A little grown up, but nothing too bad...

Draco walked Law back. Law, who had just been Obliviated, didn't look at all well. He was pale and mumbling and not very coherent. Hermione could only hope Tom didn't see him like that.

She stayed in the secluded spot in the library. She tried to convince herself that she was only staying to study. She did attempt to do so. The words were there but she was hyper-aware of her surroundings. She was probably reading the same line over and over again. Nothing was going in…she was waiting, waiting for…

When a tall dark-haired figure advanced upon her, she was not surprised.

"Hello, Tom," she said, standing up to greet him.

"Hermione," he said pleasantly. "I wondered where you had gone off to. Were Draco and Law with you?"

"Yes, but Law wasn't feeling well so Draco took him to bed."

"Of course he wasn't feeling well. You made him kiss Minerva McGonagall." A thin smirk graced his face. "Not that it wasn't all very amusing but still…"

"Still what?" She felt the space between them clear rather than see it. One minute she'd been cold, goose bumps up her arms, but then she felt warmth radiating off of him. He was suddenly close, almost looming over her. She couldn't take her eyes off of him.

She had never met anybody so handsome in her life.

His hair was a shade darker than hers. Tidy and respectable but with a little ruffle at the back. A shock of darkness on his head, to match the darkness present in his expressions.

Those eyes…she was falling in those eyes…they hypnotised her into doing something stupid, something dangerous…they whispered at her that whatever didn't kill her would make her stronger…

"But still," he said, drawing closer still, "you forgot one thing?"

She refused to show him fear but she was certain he could hear her heart bounding. Something like blind panic was setting in on her, and all she could see was the darkness…

"What did I forget?"

"You forgot that I hate losing." Tom was looking down at her slightly parted lips, with an almost hungry appearance on his face. He reached up a hand and stroked her face. One cold stroke – shivers slithered up her spine. "I had such fun things planned for you today, Hermione."

He didn't kiss her. Instead he used the aristocrat hand that had stroked her to grasp her chin and pull – not roughly, but with a irresistible force – her face up to his, her lips to meet his…but, still, she was the one to start the kiss.

Draco dumped Law on the bed unceremoniously and returned to the Common Room. Ash and Sally were both there, Ash staring moodily at the fire and Sally deeply enthralled in a book.

"How are you?" Draco sat down next to Ash.

"Tired," she admitted.

"Why are you tired?"

"We were up late last night," she said in way of explanation, but he knew it was more that that. She said "Tired" as if it meant more than that, as if she was tired of her life.

He didn't follow through with his investigation. He was tired too.

They sat beside each other for quite some time, even after Sally had retired to bed, both deep in thought about some-what similar topics.

It was so wrong…

She couldn't really be kissing Voldemort, could she? Except, he wasn't Voldemort…He was Tom. Despite everything, he hadn't done all that yet. She couldn't properly judge him on what he was going to do…wasn't she here to try prevent that?

It was so forbidden….

She felt like she'd just taken a Muggle form of drug. Suddenly all she felt, all she thought was Tom. He was her world. Every sensation, every trace of logic, everything was Tom's…

She gave into it, and felt him respond just as enthusiastically.

She kissed him with her many emotions. Somehow he had her pushed against the table, pinning her down. There was a dull ache forming in her lower back from the angle but she couldn't give a damn. She just had to keep kissing Tom…

It was so satisfying…

His lips seemed made to connect with hers and despite the roughness of the situation, his kisses were not harsh but variable, switching between light, soft kisses and long hard ones.

His body was merely a mould in which to hold hers. His hands traced up and down her lovingly, like an artistic with a soft paintbrush. Hers were in his hair, unable to tangle it…silk…

It was so terrible…

Her face was wet with salty tears, she realised. She was crying. Her eyes were closed, but tears were squeezing through. Her throat was burning but her kissing increased. A snuffle sounded from her throat and he kissed her harder too, trying to block out the pain.

His hands slivered up and began picking at the buttons of her school shirt. Her school robe had fallen off on to the ground, as had his. He was wearing a white school shirt just like her but not as tussled.

"No."

He began kissing her neck, still picking at the buttons, light butterfly kisses, and she opened her eyes, blinking away the tears. The library was darker and deserted. Would anybody hear her if she screamed?

"No," she repeated to him.

He had unbuttoned her shirt completely now and was trying to pull it off.

"No," she said with more strength.

"Why not?" he replied huskily, still trying to slip the shirt off her tensed shoulders.

"We are not doing this!" she told him in a shrill voice. "We can't…I can't…"

"Why not, Hermione?"

"Because…Because! Tom, do you even like me?"

"I dare say, Hermione, I like you a great deal." His eyes roved over her body, especially the white, bare skin she had showing thanks to his unbuttoning tactics. His pupils were completely dilated, his whole eyes black and full of conflicting light and darkness.

"No," she said. "I don't want to do this…not with you…"

"Who would you like to do this with, so? Malfoy, is it?" Tom looked triumphantly disgusted.

"No!" she shrilled, before thinking. "Draco and I, we're not like that!"

He didn't even try looking convinced. "I've seen the boy looking at you, Hermione." He reached up that offending hand to wipe away a newly formed tear. "You just have no idea how beautiful you are."

"I'm not," she murmured, eyes still on his hand, his fingers moist from her tear.

"Not classically beautiful," he observed, "but there's something about you…once you get to know you…I just can't seem to get enough…"

"Stop!" she yelled, hoping somebody would hear her. Her fingers were fidgeting with the buttons, but she couldn't re-do them they were trembling so hard. "Please! Tom, just let me go, would you? I'm really tired!"

He began buttoning up her shirt for her, fingers careful to brush against her sensitive skin every time. She felt like she couldn't breathe. He leaned back from her, and she felt like she could move again.

He moved his hands up to her hair, smoothing it down, and tucked a stray strand behind her ear. She watched him, almost with horror. He wiped the remaining tears from her face slowly, and picked up her cloak for her, turned her by the shoulders, and put it back on. She stood there, dumbly, following his silent commands as if unable to function herself. She still couldn't breathe properly.

"Now," he said. "You can go now. Now, you look presentable." There was laugher present in his face, although his mouth was sombre.

She felt indignation rise up her and, without thinking, went to slap him across the face. He caught her hand before it even nearly ratcheted off his face, and held it up, eyes holding hers.

"Don't." A command, but one she followed. There was no laughter in his face anymore. Her arm went limp in his hand and, after a minute, he let it flop down.

"You can't treat me like rubbish," she hissed at him now, edging away from him but still wondering why she wasn't running from him now that he was letting her go free.

"I wouldn't dream of doing so," he said calmly.

"Then…why? Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to…hurt me?"

"I'm not!" A raw, sudden outburst. She stared at him, at his momentary lack of control.

It only lasted a second. "I'm not trying to hurt you. I didn't want to make you cry. I hadn't meant to kiss you tonight."

"Then why did you come here, into this library? Into this secluded spot?" she accused angrily, her voice high and dramatic.

"Because I knew you were here," he said, simply and truthfully. "You were here, and I just wanted to be with you."

A short update, but a quick one all the same.

Any news, people? I just saw the new version of Charlie and the Choclate Factory. Very good. I always thought the idea of it and stuff was really freaky, but I enjoyedthis version. Johnny Depp as Wonka really reminded me of him as Edward Scissorhands, although that was made years beforehand/ Same kind of portral or something. But brilliant. I really enjoyed it. It made me feel very...happy.

Here's the promised Hermione/Tom action. There'll be more. But what's going to happen now that Hermione's left her defences down, eh? And isn't Tom wondering why she's crying? There'll be more Hermione/Tom action in the next few chapters...I have everything planned out. I'm really enjoying writing this story, I'm not going to lie.

Thanks to:

Seghen - Nice to see you back, girl, and with a new chappie to read, I'm a happy girl. Thansk for all your reviews.

Fleur Princesse - Here's the action, and there'll be more.

HermioneCharlotteGranger - I didn't really get the question but thanks for the review!

vla1diva - Unique is what I'm going for. I'd hate if it was very unoriginal.

Jasmine - Thanking you most kindly.

illyria-light - McGonagall's reaction was supposed to be in this chapter, but it'll be in the next.

LaxGoalie - Thank you very, very, very much.

Sakuya Kaleido - That wasn't really a cliffhanger. More of a resting point.

Fujitisi - Thank you!

ElementalDragon1 - You didn't have to wait long really, did you?

The CardBoard Moon - Any more nice ideas for me, to fill the next couple of chapters? Before the finale...

Sarklover86 - True, but I felt it was more surprising to have Hermione win. You never know, I might do a companion piece as to what would ahve happened if she'd lost...

maiden aurora - Sorry it wasn't long. But I am in an updating modd tonight. This was actually supposed to be at the end of the last chapter, but I feel, due to its intensity, it'll suffice as its own chapter.

CareBearErin - Thanks very much for your continued support.

Remember long reviews rock!