A/N: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews! And also for hanging in there with me. 😊

Chapter Five

Tom had no idea how Hermione planned to get out of the castle unseen, but he had faith that she would. He made his own way out of the giant front doors and sauntered to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, two Horcruxes in hand.

It had taken quite a bit of maneuvering to shake off his followers earlier. They knew something was going on and they were chomping at the bit to find out what it was. Malfoy especially seemed suspicious. Tom threw him off by tastefully dropping hints about a Ravenclaw girl that had been trying to get Malfoy's attention for days. Foolish witch should already know that Malfoy was betrothed. But the state of betrothal, in Malfoys case, did nothing to hinder the female population. They all wanted a piece of him. All of them, except Hermione.

Once he reached the edge of the forest, he leaned against one of the massive trunks of an ancient oak that lined the perimeter and waited. He had no doubt in his mind that Hermione would come, this was way too important.

Not long after he got there, Hermione arrived, dark cloak enveloping her whole body. He watched her approach with a smirk, waiting in the shadows, determined to make her search for him.

"I know you are there," Hermione said dryly.

"So I am," Tom stepped out of the shadow of the tree and walked to Hermione.

"Did you bring them?"

Instead of answering, Tom fished the journal out of his pocket and held it up in front of her face. She wrinkled her nose. He couldn't understand why she hated the smell of the magic on it so badly; it smelled exactly like her.

"We will need to go quite far in so that we don't set off any alarms at Hogwarts," Tom said as he tucked the journal back inside his robes. Hermione followed him quietly.

Nothing disturbed their journey. Every living being in the forest avoided them, knowing that something truly evil had entered their domain.

Run your fingers over her face, her lips. She will part them for you and allow you every liberty. Slowly pop the buttons on her robe and watch how her body trembles at your touch. No one affects her like you do. She is more aware of you than she is of herself. Run your tongue over her collarbone and down between her breasts. She will throw her head back in ecstasy and bring her own hands up to thread through your hair. Let her unbutton your shirt and run her nails over your body.

Tom clenched his teeth against the unending flow of erotic thoughts that were pushed into his mind. He reached up and loosened his tie, hoping Hermione wouldn't notice the sweat beading on his upper lip. His trousers tightened uncomfortably when the words of the Horcrux suddenly turned into one of the most vivid images he had ever conjured.

Hermione's robes were discarded, her white oxford unbuttoned, her ice blue satin bra bared to his observation, her tie hung to each side, framing her delicious breasts. Her skirt rode high on her thighs, Tom behind her, hands under said skirt, bum pressed into his groin. Her eyes were closed, her mouth in a small silent 'o'.

Tom cleared his throat and glanced at Hermione who was still walking along beside him. She was looking at him curiously and he fought hard to keep all of his thoughts off of his face.

"You okay?" Hermione asked.

"What? Yeah, yeah," He muttered distractedly as the Horcrux set off another round of erotic images.

Hermione abruptly stopped walking and forced him to stay in place as well. She reached into his robes and pulled out the journal, letting it fall to the ground. Quickly, Hermione pushed her hands back inside his robes and pockets searching for the second Horcrux.

"What are you doing?" He asked, voice slightly higher than normal as he tried to keep her out of his trouser pockets. If she didn't stop soon, she would know exactly what his problem was.

"These Horcuxes are doing something to you. I know what it's like…"

No. No, you don't. he thought as he fought to keep her hands away from his erection.

Why are you fighting this? Let her feel exactly what she is doing to you,

Merlin, Tom swallowed.

Let her delicate hands wrap around your cock, let her fall to her knees, let her mouth-

"Fuck!" Tom said throwing her hands away from him and he stepped back from her, holding his hand up between them, fending off her advance. It wasn't that he didn't want her, Merlin knew he did, but he also didn't want her to have all the power. Right now, he was nearly on his knees begging for a taste and Fuck all if he would ever, ever give up that much power to anyone, especially her.

"The ring! The ring! Throw it on the bloody ground! Get it off of you! That is the only way," Hermione yelled, frustrated that he wasn't paying attention and that he was obviously under the thrall of the Horcruxes.

Half out of his mind with desire, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and tossed it on top of the journal. Not that it mattered. The Horcruxes seemed to know what was going to happen and doubled up on their attack.

"What are they doing to you?" Hermione mumbled in horror, no doubt thinking that if the monster she thought him to be was in pain, it must be doing something so evil to him that her mind couldn't comprehend it.

It couldn't be further from the truth.

"Well, Miss Horcrux Hunter how can we destroy them," Tom panted, as he tried to block out the sexy images that flashed through his mind. Hermione naked in a bubble bath rubbing herself. Hermione on his bed writhing with his head between her thighs. Hermione on her knees, cheeks hallowed out from sucking his- "Oh gods," he whispered.

"There are a few ways. I thought you knew. I thought you prepared!" She screeched.

Tom closed his eyes, struggling for control. Six clockwise turns, let it rest five minutes until it turned bright yellow, then add the lacewing flies. He thought, still trying to block out the thoughts from the Horcruxes. Potions tended to calm him, to focus him, to deflate his urges.

It wasn't bloody working.

"Fiendfyre," he growled through his clenched teeth.

"We could destroy the forest using that!"

"Then give me another option!"

"Basilisk venom," she said.

"Give me another viable option!"

Tell her to get on her hands and knees then push her skirt up to her waist and run your fingers in her hot, tight-

"Any goblin made weapon imbued with basilisk venom…"

"Fiendfyre it is," He muttered. He stood tall and poured every ounce of will into Occlumency, hoping that would keep the images from overwhelming his concentration while he cast Fiendfyre. A spell that could easily overtake them if he wasn't careful.

He was only partially successful as the Horcruxes doubled up on their attack, forcing a thousand different scenarios of Tom enjoying Hermione's body. But he was able to shove it enough to the back of his mind to cast the complicated spell and sighed a breath of relief as Fiendfyre raged from his wand tip, wrapping around and devouring the two Horcruxes on the ground in front of him. They screamed, horribly and terrifyingly. If one could hear a soul dying, this is what it would sound like.

Then as he called the fire back to his wand, all sound stopped. For a moment, he thought he had gone deaf. But no, he could hear Hermione's heavy breaths to his left.

"Do you want to talk about it, Tom?" she asked.

"I did what you asked of me," He answered instead, trying to still his pounding heart. The words and images of Hermione in erotic positions had stopped but the wanting; that was still raging through him.

"I believe that the Horcruxes weren't yours," she agreed.

"If you can believe that, do you also believe that maybe I am not the man you think I am? The man that Dumbledore has made you believe?"

"Yes," She agreed before her face scrunched in confusion. "But then why would Dumbledore lie? Maybe he doesn't know."

Tom laughed, a dry unamused sound. "Sweetheart, he knows very well who made those Horcruxes."

"I can't believe that! He has always been on Harry's side, always for what was right."

"I think you have been fed the party line,"

"NO!" she yelled. "He always protected us!"

"From who? Me? I'm telling you now that I am not the bad guy here. Can you honestly tell me there was never any signs that Dumbledore may not be the man you think he is?"

He could see it on her face, the moment things began sliding into place. That feeling in his chest grew, that approval and need for her attention. He shifted his weight, hoping his erection would ease now that the Horcruxes were gone but she was close and soft and…

"I can't believe this," she murmured, hands fisted in her hair as she sank to the ground in front of him. "But it would explain why he sent Harry back to those people every year, why Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban as an innocent man, why Snape was bound so tightly to Dumbledore's will and forced to do any and all of his bidding, why the three of us were allowed to fight through dangers untold each and every year."

"Dumbledore is no saint,"

"Neither are you," she said.

He chuckled and leaned against the nearest tree trunk, glad that his erection was now manageable. He couldn't even imagine what sex with Hermione would have been like under the influence of those Horcruxes. Although, he had a sneaking suspicion that it would have ruined him for anyone else for the rest of his life. "I never claimed to be,"

"What are your plans? Since you don't plan on making any Horcruxes. Explain it to me,"

"Things need to change. That is something that both Grindelwald and I agree on. There is so much decay in the Ministry. All the power is held by the old wealthy families and the only thing they respect is bloodlines."

"Are you trying to convince me that you don't care about blood, but the horrible imbalance of power?" she asked skeptically.

"No. I hate muggles, if my father is any indication of what they are like, I have no desire to give them free reign."

Hermione nodded as if another piece of him fell into place.

"What? You don't approve?"

"My parents were muggles and they loved me,"

"I still have a hard time believing that. To me, it is much more likely that you were placed with those muggles on purpose, that you are not their daughter by birth."

"Is that what you think of all Muggle-borns?"

"Maybe…"

"That is ridiculous! I look just like my Mum!"

"Yes, because you couldn't have possibly been placed with a family that looked like the one you were born to," he retorted sarcastically.

"That makes absolutely no sense! Do you know how many children are Muggleborn? Or how much research that would take? The resources dedicated to that alone would be astronomical!"

"Okay let me ask you this, Hermione. Suspend your disbelief for one moment. What if I am right. If I am right, then why would the Ministry put so much into a deception such as this?"

"Occam's razor suggests that the simplest reason is probably the correct one. Is it so hard for you to believe that magic can run in nonmagical families?"

"Yes! I don't believe that something can materialize out of nothing!"

"Why do we always come back to this?" Hermione asked herself.

"Because it is a difference of core beliefs. Why don't we do an experiment or a side project together, hm? Shall we get to the bottom of it once and for all? I have invaluable contacts that would give us near carte blanche in the Ministry. You and I are two of the most intelligent students to pass through Hogwarts in over a hundred years. If you are right, I will grant you a boon, any boon that you ask of me. If I am right, I want the same,"

"You want to work together? I thought you preferred going solo,"

"Normally I do, but only because there was never anyone who was close to being my equal. You are."

"I'm flattered," she deadpanned before dropping her gaze. Hermione frowned which was a sure sign that she was deep in thought. He was so close, so very close to having her on board. Soon, he thought, soon she would be his.

"Alright," she finally said. "I will try to prove my theory and you will try to prove yours. There will be no manipulating the facts, no twisting the results. I want everything between us open, transparent. Raw Data. And if at the end, we have a clear answer, the one with the correct theory, will be granted one request from the other."

"No conditions on the request?" He mocked, knowing she wouldn't possibly leave herself so vulnerable, but then again, neither would he. He was counting on her to enforce conditions. She would be just as stringent as he.

"I won't do anything that could harm my soul. No Unforgivables, no dark magic. I will not sit idly by and watch as you do any of those things either."

"Not all dark magic is bad magic,"

She raised her brows and her lips thinned in stubbornness. He sighed.

"Fine. But you can't ask me to do something that goes against my own principals either,"

"Do you have any?"

"Indeed, I do. They may just not line up with yours,"

"That is rather ambiguous,"

"Indeed,"

"Fine, we have a deal." Hermione held up her wand and Tom touched the tip with his own, causing a flash to momentarily blind them. The magic they used was more about intentions than actual words. It would sufficiently protect them both.

Tom pushed off the tree trunk and stepped into her personal space. With a single finger under her chin, he tipped her head back and leaned over her so that his lips were nearly on hers. "Let's seal it with a kiss," he murmured and was surprised when she closed the space between them and molded her lips around his.

His erection was back full force and her hands were on his chest. For one moment shock froze him, letting her continue to be the aggressor. But soon enough he wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her close, forcing her body to conform to his. And he knew the precise moment she felt his body's reaction.

She sucked in air, surprised, before rubbing her body against his. He pulled back a fraction and waited for her to open her eyes and the moment they made contact, he sunk into her consciousness.

She was not as unaffected by the Horcruxes as he thought although hers was much less severe. His naked torso swirled in her thoughts, her concentration on the thin trail of black hair that ran from his navel to well below the placket of his trousers. He smirked and pressed his hand against her lower back, forcing her to grind harder into his erection.

"It didn't feel like this last time," Hermione said breathlessly, and he could see it now, in her mind, the horrible twisting fear that the Horcruxes made her feel in her own time. He wondered at it briefly but decided that it didn't matter right now. It was something to think about, later, when he was alone and hopefully pleasantly satisfied.

"I don't know what to tell you," He murmured. "I've never had any other contact with Horcruxes."

With that, he ended the Legilimency and claimed her lips again. Sinking happily into the feel of Hermione, the smell of her, and the marvelous thought that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Even with the death of his master's two Horcruxes, he still wanted her. Every part of her. Despite what was to come from his disobedience.