Disclaimer: (Oh, no. I definitely forgot to put one of these up at the beginning.) Nothing in this story belongs to me besides the plot and a few of the characters. J.K. Rowling owns it all, and she is my idol!

Chapter 6: Story Of A Girl

One thing I've realized about being in the past is that you have to act stupid. Well, not really literally stupid, but I have to act less knowledgeable about Hogwarts than I really am to avoid suspicion.

When Tom and I walked to our first class that morning, I had to resist the urge to walk ahead of him as to avoid conversation. I started to, but then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to know where I was going. Or, I think I wasn't supposed to know where I was going. I wasn't entirely sure what Dumbledore told Tom, and I didn't want to take any chances.

However, it turned out that avoiding conversation was unnecessary. Conversation had the good grace to avoid me.

We traveled in silence to Transfiguration. I was trailing behind slightly, pretending to look around and remember the path to the class. The silence and detachment was welcome though. It gave me time to think of my approach to the other students, who would no doubt be wondering why a new girl showed up after term began.

Should I claim that I was a transfer student from another European school, and speak with a fake accent?

No, I'd probably forget occasionally and give myself away. Erm…I could just say that I was privately tutored…Yes, that sounds more reasonable. Then I don't have to keep up a fake identity and research names of schools. If I slipped up, it would be the end of it all.

We reached the classroom, and Tom pulled open the door. He walked in, and as I moved to go inside, the door closed right on my face. Wow, what a gentleman.

I opened the door myself and slipped into the classroom. We were the first ones there, so I decided to take a seat in the back at a desk submerged in shadow. Then, perhaps, I could avoid people. I set my bag down on the desktop and slid into the seat. Tom had chosen a place in the middle of the room. I was thankful for that, at least.

The professor hadn't entered the room yet, so I pulled out the diary that I had found in my trunk. I flipped through the pages, hoping that I might have written something that would clue me in to what I was supposed to say to my classmates. To my dismay, the pages were all blank.

I pulled out my quill and ink and wrote a few words on it, wondering if it was a diary like the one that had Tom's memory in it. It wasn't. I tried a few spells on it, to check if it was invisible ink or any other magic. Once again, I was disappointed. It must have been wiped clean along with the dust from the textbooks when I went back through time. Damn it all.

We still had nearly ten minutes until class began, so I wrote a bit in the diary…

Okay, I lied. I wrote a lot in the diary. I began to relay my experience in the era, thus far, into the diary; exactly as I am relaying it to you right now. Students from all houses had begun to file into the classroom, obscuring my view of Tom, who was several rows away from me. Yes!

When the class was settled, the professor strode into the room with a cheery smile on his face and his blue eyes twinkling merrily. I gasped, but managed to make it seem like I coughed.

"Dumbledore!'' I thought to myself. I had forgotten that he was the Transfiguration professor in this decade. 'Excellent! Now I can talk to him after class is over and set everything straight.'

Class went fairly quick. Professor McGonagall must teach at a faster pace than Professor Dumbledore, because I had done this lesson a week ago. Naturally, I was the first one to transfigure the rock into a chipmunk and back again. Or so I thought.

I brought the rock up to the box on Dumbledore's desk, and was about to drop it in when another rock came flying out of nowhere and paused above the box, before drifting gracefully down into the box. Yes, that's right. A rock drifted gracefully into the box.

I dropped my rock out of surprise, and saw who else but my arch enemy smirking at me triumphantly. Arrogant prick. But that's alright. I've got plans for this one.

I returned to my seat, ignoring a pair of gloating cobalt blue eyes that were trying to catch my own. I picked up my wand and pretended to examine it, while looking over to where Tom was sitting. I couldn't see him, but I did see Leontes seated beside him. He was still trying to transfigure his rock. Poor guy. I suppose Draco inherited this guy's magical talent instead of his features. Too bad for him.

I pointed my wand discreetly at the rock on Malfoy's tabletop and whispered the incantation for the banishing spell. I leaned back and watched with glee as the rock soared from in front of Malfoy...into Tom's face. I shoved my wand into my robes and looked at the rest of the class. All the people who had seen it were snickering quietly to themselves, but they dared not show it.

Tom was too busy hissing insults at Leontes to notice this, however. I felt terribly sorry for Malfoy.

"You dolt! Why can't you simply transfigure a rock without killing someone?"

"But, Riddle, I don't know what happened! It flew out of my hand without me even saying anything!"

"Oh yes, I'm sure it just flew of its own acc--"

Then he leaned back in his seat and directed his glare at me. I could see a red bump appearing on the side of his face, and he wasn't too happy about it. I winked at him, causing his face to flush bright red with anger. Yes, I'd definitely pay for this later.

I looked up at Dumbledore, and he glanced up at me and winked. Just as I thought. He's probably been waiting forever for someone to give Tom payback for being an arse. Then the bell rang. The class was a lot shorter than I thought it would be. I picked up my bag and walked up to Dumbledore's desk, where he was grading papers.

"Alright, professor. What's my story?" I asked him.

He held up his hand and gestured toward the door. I looked and noticed that Tom was standing in the doorway, waiting for me. Uh oh.

"Professor," he said to Dumbledore, surprisingly politely. "May I speak with Miss Granger for just a moment?"

I looked pleadingly at Dumbledore. Please don't make me go!

"Of course, Mr. Riddle. But I do need to speak with her in just a moment."

I glanced at Dumbledore, my eyes clearly saying, "Traitor..." So I reluctantly followed Tom out into the hallway. When we were out of Dumbledore's earshot, Tom shoved me roughly against the wall and drew himself up to his full height. Which is extremely tall, compared to me.

"What the hell was that all about?" He asked, his eyes practically turning red. If I hadn't already been up against a wall, his angry aura would have blown me away.

"I couldn't resist," I replied lightly. "And you deserved it, without question."

"How did I deserve it? I haven't done anything to you!"

"Oh, you're funny! Since I've come, you've done nothing but treat me horribly! You've been a prick every waking second that I've known you! How is that not deserving of that lovely welt on your face?"

"I've only been a prick to you because you've been treating me the same way!"

"I haven't done anything to you! You've been acting like a prick because you ARE one! Inside and out! You'll never be anything BUT a prick!"

"Just as you'll be a mudblood for all your life. I suppose we're even, then."

"How original, Riddle. I'm proud of my heritage. Besides, I'm a half-blood, so 'mudblood' doesn't cut it. You're just jealous because my muggle family loved me, and didn't dump me off at an orphanage!"

Tom froze. I couldn't believe I had just said that. I felt horrible. No one, not even Voldemort, deserved that.

"I—I'm so sorry," I attempted to amend. "I really shouldn't have--"

"No, Granger," he cut me off curtly. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I suppose Dumbledore told you that. However, I must be getting to class now."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked off, leaving me speechless. I don't even know what came over me. I suppose it's my dangerous habit of speaking before I think.

"But, Tom!" I called after him, "I—I don't know my way to class!"

He turned around and offered a smirk.

"On the contrary, Granger," he responded, continuing to walk to his next class. "I imagine you know the way well enough."

My face fell. Yes, he definitely knows too much. I'll just have to find out later exactly what he knows. I turned around and headed back to Dumbledore's office. I stepped inside and sidled over to Dumbledore's desk. He continued to grade papers, as if I wasn't there. So it startled me when he spoke. He is truly the master of multi-tasking.

"Well, Miss Granger, we need to adjust a few things if you're going to stay," he told me offhandedly as he scribbled sporadically on the essay before him. "Your name should be fine. You must have a background story, however. Any ideas?"

"Wait, Tom told me that I couldn't tell anyone my real name!" I told Dumbledore.

"Oh, he must've been joking, or just trying to isolate you to be irritating. It happens. Now, a story?"

"Oh...well, I was thinking that I could say I was privately tutored, and that I came to Hogwarts because my parents died? And, it'd also be best if they thought I was a half-blood."

"That works just fine, Miss Granger. I suppose I'll need to write a note to your next teacher..."

And so he did. So I went to Charms, glad that this was finally out of the way. When I opened the door to the room, everyone's head turned toward me. The professor at the front of the room walked up to me, and I handed her the note.

"Oh, yes," she said, giving me a bright smile. "Dumbledore told us of you. I'm Professor Whilloh. Please, take a seat. There's an empty seat over by Mr. Malfoy. I trust you know him?"

"Yes, I do," I replied, smiling back. I took the seat next to Leontes, and Professor Whilloh ((pronounced "Willow") continued her lecture. When she wasn't paying attention to the class, Leontes leaned over toward me.

"You framed me in Transfiguration, didn't you?" he asked, his voice a bit angry, but his aura reading amused.

"Of course I did," I whispered back. "But it wasn't anything against you. I just wanted to aggravate Tom. You were only a puppet. Thank you for that, by the way."

His face broke into a very un-Malfoy-like smile (Leontes isn't a typical Malfoy, I've noticed) and patted me on the back.

"You'll do fine in Slytherin," he told me quietly, if a bit proudly. "You'll do just fine."

It made me gag inwardly, but I suppose he thought it was a compliment. I smiled at him and turned my attention back to the professor. We were learning Bubblehead charms today. Yes! I had wanted to do those since I had heard of Cedric and Fleur doing them in the Triwizard tournament. I didn't actually get to see it, as I was one of the hostages, but they sounded really cool.

We only had a small portion of class time to do them, and we'd continue it next time, so I worked quickly. The first time, a bunch of fist-size, rainbow-coloured bubbles spouted from my wand. They were rather pretty.

I got it on the second try perfectly. And as I looked over, Tom had gotten it at exactly the same time. I smirked at him, and removed my bubble. Leontes was having some issues, so I helped him out a bit. It was like being in class with Ron all over again.

Just as the bell rang, Leontes cast a Bubblehead charm. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. Leontes left class that day with a proud smile. It was sooo adorable. He acted like a five-year-old who had just managed to write his name. I patted him on the head affectionately.

"You're coming along fine, Malfoy. Just fine."

I looked at Tom, who was trailing along behind us, reading a book as he walked. He had his usual scowl on his face. Would this guy ever brighten up?

"Hey, Riddle," I called back to him. "Where to next?"

He glanced up at me, and all I could feel was this huge wave of anger and hatred flush over me. I looked back toward the front. It was frightening that one person could be so unpleasant, and grow up to make the rest of the world just so.

"Lunch," came the soft reply, muffled by the book his nose was in.

We headed down to lunch, Leontes and I doing all the talking. It was nice to have someone to talk to besides that arrogant git Riddle ((Wow, almost wrote Malfoy there)). It was a bit like having Harry and Ron again. After Sirius died, Harry didn't talk much. It was mostly Ron and I that started conversations. Tom and Harry are so incredibly opposite from each other that they are so alike. And Leontes is just like Ron. Except less jealous and dramatic about everything.

I walked down the corridor that day happy, for the first time since I arrived in that era.

Hopefully, it would last.

((A/N: Well, this chapter was a right pain in the ass. I wrote the whole thing, uploaded it onto and then decided it sucked, so I took it off and rewrote the whole thing. I hope it's better now, because it's about three pages longer...Thanks for the reviews!))

Sakuya Kaleido: Well, I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the review!

MadDelinquent: Erm… I'm definitely going to keep things as IC as I possibly can, considering the ship. I hate to spoil the ending for everyone, but Hermione and Tom aren't going to get married…sorry…and no "Voldy babies" are happening…but the sarcasm is definitely staying, and no fluff at all will come out of this story. Ever. I despise fluff with every fiber of my being. ((and btw, I checked out your xanga...I think you need a psychologist...))

Achicagoil: I'm delighted that I'm getting so much positive feedback about Hermione's new cynical nature. Thanks for your review! I really appreciate it! Oh, and don't worry. Tom isn't going to let up on Hermione any time soon.

s.halliwell24: Oh, alright then. I suppose I jumped to conclusions. Thanks for reviewing!

Black-rose23: Why, thank you! I though I'd add a few..."homey" touches to it. Malfoy seemed the better choice. She will never escape Malfoy. And…er…I'm surprised that you thought that particular part of the story was funny (the one you quoted in the review). I thought it was really stupid, but I couldn't bring myself to delete it. Mostly because I couldn't think of any other way to explain her thought process…Thanks for reviewing!

Kuri the Harbinger of Night: Wow, that's quite a name you have there! I'm very flattered that you like me story, but Ritalin might be an option for you. And don't feel bad for Tom...well, you can in this chapter, because he was genuinely hurt by Hermione's comment. But in chapter five, he was only being dramatic so Hermione would pity him. DON'T FALL FOR IT! ..cough...er...thanks for the review.

Dark88poet: The waiting is over! Hope you enjoyed it! ()

Vera-Sabe: Well, that's great, then! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoyed this one as well!