Okay…um…not as many reviews as I had hoped…

But, I like you guys and I like TRHG, so I'm going to ignore the lack of comments and continue anyway. But please review!

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Flashback

She was both pleased and disappointed at the same time to only hear her own small footsteps echoing in the eerily empty school. Of course Tom wouldn't follow her again, yet she wondered with a passion what he was thinking right now. Whether he was hating her now more than ever, or, by some force of nature, did not loathe her as much as he used to.

Now let's get some more TRHG going, huh?

Hermione, for the second time in the last three days, had made a foolish decision. Well, one that she hadn't thought through, anyway. Usually she was calm, levelheaded, and rarely ever got anything wrong. She reasoned that it must be the shock of coming back to Hogwarts 50 years in the past. Of course. That was it.

It was like someone else had taken over her body when she and Tom were in the small passageway after meeting Myrtle. She didn't mean to exhibit physical contact with him—it just happened. True, it was very un-Hermione like, and would be frowned upon severely by nearly everyone in her era, but she concluded that he wasn't Voldemort yet. He was just Tom Riddle—a handsome, intelligent, mostly belligerent, but overall normal 17-year-old. And she was Hermione Granger—smart, stubborn, friendly 16-year-old witch. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to show that someone might actually like him enough to show caring, right?

She came out of her room, after making herself presentable, donning the customary black robes. This time she chose, reluctantly, to lose the sweater and go with a more conservative attire. That is, to say, a black forearm-length button-up shirt, a dark coffee colored skirt going down to her ankles, and coal-black strappy sandals…though not too Lavender like. Overall, she was pleased with her outfit, even if she would have chosen something different had she been with Harry and Ron.

That morning she had come across a predicament, however. How was she going to get all her school supplies, clothes, and other necessities? Problem solved. Three words—Room of Requirement. She walked three times past the seemingly blank wall, thinking, "I need 1940s generation clothes, my schoolbooks from my home time, and my old Hogwarts things." To her luck and surprise, she was greeted by a cream colored door, which she opened to find everything she asked for. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she shut the door and began to make that her makeshift common room. She was very happy with the fact no one would be able to disturb her now…unless they somehow knew exactly what she was doing in there. Which, hopefully, no one did.

Hermione then stopped, abruptly becoming aware of a problem. How was she going to get around to all her classes and eat and such if she wasn't really born yet? She didn't want to go running to Dumbledore like lost 5-year-old, but then again, she didn't know exactly how she was going to survive in this time. And a man named Tom Marvolo Riddle was not really an option. Unless by some stroke of luck and his getting a sudden case of amnesia would he be inclined to help her. After pondering for a moment or two, Hermione very reluctantly accepted that Dumbledore was her only option. What else was she going to do?

Hermione started walking out of the Room of Requirement, inflating her chest, then released the deep breath she had just partaken in. Just then, a certain someone happened to be coming around the corner. For the half second Hermione had her eyes closed, she found her self hitting not solid wall, but instead solid muscle. As soon as she smelled that sweet cinnamon-apple scent, she knew who it was, and from that, she internally groaned.

"This is just not my day." She thought, oddly enough for the second time in two days.

She looked up resentfully to be met with a strangely comforting simper and a pair of gorgeous green-flecked hazel eyes. "Oh. It's you." She said, masking her surprise.

"So it is." He replied, mocking her tone.

He opened his mouth partway, and Hermione thought she had a feeling she knew what he was going to say. He wanted to know what she meant by the hug the day before. Hermione really did not want to talk about it. She moved to go around him, but, unfortunately, he was bigger and stronger than she was, and he easily blocked her path, holding her by her shoulder and turning her around. He quirked an eyebrow, with a knowing and almost calculating smile.

"No." he said plainly. "I don't think so. You will tell me now exactly what happened yesterday." He glared at her with predomination, but she thought she could detect a flicker of curiosity in his dark eyes.

Hermione was all too aware of her creeping blush, but desperately tried to force it down. "I have no idea what you are talking about." She said deceptively.

Tom looked at her with the same expression, though with that trademark all-knowing glint apparent on his features. "Oh I think you do." He said vaguely but commanding.

Hermione looked down, recognizing defeat. "Look. It meant nothing, okay? Spur of the moment." She answered.

"Well, it's mostly true anyway." She thought with the slightest twinge of guilt.

Hermione didn't know why, but as she was looking up at him, he quickly downcast his eyes to the somehow intriguing mahogany flooring. She took the moment to intake his perfect yet saddening features. His hair was a shade darker than his eyes, the bright light from the corridor accentuating natural but vague highlights there. Hermione internally cursed him. She hated guys that could have absolutely perfect hair without doing a thing to it. Well, not hated them necessarily, but that aspect.

It was at this precise moment that he chose to snap his flashing eyes up to her sepia-colored ones. "Nothing? Everything means something." He said sagely.

"No, I'm serious! But I can assure you it wont happen again." She said, dreadfully aware of the sadness etched in her voice.

He didn't seem to notice—or else he was hiding it well. "You'd better hope so, Granger. You don't want to get on my bad side."

'Do you have a good one?' she was about to retort, but thought better of it. He had really hit a nerve, though. She absolutely despised people calling her by her last name. there wasn't anything wrong with it, of course, but the repeated use of those seven letters was making her first name seem a novelty.

"So I'm on a side then?" she decided upon asking.

He looked, for once, confused. Though, it was possible she imagined it, as it dispersed as soon as she had seen it flickering. "Excuse me?" he said irritably.

"Well, as you claim to say," she emphasized, "I may not know as much about the Dark Arts as you do, but apparently I'm one-up in logic. You should be saying congratulations to me, Riddle! You are so rude." She said sarcastically.

For some reason unbeknownst to Hermione, he pretended not to hear her cynicism slide. "Yeah. I've heard." He admitted, eyes darting slightly, his voice almost indistinct.

Hermione smiled at his honesty. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I've seen worse." She consoled, thinking strongly of Malfoy and Pansy.

As soon as his truthfulness came, it vanished as his expression turned wrathful again. "It doesn't." he replied coldly.

"Fine." Hermione said, a burning sensation right behind her eyes, but she was daring the threatening droplets to fall. She prayed they didn't, but she had the feeling he could tell what she was about to do anyway. She couldn't cry in front of him—she wouldn't. Her temporary luck held out, though, as only the bottom half of her vision was slightly blurred.

He looked impatient. "What is it with women and their feelings?" he asked, though it was more of an accusation.

"W—what?" she asked, genuinely confused, but her speech slurred somewhat.

"You're crying." He observed.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am—" she paused, his face telling her there was absolutely no way she was going to win this one. "Fine. Whatever. You think that." She twisted the truth.

"Well, I don't know what caused you to do it, but if it was something I did, then I—I'm s—sor—sorry." He said forcefully, through his clenched teeth.

Her tears immediately ceased, her smile ever widening with happiness. He actually apologized! "Oh my God…you actually have feelings!" she proclaimed.

His lips twitched a little bit, and although his faintly etched face did not show it, his eyes were brimming with emotion—the first real emotions that Hermione had ever seen from him since coming here. Then he did the unthinkable. He laughed. And it was not a mirthless laugh like the one in Myrtle's bathroom, but a real one. It was deep and rich, and although it was only faintly perceptible, it still filled the hallway with his happiness longing to emerge from its despaired shell.

Hermione took his momentary lapse of evilness to do what she had been yearning to do since the day before. She instantaneously closed the two or so foot gap between them, giving him another warm embrace, even lifting her feet off the floor slightly. To her utter surprise, he actually held her up, instead of dropping her to the ground as past experiences would imply. She felt his compassionate warmth emanating onto her, reveling for someone who was considered so cold and heartless. His touch sent delightful shivers up her chilled spine, immediately filling her with an internal rise of temperature.

She felt his strong chest slowly rise and fall as he held her, and even though it probably only lasted a few moments, to Hermione it felt like wondrous hours. In the back of her mind, their was an imperceptible thought that she really shouldn't be embracing the future Lord Voldemort. But that's just what he was, she reasoned. The future Lord Voldemort. Right now he was Tom Riddle…though Slytherin and seemingly stone-hearted, still capable of feelings. And that stray bad thought slipped effortlessly through Hermione's mind.

This chapter was longer for you guys, so I hope more will review, because that really brightens my days! Thanks so much to my faithful readers, and I really appreciate seeing my stories read! Again, I love you all so much, and please keep gracing me with your thoughts.

xoxoxoxoxo,

luvseanfaris