loved him wholeheartedly, but it was all a lie. Her boyfriend, Tom, an heir of Slytherin, had been slipping her Amortentia, a strong love potion, without her knowledge.

It wasn't until last night, after a couple of years of being together, did she realize that she never loved him. They had a fight, and she stormed out of his flat. She Apparated, to her parent's house, who she hadn't seen in months. After graduating from Hogwarts, she moved in with him, and he never let her see them. Only now did she realize his true intentions.

Shaking violently, she woke from her nightmare. A halo encircled his dark curls when she opened her eyes to meet the person who had woken her up from a terrible dream. She placed her arms beside her and pushed her torso up to sit. The grass beneath her was warm. She belatedly realized she had fallen asleep by the Black Lake whilst reading, during a warm and sunny day.

"Nightmare," he said, and stepped back.

"Riddle," she groaned.

"Mind where you sleep," he picked up his jacket from her legs.

"Thanks," she blushed.

There was a moment of silence as he picked through his pocket and took out a cigarette. He gave her a look, keep an eye out, as he lit his cigarette. A puff of smoke was blown out between his full lips.

"Must have been a boring story if you fell asleep."

She looked down at her book and placed it on her lap. She never cracked it open. The landscape was too beautiful on a sunny day. It made her forget about the book as she laid down and stared up at the sky.

"Needed to get out of the Tower. It's a nice day."

He exhaled another smoke. "Same."

"Those things are a bad for you."

"So are a lot of things," he replied, with another exhale of smoke. "Bad habit," he shrugged.

Tom was the epitome of a high school bad boy in every teen drama she ever watched. He caused trouble everywhere he went. In class, he argued with Professors and taunted his peers. No one knew why, nor cared to ask. Some were tired of his antics and avoided him as much as possible. They didn't want to be marked by him.

Hermione Granger never imagined herself falling for the jerk in the movie, but everything about him that no one knew was what drew her to him. At first, it was curiosity. There was something about the Durmstrang transfer. His family moved back to England before Sixth Year, and no one knew why.

He was well known for his heated debate with classmates and Professors, but he always got high marks. Often, he was in the middle of chaos, coming out with cuts on his face, whilst others came out worse. His own House mates knew not to cross his path.

He flicked the half smoked cigarette to the ground and stomped on it. "How come you aren't running away like everyone else."

"I came here to read."

"Care for a dip?"

"Excuse me?" she asked in confusion, and quirked her eyebrows.

"I came out here to swim. Do you want to join me?"

"Oh, I don't have anything to wear."

"I don't either," he said, and turned to the water. "Join me if you want," he called out as he walked towards the shore. He stopped by the edge of the water and stripped to his boxers.

She couldn't help but watch him as he removed his clothes. He turned to her and winked before jumping into the water. She picked up her book and walked to the shore, where he left his clothes and wand.

"You're crazy."

He smiled as he swam by her. It was the first time he felt free since he arrived. He had no friends because everything he learned in Durmstrang was the opposite of what Hogwarts was teaching.

There was a diverse group of wizards and witches. The top rank in his year was a Muggle born, which surprised him the most. The adjustment was stressful, and he acted out until he could no longer change the narrative about him.

He came out after seeing the weather and hoped he'd get some peace and quiet. Instead, when he arrived, she was fast asleep on the grass. Her shorts were too short for his liking, and he conjured up his jacket from his room to cover her. It was then she started talking in her sleep. It was mostly gibberish except for his name, and she began to trash in her sleep.

"Join me."

"I don't have anything to wear."

"Your clothes. Dry it off with your wand later."

She looked around them. No one was close to where they were. There were some students, but they were far off and probably knew he was here by the lake. That's why no one dared to come, especially in a rare warm afternoon. Usually a group would be here by now, laughing and swimming.

Hermione placed her book by his clothes and sat down to remove her shoes and socks. He was waiting for her by the water's edge and took her hand when she came near. His wet boxers revealed much more than she anticipated. She had to move her eyes up passed his glistening chest. He was lean yet muscular. He had defined torso and biceps. She blushed when their eyes met.

"It's nice and warm," he assured her.

When her toes touched the water, she smiled back at him. They went further into the water, hand in hand, until they were chest deep.

"Why are you being nice to me?" she dared to ask.

"You didn't run off the moment you saw it was me, and I was rather curious."

"Curious about what?" she asked, as they slowly floated around each other.

"You. You're not what I expected. One of the brightest witch is a Muggle born. I was told different before. And you had a nightmare about me. I guess I don't blame you considering everything that's happened. I didn't realize I left that kind of impression on you."

"How do you know my nightmare was about you?"

They floated close to each other. Their arms touched and swayed back at their side.

"You said my name, a bit angrily."

"Oh," she blushed.

"Care to share?" he asked, as he came closer.

He was too close for comfort. They never even walked within a meter of each other. This wasn't exactly how she pictured her weekend afternoon. She hoped to read and relax. Her arms and legs were getting weak.

"Hold on to me if you get too tired," he placed an arm on her waist and pulled her close. "What did I do to upset you in your nightmare?"

She placed her arms around his shoulders. "It's sort of embarrassing to admit."

"Can't be any worse than what you've witness around the castle. The arguments and fights," he said as his legs grazed hers.

"Worse."

"You must really hate me."

"Quite the opposite," her face warmed and turned pink in his gaze. She felt his arms pull her closer until their bodies touched. "Opposite of what you are now. You were a horrible boyfriend. Used Amortentia."

"Might have to after this," he grinned. He dragged them closer to the shore until their feet touched the sand and no longer had to tread water. "I'm going to kiss you," he said, and cupped her face in both hands. "Unless you don't want me to."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. She closed her eyes when he came centimeters too close and felt his breath on her lips.

He groaned when someone kicked his foot and shoved his leg. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see her standing over him.

"Might want to take care of that," she pointed to the tent on his trousers. "Before you return to class."

He quickly covered it with his robe as he stared at his surrounding. He skipped lunch at the Great Hall to take a nap by the lake.

"Nice to know you fancy me, Riddle," she said, before walking away. Her long flowing curls bounced with each step.

end.