A/N: Ok, by this point I have gotten 3 reviews for the latest chapter, and it's only been up for 2 hours! You guys ROCK! Anyway, I hope you all love this chappie; it's really funny, at least in my opinion. Well, read on.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Come on, if I did would I really be sitting here? If I did own it, I would have paid for plastic surgery to make all of my friends look like Tom, Harry, Ron and Ginny.

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Chapter 10: A Gift

Hermione groaned. Tom was impossible to shop for. She didn't want to buy him clothing, that was dumb. She couldn't buy him a photo album, for he had no pictures. And she was not going to pull a Lav-Lav and get him jewelry. Exhausted and stressed, Hermione battled through through the crowd of last minute shoppers that filled the cobble stone streets of Hogsmead. Maybe she could get him a book. He wasn't like Harry and Ron, he wouldn't scoff and accuse her of being obsessed with books. Books were kind of impersonal, but if it was a good one it wouldn't matter. So she forced her way through the panicked shoppers toward the local bookstore, wondering what type of book she could get him. Something rare, perhaps. Maybe a first edition of something, though nothing too expensive. All she had was 5 galleons, since the trunk couldn't offer more. After all, manufacturing money was an offense.

The DADA section proved useless. He already had almost the entire section of the bookcase back at the head's common room. She doubted that he would appreciate a book on a school subject. Was there something from the future he would love? What books were there that hadn't been published yet? Well, there were all of the books on him, but that would just discourage him. She could just imagine that conversation.

Tom: What's this?

Hermione: It's a book about all the destruction you caused when you were older.

Tom: And you gave this to me why?

Hermione: Because you haven't read it yet.

Tom: Wait, this has bloody pictures!

Perhaps she should just give him a notebook, so he could write down all of his spells. That could work. She wandered over to the stationary section and found a shelf that held journals. No, defiantly not a frilly pink one, she thought, shoving a fallen diary back on the shelf. Simple was best for Tom, so she pulled a small, black leather volume off to examine it closer. 'Notes' was written on the cover in spindly script. It was masculine and strangely enough, four galleons. Perfect.

After waiting in line for twenty minutes behind someone who seemed to be Ron's grandmother and a two-year-old Arthur Weasely, she reached the counter.

"Would you like this gift wrapped?" asked the worker. She nodded and he reached for a sheet of purple paper, pulling out his wand.

"Wait, can I just write something inside quickly?" He shrugged and handed the diary back to her, gesturing to a quill and inkpot beside the register, before moving on to help the next customer. She dipped the long quill into the inkwell, wondering what to say.

Five minute later she handed the journal back to the attendant, feeling a lot more confident.

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What do you get for the girl you want to give the world to? Tom thought as he wandered the many streets of the small village. He had an hour left before he would meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks, and was utterly confused. Never in his life had he ever given someone a Christmas present, or any present for that matter, and never had he ever received one, so he was at a loss for what to do. Not only was Hermione the first person to understand him, but she was also a girl, one who he loved. So what to get her?

It wasn't like he could make her anything. Well, he could with magic, but that didn't seem very Christmassy. Not that he cared about being "Christmassy," because he didn't, but he had a feeling this was the first holiday Hermione would be spending without her friends and family, so it had to be good. Ugg, why was this so hard? He couldn't be defeated by Christmas; he was Tom bloody Marvolo Riddle!

He passed a jewelry store and a glint of silver distracted him. Backtracking, he saw it was a ring, with a small sapphire gem set into the platinum band. It was understated and simple, but beautiful. Huh, jewelry could work. He entered the store and went up to the nearest worker.

"Excuse me, but how much is that ring with the sapphire in the window?" he asked quietly, aware that Abraxas Malfoy who had graduated three years previously, was examining a bracelet close by. It word got out he was Christmas shopping then his reputation would go down the toilet. Not that it mattered- because it didn't. The elderly worker smiled.

"Ah, is this for a girlfriend?" Tom nodded, picking at a loose strand hanging off his cloak. "Well, it's a small gem and has no magical properties, so I'll let it go for about 50 galleons." Tom winced.

"How about 25?" The man chuckled, but gave him a small smile.

"What about 30? It's the holidays after all, and it's for someone special. Does hat sound okay?" The teen nodded slowly, pulling out his worn money ouch from his pocket. He was reluctant to let go of most of his savings, but he would do anything for Hermione. The man waddled to the window and plucked the small velvet box from the display. Tom shifted from foot to foot, Malfoy was getting closer. He completed the transaction with his head bent and was almost out the door but-

"Riddle! Is that you? Still skulking around in corners I see!" Tom sighed, slipping the box into his breast pocket before turning to face the loud Malfoy. He looked the same, classic blond hair and wealthy smirk.

"Malfoy. Long time no see." (A/N: I can hear you all going "oh!") The blonde's posture reeked of power and influence. Any normal seventeen year old would be quaking in their boots, but Tom knew Malfoy could dish it but not take it. "How's the misses?" The smirk slipped off the aristocrat's face. Not many people knew that Malfoy had been forced to dumb his girlfriend to accommodate an arranged marriage.

"Fine, Riddle, Fine. Or at least she will be once I give her a big holiday gift." He grumbled under his breath about. "Diamonds, only Diamonds for Mrs. Malfoy," before looking back up. "But you, you're still single! What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" He gestured around the small shop. "How can you afford it? A poor orphan like you can't shop in here! Or is Dippet giving you an allowance these days?" If only he knew I was heir to Slytherin, Tom thought bitterly.

"I've been saving up," Tom spat, really wishing he could hex the bastard out of the glass window. He knew he could take him, but what would Hermione think? Bloody Merlin, I'm late to meet Mione. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet someone." He turned to leave but Malfoy kept talking.

"Another meeting with your followers? What were they called, the Death Dieters?" Tom's right hand twitched toward his wand, but he tried not to reach for it.

"No actually. My girlfriend is waiting." He didn't wait for a response as he wormed his way out he glass door. Malfoy was infuriating. Always would be infuriating. I guess it runs in their blood.

Hermione had snagged a table toward the back of the Three Broomsticks. On the seat next to her was a small brown bag, out of which poked a small green ribbon. He did his best to ignore the obvious present as he sat down on her other side. "Sorry I'm late. I ran into an old friend." She didn't need to ask if he was being sarcastic as she handed him a mug.

"Who?" He sighed and took a long sip of the frosty beverage.

"Do you know Abraxas Malfoy?" he asked bitterly, sinking into the chair. She groaned.

"I'm on a last name basis with his grandson. Well, was on a last name basis with him."

"Who killed him?" he asked casually, leaning over the wooden surface to grab a coaster.

"Abraxas got eaten by a manticore, don't ask me how. Lucius, his son, went crazy in Azkaban, and Draco, his son, got killed by you. I swear that was the only murder you committed that I actually wouldn't have blamed you for." He laughed and drummed his fingers on his leg. "You know, in my fourth year Draco got turned into a ferret by our DADA teacher. It was the best moment of my life, I'll never forget it."

"I wish someone would turn Abraxas into a ferret. He is one already. He's such a hypocrite. Accusing me of stalking around, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened he went around asking who was the heir of Slytherin. Then, when no one came forward he said he did it himself." Still grumbling under his breath, he took another sip.

"That must have killed you," Hermione remarked over her glass.

"Oh well, I got my revenge." He smiled wickedly.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing dark. No, I just changed his voice so he sounded like a bloody chipmunk for a month. The professor's couldn't find a way to reverse the hex, said they'd never seen anything like it before."

"Because you invented it?"

"Of course." The laughed and Tom wondered if this was what normal friend ship was. Were they actually "going steady" or… what did the muggle teens at the orphanage call it? "Friends with Benefits?" See, this was why he didn't have friends. This was too confusing. Not that he would give this up. It felt nice to be understood. "So what did you get me?" She ran her finger around the rim of his glass.

"Nothing big, but I think you'll like it." She was thinking of the message inside the gift, not the gift itself, but he didn't know that. "I usually exchange gifts Christmas morning, but do you want to tomorrow night? I just can't wait."

"Sure, what ever you want to do." She nodded, basking in the calm silence that wasn't at all awkward. Sadly, all good things come to an end.

"Would you like a refill, my dears?" asked a woman who looked like a younger and pregnant Mme. Rosmerta. She looked pleasantly between the two teenagers as if they were announcing they were newly weds.

"Mme. Rosetella, this is Hermione Granger, she's new at Hogwarts," Tom introduced, and Hermione happily shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Madame. And yes, I would love a refill, thank you," she said politely, pleased that she had guessed correctly that this was Mme. Rosmerta's mother.

"Pleasure's mine, Miss. It's good to see Mr. Riddle here with pleasant company." Tom looked down, his gelled hair ineffectively hiding the pink tinge spreading through his cheeks. You see, that's the price of gelling your hair! "I'll refill that glass and be on my way," she announced with a wink to Hermione. The cup refilled itself as promised and Mme. Rosetella moved on to the next table.

"Can I ask you something random, Mione?" She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "What are 'friends with benefits?'" She gagged on her butter-beer and gulped it down, gasping for air.

"Is that what this is?" she asked, flicking her finger between the two of them, her eyes suddenly tearing. Though because of her lack of air or for his question, he didn't know.

"No- yes- no, I don't know! I'm asking you what the term means!" She blushed and bit her tongue.

"You're asking me for a definition?"

"Well, apparently."

"Umm… it's kind of hard to explain." OMG, how am I having this conversation? STALL! STALL! "It's different for each person." Yeah, because not every person does it the same way.

"I'm sensing this is a touchy subject?" he observed with a ghost of sarcasm.

"Just a tad. It's um… whentwofriendsactalittlemorethanfriendswithnostringsattatchedifyouknowwhatimeanonaregularbasis." He blinked.

"And we're not 'friends-with-benefits?" She blanched.

"I dunno, I mean, I didn't think so, right?"

"Of course not. And I didn't mean to upset you, I've just always heard the muggles talking about it and I never knew what that meant." Her color slowly returned and she instantly felt better. "Could you explain frenching next?"

"What!"

"Only joking, I swear."

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A/N: Aww, Tom is just too cute. And a ring… hmm, that gives me more options in terms of plot twists… Teaser?

It wasn't like he was proposing. He wasn't even telling her he loved her. Then again, a ring that had cost him half his savings probably said more than "I like you a lot."

To true. New character next chapter as well. Trust me when I say you do not want to miss the next one. Toodles! AND REVIEW!