((Chapter 15. Hey I'm actually on time! Here comes the bad news... I'm going to be gone on a road trip to Vegas/Grand Canyon etc. for the next two weeks so I won't be posting. I tried not to leave you all at too big of a cliffhanger, but I still feel awful...! You guys are just too great about reviewing... nothing in the world makes me happier than coming home and seeing an inbox full of reviews. About the Choices/Destiny question, an overwhelming majority of you guessed Choices over Destiny. Of course I'm not going to tell you if you're right, but you'll find out sooner than you think. ;D I will say that some of you guys are way too smart. Some of you, I refuse to say who, have completely hit the mark.Thank you to LilytheSpitFire, divinething, CountessMel, dracodolenz, SpiritWell, bitterspice, sweet-little-girl, Zippy Rox (one of the few who said destiny over choices), EuphoniumGurl0, cocovanilla, The Cardboard Moon (very interesting idea), kamakitty, HermyPenguin (there is going to be even more "back and forth"), hewhoistomriddle, readerofHP, Sukuya Kaleido, IceHeart161 (haha! By far my favorite review! There are some paralells between Anakin and Tom, aren't there:D), doragon41, stargazer starluver, Mikki, ne-ma-pa-so-ra, Le Saut de l'Ange, Magic and Sparkle (ah, what an interesting theory...), Loriliant Angelisa Snape, cm-88, Oliver's Quidditch Crazy (thank you), Black-rose23, jaded emerald, haiga (the song lyrics described my story perfectly :D), UNOWEN, CareBareErin, Adoryble, Lady Moofin, MissCleo, BabyGooGoo2, just reading, firesorceress1, Chloe Riddle (insightful), Rouge07, Samanthaaa, Kylala-San, lovelyrewierperson, Rotten Delilah, Emily, Lady Evanescence, Jess, Lillane, Stephanie Zastrow, Amerise Rei (very good question/s), Jay Ficlover, and blaiselover. Last but not least my lovely beta, DramaShethan. A final note: Tom is not out of character. :D))

Don't waste your touch, you won't feel anything

Or were you sent to save me?

I've thought too much, you won't find anything

Worthy of redeeming.

Break down, and cease all feeling

Burn now, what was once breathing,

Reach out,

And you may take my heart away.

– "The Leaving Song Pt. II" by AFI

Chapter 15; See You Cry

"Tom Riddle understands everything," students had whispered ever since First Year. "Ask Tom Riddle. He'll know what to do."

It had always been true. Tom knew almost everything. He was a sponge for knowledge, and it was often said that he would be able to teach a class better than the professors themselves.

He knew how to perform all three types of Unforgivable Curses with elegant perfection.

He had memorized all twelve uses of dragon's blood.

He had charmed everyone he had met into thinking that he was wonderful. He had entranced numerous girls into bed.

If was safe to say that Tom Riddle was one of the most knowledgeable people in the world.

There was one black mark on his flawless record, though. He was completely bewildered when it came to one subject in particular. No one knew about this gap in knowledge, however, so it was okay.

Tom Riddle did not know the first thing about love.

He had tried many times to intellectualize the concept named love, but again and again he had found it impossible. He had never been loved, and he had certainly never loved anyone in his life. Love was a completely foreign concept to him.

What was this thing called love, that had been the subject of countless songs and books and poems?

What was this thing called love, that seemed to sway battles, to change minds, to alter history?

What was this thing called love, that caused people to be completely contradictory and thickheaded and that so often was the demise of great rulers and powerful men?

How could a thing so trivial as love, so insignificant as a look or a touch or an embrace, rule thousands?

Tom had considered himself lucky, to be honest. While everyone around him was ruled by this ridiculous entity, he alone could think and act untainted by its cruel and treacherous enchantment. Tom had realized that love was a weakness, and he had promised himself never to be drawn into love by its false promises, its comforting facade, its malicious allure.

And then he had met Helen.

Is this love? He thought savagely. Is it this feeling of complete and utter helplessness? I can't control Helen and I can't control myself and I can't control anything at all anymore. And the worst thing of all is that I no longer want to.

He no longer wanted to be in control of everything.

I should hate her for this, he thought with conviction, I've already botched up my entire life because of this girl and yet I can't stop thinking about her, I can't stop dreaming of her, I can't stop craving the sound of her voice. I'm pathetic.

And the most awful part was that he could belittle himself for his feelings, but he could not stop himself from feeling in the first place.

He drifted off into sleep filled with dreams of deep, brown eyes.

He was roused by a distinct rapping on his door.

"Riddle! Riddle, wake up!" came an all too familiar voice.

Shaking off the sleepiness, Tom arose carefully and answered the door.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked sardonically, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"Tom, you won't believe it! The whole school is in an uproar. Apparently word spread fast about you and Nestowe. Something like this has never happened at Hogwarts. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor? A Mudblood and a Pureblood? Everyone is in shock, but mostly because it's you, the Muggle hater and the Slytherin extra ordinaire!"

Malfoy looked astounded and slightly disheveled standing just outside of his Head Boy dormitory.

Tom really did not need this information thirty seconds after he woke up. "Rhion, this isn't exactly a –"

"I knew it," Rhion said triumphantly, "what you did last night was all a big mistake, right? You don't care about that Mudblood whore. Everyone makes mistakes, Tom, and Slytherin is ready to forgive you if you just deny the whole thing . . . !"

"Stop blubbering, you utter moron, and let me get a word in. What I did last night was a huge mistake, but I know that the House of Slytherin will follow me whether I care for the girl or not. Who are you, to question my authority? I can do whatever I damn like and you all will follow me. You will follow me to the gates of Hell if I ask it of you and you will do it without question. Is that not true?"

Rhion looked like a small child who had been reprimanded by his mother.

Tom had such a strong hold over his followers that he could do no wrong in their eyes. They were lost without him, helpless without his guidance.

"Of course that's true, Tom. I don't know what I was thinking . . . but it's genuine, isn't it? You really do care about that girl."

"No," Tom said icily, and slammed the door in Rhion's face.

Hermione entered the Potions classroom with some trepidation. She did not want to look at Tom or talk to him. She feared that she would lose control if she so much as glanced in his direction.

Upon her entrance, the students quieted down, but she heard whispers and saw eyes widen. Yes, they had all found out about the previous night. Tom had denied that he cared about her at all. Apparently he had charmed all of the Slytherins back into good graces, and now it was only a matter of upholding his reputation with the rest of the school.

She took her usual seat next to him, refusing to acknowledge his presence. Eyes were scrutinizing their actions closely, and she determinedly took out her Potions ingredients as if nothing was different.

For two excruciating hours, the class wore on, and not once did she look at him or talk to him. She did not notice the uncertainty flash through his eyes like miniature bolts of lightning. At last, the class was over, and she slung her bag over her shoulder, hastening out the door.

It happened as she was walking down a deserted hallway. The strap on her bag broke. The books, ink, and quills spilled over the floor.

Frustrated to the point of tears, she bent down to gather everything together. She was surprised when she saw a hand pick up one of her books. As she straightened up she saw that it was Tom. He handed the textbook to her wordlessly, staring at her the entire time.

"What do you want?" she asked in a raw voice. "How could you possibly make my life any more miserable?"

Tom laughed in a harsh and guttural manner.

"I've made your life miserable? You're the one that should be apologizing, Helen. You've ruined all that I've worked for and my reputation. Everything bad that has happened to me this year is your fault."

His voice had risen steadily, and he was trembling with anger and some other emotion that she could not be sure of. Hermione could not bring herself to meet his gaze. Tom Riddle was the most self centered jerk she had ever met.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he said cruelly, and took her chin in his hand, wrenching is savagely and forcing her to face him. His actions reminded her strongly of Rhion the night before. She felt tears well up in her eyes.

Tom realized that he had made her cry. She was not just sniffling, she was trying to hold back huge, gut wrenching sobs, and is was not working. He had never seen her cry so hard.

Isn't that what you wanted? Didn't you want to pay her back for all she has done to you? asked a voice in his head.

He felt a sick feeling well up in the pit of his stomach. He did not know why he had wanted to make her cry, but he had only wanted to make her feel as awful and uncertain as he did.

Now she was sobbing helplessly, and it was tearing him apart. Now her face had shattered, and it was killing him to see her in so much pain. It was even worse to know that he was the cause of it.

"Look, Helen, I . . . why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because you are a self centered jerk! No wonder no one has ever loved you! All you do is inflict pain on people around you. You told everyone that you didn't care about me and that you would have nothing to do with me! You screamed at me, told me you hated me, and let your awful friends bully me around without lifting a finger! And then to top it all off, you expect me to apologize to you? You're disgusting!"

Tom let go of her in shock. Helen was right.

Her face was scrunched up in pain, and he realized that he did not want to see her cry anymore. He would do anything to make her stop.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

It killed him to admit that. He had never said those words to anyone in his life.

Hermione looked up at him in disbelief. In his eyes she saw true remorse. He really was sorry that he had made her cry.

She had completely broken down because she had simply had too many burdens on her shoulders. Hermione did not know how she would get back to the future and she did not know how she would face the Gryffindor house later and she did not know why she was crying in front of Tom.

Hermione had been strong for the majority of the last few months. She was tired of standing up to him and being strong.

Tom brought his thumb slowly up to her face and wiped away the teardrop. It was the most tender gesture she had ever seen him make.

"Please stop crying," he begged softly. "It's killing me."

Two minutes ago he had wanted to tear her apart for how awful she had made him feel, and now he watched with relief as the shaking of her body subsided. He had convinced himself logically that he hated her, but logic had deserted him at the sight of Helen's face.

What was it about her that made him act so impulsively?

He stepped away from her suddenly, and Helen knew what it was that Tom was about to do. They were getting too close emotionally, again, and he was terrified. He was going to yell at her or walk away. She watched him with this knowing and heartbroken expression on her face because she knew that he was going to do it too. He had done it every time she had tried to get closer to him.

And then, he decided not to. Just like that, he changed his mind. Helen had never given him a reason not to trust her, after all. It seemed too cruel to Tom to leave her in a deserted hallway, crying because of all the things he had done to her.

He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry that I denied our relationship, but I did that because I was in denial about it myself. I'm sorry that I let Rhion knock you around without doing anything, but I suppose we could call that even, since I caught you when he hit the Bludger at you. I'm sorry I screamed at you, I'm sorry I tried to control you, I'm sorry I said that I hated you . . . I'm sorry. And I'm begging you . . . I have never begged anyone for anything, Helen . . . I'm begging you to forgive me. Because something's happening to me, and it is scaring me to death. It's like I'm hanging off of the edge of a canyon, like I'm about to fall into this endless abyss, and the only thing that keeps me hanging on is the sound of your voice."

Tom's eyes seemed shadowed and hollow and he said this.

"Because the only thing that keeps me sane is looking into your eyes."

He was enigmatic, somehow more intense, but he still retained all of his sharp and breathtaking beauty.

"Because when darkness closes in around my mind, I think of how your lips feel and it goes away. Because every day I become more consumed by iniquity, darkness, and lies . . . but when I think of you, some minuscule part of me sees truth. But most of all because I just now realized that I can't standto see you cry," he finished, voice full of confusion. "I've made so many people cry that I can't even count them all. But like always, you're different . . . watching you cry is just awful."

Hermione was floored. She had not realized what an impact she had been having on him. He was beginning to fight the evil that threatened to consume him so completely. Because of her, he was fighting the man he had been born to be.

He was fighting his destiny for her. A sudden emotion that she did not know swept through her body like wildfire.

She did not want to lie to him anymore. There would be only truth between them.

"Tom?" she whispered softly, looking up at him. Her eyes had stopped tearing, though her face was still wet.

"Yes?"

"Please don't call me Helen . . . call me Hermione."

If he was curious as to her motives for changing her name, he did not show it. "Alright, then. Hermione."

The word sounded beautiful on his lips. It was almost poetic in its originality and elegance.

Until the moment he had said sorry, Hermione had believed that Tom Riddle would never change. She had seen it in his eyes, though. She had watched that crucial debate take place in his head. He had the choice of either walking away from her and distancing himself completely, or giving in and apologizing at last. Hermione waited for the former option to triumph over apologizing, as it always did. Hermione had watched the change take place on his face.

Some new emotion that had never been in his eyes had surfaced, and it did not take Hermione long to realize what this emotion was.

Trust, she realized suddenly. I saw trust glinting like a forlorn jewel in the depths of his apathetic eyes.

((A.N. So we see a more sensitive, vulnerable side of Tom. We also see some growing darkness... what do you think about the notion of lies? How much is he not telling Hermione? How will Tom react when he finds out Hermione has been lying all along? Next chapter: Dumbledore comes to an important realization, Rhion Malfoy reappears, and things get more intense between Tom and Hermione.))