Once again, I'd like to thank MissRissa81 for all her help and planning with this story, her constant encouragement is amazing and I don't think I'd get chapters done as quick without it! So thank you xx

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review or leave kudos any time you spend on my story is humbling. I love each and everyone of you! Thank you for all the love you give me!

So just a funny before reading! I got a review this week! I thought it was funny "can't wait until Tom becomes psycho hopefully you do that" so I showed it to my beta and we were discussing it! We decided we thought psycho was a bit harsh and blood purist supreme overlord has a better ring to it ;) LOL

October 3, 1938

Tom had quickly come to look forward to his trips to the library to research, it was the only time they could be themselves outside of the common room, as no one but the older years really came in there but they didn't really pay attention to the youngest students.

Hermione had a system of going through each book and writing notes so they could take it back to the common room, or research while eating if they needed to.

They had settled in with each other and didn't have to say what they needed, it was an effortless friendship and that's exactly what they seemed to both need. Hermione still asked questions about his time at the orphanage and she seemed to have a specific goal in her questioning, but Tom hadn't picked up on what it was as of yet.

Theodore had quickly relaxed his suspiciousness around Tom, and they had also bonded over their subjects and what they hoped to do throughout their schooling.

Hermione's voice pulled him out of his musings and made him pay attention, "So Professor Dumbledore was the one to come and tell you about being a wizard, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was." Tom squinted his eyes at her slightly, wondering where she was going with this.

"What did he do to show you?"

"Ah.. He… Um. He showed me how he could tell what I had in my cupboard and told me to give them back." Tom paused, slightly embarrassed about telling her this information.

"What did you have in there?" She prompted softly.

"A few trinkets I took from some of the other students."

"How did he show you he knew?" Connecting their gazes, she smiled slightly, telling him with that simple look she wasn't judging him.

"He set my cupboard on fire, and made it shake." He said as he looked down at the table. It still made him think of what the Professor would do if he ever stole again.

"He did what?" She said in a harsh whisper.

Tom's gaze snapped to hers, "He set it on fire."

"That's not right, Tom. He shouldn't have done that, you are an eleven year old boy. What does he think that accomplishes?" Hermione had a look of pure anger spread across her features and her fists were clenching.

"I don't know. I guess he wanted to show me it is wrong to steal?" Shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"He still shouldn't have done that, there are other ways, less vulgar ways."

"What can I do anyway? He's a Professor, he has more power and sway than me, an eleven year old boy."

"We have to do something Tom, we can't let him get away with that. It's horrible. How did he treat you?"

"When I told him I could make animals do what I want and talk to snakes, he looked at me like I was something on the bottom of his shoe." Tom felt a bubble of happiness bubble up, he had never had someone defend him, even knowing what he had done and what he could do.

"We need to tell someone Tom, he can't get away with this." Her voice slowly getting louder as the conversation continued, one of the older students looked over at them, scowling.

"We will, later. For now let's concentrate on our research on Ravenclaw, we need to know everything about the founders and what they owned."

Nodding Hermione responded, "Okay but we have to say something to someone soon, we can't let him continue like he is. That's bullying."

Putting their heads back down, they begun to write notes again and Dumbledore was put out of their minds for the moment.

oOo

October 10, 1938

Hermione had always been fascinated with Shakespeare, not many people realised he was actually a wizard and not many read his plays because of this. But Hermione loved nothing more than sitting in a quiet corner and reading Hamlet and Macbeth over and over again.

Today she had decided she needed a break from all the boys, and was sat in a plush bean bag in the corner of the Slytherin Common Room, reading Hamlet.

She was so engrossed in the play that she didn't notice Aldrich Avery approach her, "Hamlet is one of my favourites, we know what we are, but not what we may be. I always thought that line was one of the most insightful."

"You know Hamlet?" Hermione questioned, looking up at him with a look of pure shock.

"My mother and father made me start reading it to them when I was ten, before that my mother would read it to me every evening before bed." Letting himself fall into the bean bag next to Hermione's he turned slightly, so he was facing her.

"Most eleven year olds can't read it properly." Hermione said.

"We aren't most eleven year olds, now are we?" He shot back, smugly.

"Do you want to read along with me? I usually don't let people but I can make an exception."

"Sure, move over, I'll come share your bean bag with you." Hermione moved slightly and watched her fellow first year jump out of his and into her bean bag.

"Would you like me to go back to the beginning?" She questioned him.

"Nah I don't mind starting from here, we can always read it again later."

Hermione smiled at him and looked back down at her page, reading the lines quickly and every so often her eyes would flick to Aldrich to make sure he was keeping up.

They sat in their corner for hours, reading along together. It wasn't until Tom and Theodore came over, and told them it was dinner time that they realised- just how much time they had spent reading together.

They planned a day each week where they would join together, and read another of Shakespeare's works.

Tom and Theodore were curious about the budding friendship, but left Hermione to her own devices. As they had no interest in reading the plays like Aldrich, so obviously did.

oOo

October 15, 1938

Sitting at their usual table, waiting for Tom to come from his detention Hermione looked through a book of genealogy on the Ravenclaw family and noticed she recognised some of the names of her classmates in the tree, the crisscrossing of the lines disgusted her but she knew it happened.

The Black and Malfoy family was the worst of joining their bloodlines multiple times, "to keep the blood pure." No one else saw a problem with it but Hermione would never be able to participate in that tradition.

Casting the spell to copy the whole family tree, she put the book away and looked over her notes. If the family tree was correct, there had been another daughter of Rowena that no one really discussed much. They mainly concentrated on Helena and that was only because of her past with the Bloody Baron.

The other daughter had several children as well and had married three times. She had twelve little lines extending directly from her and then each of those lines had multiple lines coming off them.

The one that interested her the most was her mother's relatives were on there which meant she was related to the Ravenclaws even if it was distantly.

Hermione wondered if her mother knew of this and decided she'd owl her later to make sure she did.

Tom cleared his throat when he arrived, "what did you find?"

"I'm a descendant of Rowena and so are several others in our year and some of the older students, I didn't realise I was related to so many of them." Hermione rambled as her finger slid through the lines.

"That's awesome! Wasn't there a rumour that there was a room down on the third floor that only the Descendants of Ravenclaw could access?"

"You're right! We will have to research where so we can check it out. Speaking of rooms of founders, apparently each one had one and Slytherin had a main one and then he apparently built a chamber somewhere." Hermione pulled the textbook that showed a part of each founders history in building the castle and moulding it to what it was today.

"We definitely have to look more into this. Imagine being able to say we found each of the founders legacy's that they left behind?"

Hermione smiled, they would be legends to find something that had been lost for centuries, that was built by four of the greatest witches and wizards to live.

As they quieter down again and relaxed Hermione started to think about the conversation about Professor Dumbledore, and what he had done to Tom at the orphanage. She started to realise that she couldn't let it rest and the longer she left it, the less sleep she was getting.

Theodore had noticed she wasn't herself and so had Tom but they both couldn't get what was wrong out of her. She knew it was wrong to keep them in the dark- but her mind was always whirling with thoughts of what she could or should do.

Maybe if she told her mother, she could do something. It was worth the thought but she would have to be careful about breaking Tom's trust.

Snapping out of her inner war, she concentrated on the research of Rowena and her family to find the lost diadem and the rooms the founders hid would be amazing, but difficult.

They would need their full concentration on the task.

oOo

October 23, 1938

Professor Black stood in front of the first year Slytherin's and Gryffindor's, watching Hermione Nott closely, she noticed she seemed a bit withdrawn from her usual self and wasn't talking to any of the other Slytherins. It wasn't like her and Professor Black couldn't let one of her students- especially one as young as Hermione is become down, like she had been for a while in school. If it wasn't for her cousins and sisters she would of wasted away and not become who she was today.

That wasn't going to happen to another student, especially someone that was distantly related to her and her family. The Notts and Blacks went back generations and they protected their own.

"Miss Nott, can I please speak to you after class?"

Hermione's eyes darted to hers, "Ah. Yeah, sure Professor." her eyes drifted back to her desk, now a look of confusion spread over her features. Probably trying to figure out what she had done wrong to be asked to stay after class.

Professor Black watched the rest of the Slytherins closely and noticed Tom Riddle was slightly down as well, but his eyes kept flicking to Hermione frowning slightly at how far away from the other students she sat. It was probably worrying her twin as well but he seemed to be able to hold his emotions better, like his dad before him.

Class seemed to drag more than usual, waiting for the bell to ring all of the Slytherins were paying more attention to Hermione than usual and she was starting to get antsy with all the attention.

When the bell finally rang, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Standing from her seat she headed toward the front so none of her house mates would try and talk to her.

Once all the students were out of the classroom and it was only Professor Black and Hermione, the Professor gestured toward the table Hermione was standing in front of, "Take a seat, this won't take long."

Hermione did as she was told and waited. "I've noticed over the last few weeks, you've been slightly withdrawn from everyone and haven't been participating as much. I spoke to some of the other Professors and they also noticed. Is everything okay, Miss Nott?"

Hermione looked down at her feet, dangling off the end of the table considering whether she should open up or not. "I was told something in confidence from one of my friends a few weeks ago and it's been burning a hole inside of me."

"Anything I can do?" Professor Black said gently.

"I think you could but I don't know if I should say anything about it in case my friend feels betrayed."

"If it's something that's affecting you this profoundly that you haven't been eating properly." Hermione's head jolted up at that. "Yes I've noticed you haven't been eating properly as well and you probably aren't sleeping. You need to tell someone Hermione."

"But what if he hates me for saying anything?" She questioned.

"He will only hate you for a moment and then when he realises it has helped him, he will be okay with it."

Hermione's mouth opened to say something when she heard a noise come from outside the door and saw the long, auburn hair and beard of the very man she wanted to say something about.

Closing up and withdrawing from the Professor, she jumped off the table and rushed to her desk, gathering all of her stuff she said, "Sorry Professor, I've suddenly realised I've got things to do! Thanks for listening."

As Hermione rushed out of the classroom, the door slamming behind her, a look of confusion crossed Professor Blacks face. What had just happened? Why had Hermione clammed up so suddenly?

Hermione stood out in the corridor around the corner, leaning against the wall, what would have happened if he had of entered when she was unloading? No she had to keep quiet.

Being so engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice Michael Alders, one of the Gryffindor first years coming toward her with a smirk on his face.

"Nott, you don't have your little posse with you this time?"

"I can still handle myself, I don't need my friends to fight my battles." She shot back. Hoping he didn't linger too long. She didn't have the energy to deal with him at the moment.

"What's so different between Riddle and other halfbloods?" Alders said.

"I haven't got the time to deal with you, and frankly I don't want to justify anything you say with an answer."

"Now why do you have to be like that? You seem like a swotty Pureblood." Hermione rolled her eyes, of course he couldn't leave it alone.

"I just know my station in life and where this world is headed and I don't see the point of lowering myself."

"Of course you believe you're above the rest of us. You and your family are the dirtiest of scum and Riddle is right there with you."

Hermione had considered walking away from him before he had insulted her family and friends, pulling her wand she placed it under his chin, pressing lightly. Alders gulped at the angry glint in her eyes. "Don't ever talk about my family or my friends in any way that demeans them again. Or I will not hesitate to hex you. And don't think because I'm a first year I don't know any curses. I come from a family that teach their children how they defend themselves."

Waiting for him to nod, she turned and walked down the corridor, breathing deeply to calm herself down. It wouldn't do to show up at lunch looking angry, the boys would ask questions and then they would get in trouble and if Theo got in trouble she would get the blame, she was charged with keeping him out of trouble before they left for the train.

When she entered the Great Hall and took her seat the Slytherins automatically leant in to ask her what the professor had wanted.

"It was nothing, she wanted to see how I was settling in. Apparently she's old friends with mother so she feels connected to me."

Thankfully they didn't question her too much, believing what she said as her family had many connections and they would always be in the spotlight.

"Why didn't she want to check in with me?" Theodore asked confused.

"She didn't think you would appreciate being pushed into talking." Hermione lied easily, only feeling slightly guilty about lying to them all. It was for the best. She felt guilty even considering telling the professor about Tom and breaking his confidence.

She wasn't going to advertise it to their whole house.

Hope you enjoyed xx