A/N So this is a really long chapter that was originally two separate chapters that I combined because I like where I ended the original Chapter 1. Review for the extra long length and fast update? Please.. haha. This is the first time you'll meet Riddle and first time Hermione will meet him! Please please PLEASE review and tell me what you think! Do you like it, hate it? Let me know
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I probably would have a date to prom by now. But I don't have either of those things.
Chapter One
He slowly walked towards her, and eyed the girl's crumpled form, with annoyance filling him. Yes, he had told his followers to intimidate, but do so in a manner that would not draw attention to them. Obviously, one of his dimwitted minions took the intimidation factor to the point of carelessness. "I believe I asked, 'Who disobeyed me?'" he repeated with his eyes trained on the girl before slowly turning, and raising his eyebrow, "Do not make me ask again."
His eyes fell on his obviously dumbstruck followers. It was clear that they knew nothing of what happened, let alone took part in it. Yet, he needed to send a reminder, a warning to his Knights of what would come if they were to ever disobey them. "Avery? Come forward," he commanded to the built, blonde boy. The boy who was physically bigger than Riddle seemed to shrink under his gaze as he scurried to the front and bowed deeply.
"My lord," he said with a slight quiver in his voice due to the anticipation of what was to come. Riddle suppressed a smirk as he started to walk around Avery, like a predator stalking its prey.
"I feel as though I made it quite clear what my orders were in the last meeting, wouldn't you think so?" He asked in a conversational tone, as he twirled his yew wand elegantly.
"Yes, my lord."
"Yes," he said smirking, his face quickly fell to that of murderous as he turned to him, "I stated intimidate to the point where any of our more brazen fellow students would be too fearful to attempt to defy us, in which you all took into heed," he paused for a moment with his wand falling gracefully into his hand as he eyed them and threw a passing glance at the unconscious pile behind him, "Obviously." He rolled his eyes and resumed the path around his victim. "Though, I believe I added, 'With the veil of innocence', do you know why I added that, Avery?"
"N-no, my lord."
"Of course not," he said condescendingly, "Its purpose was to not draw attention or give certain professors justification to bring us down." He turned, his pale eyes flashing briefly with red. "This display disregards that completely. You all have disobeyed me by letting this happen."
Avery flinched violently at the sight of Tom raising his wand at him. He did a small flick of his wand as the dirt on Avery's shirt disappeared, "Do remember to clean yourself up before the meetings Avery, I expect you to at least look respectable." He flashed an innocent smile before turning around and continued to walk into the forest as the rest of his minions shuffled behind him, "Are you coming or not?" Avery shakily got to his legs and hurried after the group.
Alphard followed closely behind Riddle after the meeting. They left the Forbidden Forest and he eyed the abandoned girl, grimacing at the sight of her.
She looked like death. Blood and dirt caked over almost every inch of her creamy skin and curly hair. Her petite body laid at an awkward angle that indicated the dislocation of multiple body parts.
"My lord," he said stopping Voldemort in his tracks, "I think that we should bring the girl to the hospital wing."
He turned to the rest of his minions, "Leave us," he commanded, as they immediately obeyed.
Voldemort turned to back his most trusted and valued Knight and raised an eyebrow, "I do not see how the girl concerns me in anyway."
"My lord, Dumbledore will see this girl as initiative to point the finger at you more. He is much more suspicious after the Crabbe incident."
Voldemort rolled his eyes at the thought of his incompetent lackey using dark magic on the fourth year Hufflepuff in the corridors.
"He will find a way to use this against you, my lord. If you were the one to bring her to the hospital wing, you will be the hero, not the suspect."
"Levitate her," he sighed, casting a quick Disillusionment charm on her, "Come on, then."
Riddle and Black made their way to the secret passage they had found as second years. Once in the building Riddle took off the charm, and ordered Alphard to drop her. He felt a pang of annoyance at the way Black cautiously put her down. "Now go back to your dorm, Alphard, before I give you a detention for wandering around the castle past curfew."
Alphard smirked and bowed slightly, "Yes, my lord."
Tom watched Alphard's retreating form as he turned to the source of his annoyance. She was in bad shape. That was obvious, but from what? She was not a student, he had not seen her at Hogwarts before and she was definitely too old to be a first-year, looking about his age. He soon seized his ponderings and swiftly picked her up, placing a perfect mask of concern and fear on his face.
Hands. Hermione was aware of strong, masculine hands on her back and legs. The hands were paired with arms that held her against a firm body. Her head lolled back, resting on the body as she attempted with the little strength she had left to look up, and open her eyes to see who was carrying her. Her eyes cracked open and a hazy mess appeared. Through the blur she could vaguely make out a man with dark hair that seemed to be messy, although that may have been due to her impaired vision. He seemed pale and her mind started to alter the unclear visions in front of her to show her what she desired, as if her eyes were becoming the Mirror of Erised. The hair was becoming messier, the pale eyes becoming a bright green, and she could swear that she could see glasses framing his eyes.
"Harry?" She barely managed to croak out. The man looked down at her and raised his eyebrow, yet did not answer. She couldn't fight the tiredness taking her over anymore, and she surrendered to the luring darkness once again.
"Madame Carmentis!" Tom yelled, perfectly pulling off the shocked student façade.
A short, plump woman scurried forward and surveyed the scene, "Put her on this bed, quickly please," she said as she started casting healing charms, "What happened to the poor dear?"
"I- I don't know, I was doing my rounds and she was just lying there, unconscious and in this condition. I didn't know what to do so I b-brought her here."
"You did the right thing, Tom, it was not your fault. You may have just saved her life."
Tom internally smirked at this, but his face remained frightened and worried, "I just hope she will be okay."
"As do I, now please go alert Dippet."
"Of course," he said getting up, making sure to send one more worried glance at the mystery girl when he knew Madame Carmentis was looking.
Headmaster Dippet quickly came into the room after Tom, "Thank you for alerting me Tom," he said as he looked over the girl. "Elina, what happened?"
"She seems to be gravely injured, the remnants of dark curses are all over her and she seems to have many broken bones, with a large amount of blood loss. She surely would have died if it had not been for Mr. Riddle, here being the dutiful Head Boy that he is," she said looking admiringly at Tom.
"She is not a student, how could she have gotten through the wards?" Dippet questioned mostly to himself.
"I have no idea, yet she seems to have been in some kind of battle."
"And the losing side at that," Tom commented darkly, briefly wondering who she was fighting and what she was fighting for, as he watched the oblivious faculty continue to work to treat her.
Hermione's eyes squinted open as she tried to make out the scene around her. White. Everywhere she looked she could see white. The scene was reminiscent of when she woke up in the hospital wing, in her second year. She had the same sensations, the same softness of the sheets she was now laying in sending a sense of calm towards her, the same smell of healing potions, and honey wafting in her freckled nose, and the same bright whiteness clouding her vision. Her eyes scanned the room, attempting to adjust to the light as they passed over a dark figure standing a bit away, like a blemish on otherwise perfect skin.
'Maybe Death is finally paying me a visit,' she thought hopefully. The thought of seeing her friends and loved ones again brought a rush of relief to her. But, as her eyes continued to adjust, she realized the dark character was not the cloaked figure of Death, but a young man.
He looked like a fallen angel. His skin was pale and smooth, covering his high cheekbones and broad jawline making him look like he was cut from marble. His pale, blue eyes looked straight at her with curiosity and well hidden annoyance.
He was beautiful.
Yet so out of place in this white washed room. He had a darkness to him that made him different from the all-around good nature that Hermione could pick up in the other figures moving around the room. He was more dangerous. And more intriguing.
"My dear, you have finally awoken," an old wrinkled, and tan man looked over her with his brown eyes showing relief, "You gave us quite the scare, for a moment."
"W-where am I?" She asked, flinching at the hoarseness that took over her normally soft, feminine voice.
"Hogwarts, I am Headmaster Dippet. You were found unconscious, and suffering from severe injuries in the corridors," Dippet said gravely.
"Hogwarts?" She looked around wildly. Yes this was definitely Hogwarts, but not the Hogwarts she had fighting. The building seemed to have no damage done to it, there were no curse flying around her, there was no suffocating smell of death that consumed her senses. "How did I get here?"
"That is what we are trying to figure out, do you remember anything?"
Her mind was racing. Dumbledore was not the Headmaster yet, Dippet was. That means that she must've gone back in time. 'But how far back?' she thought. Her eyes looked around and soon fell onto an issue of the Daily Prophet with the front page titled "Grindlewald on the Rise!" Her eyes found the date, September 7th, 1945. She had travelled back over fifty years. 'But that's impossible!'
Her breath regressed to shallow gasps as she struggled to breath. Her mind replaying what had happened. She shakily lifted up her right hand and saw small scars of cuts that had been newly healed. She put her head down, she couldn't breathe. Panic consumed her.
"Miss?" Dippet asked suspiciously, and Hermione was immediately brought out of her trance.
"I remember there was a battle. I live in a small village in France, and Grindlewald's followers invaded us. We were prepared," she paused closing her eyes as tears welled up as she thought of the final battle, "We thought we were prepared. B-but there were so many of them. They just kept coming. If you took out one, there was three more to replace him. There was no way we could defeat them. Our numbers were dwindling, there was fire everywhere," she looked up at the former Headmaster, and regained her composure, "Some of the elders in the village had set up portkeys in order for a quick retreat if we needed to. As I was fighting, I heard people yelling at us to retreat. So I did. I ran until I reached the closest portkey. I looked back to see if there was anyone else following me, but there was just fire. So I grabbed onto it," she paused and looked at Dippet, hoping her performance was enough to get him to believe her, and silently thanked Merlin when she saw the pitying look in his eyes.
"But how did it bring you to Hogwarts? How did you manage to break through the wards?"
"I don't remember anything else, Headmaster, I apologize I cannot be of more help. I truly don't know how I came to be here. I do remember the village elders saying that Hogwarts was the safest place to be during times of war, though."
"That is true, my dear. And for someone who has been through the amount of tragedy that you have endured at such a young age, I would just not be able to live with myself I were to turn you away. If I may, how old are you Miss-?"
"Hermione, Hermione Granger, sir," She said quickly, before doing a quick intake of breath. She had used her real name. She had been so relieved that her faux story had been believable that she had used her real name. She blocked the thought of the possible effects that she had already caused the future, "I'm seventeen, and I was homeschooled by my parents."
"Ah, you are in the same year as Mr. Riddle here, who found you!"
"R-Riddle, sir?" She asked shakily. No this could not be happening. But, despite her minds many protests, the elegant figure she had been admiring when she first came to, approach her, and took her bandaged hair.
"Tom Riddle, Miss Granger, and I must tell you how happy I am that you are okay." The performance was absolutely flawless. The small quiver in his voice to show that he was shaken up by finding her in such a terrible condition, the relief and concern in his eyes. If she had not known who he was, and what he would become, she would've believed him.
But she knew all too well.
Then, much to her fear, and disgust he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. She was disgusted, she was afraid, and she felt an unrestrained hatred pouring out of her. It was too much to process the emotions overwhelming her. Her body did the only logical thing it could do in this state.
She fainted.
A/N: Oh and if you review you'll get sneak peaks of the next chapter :)