"Tell me more. About... your time, I mean." Thomas wanted this information. If he didn't get it, his helping this girl would have been a wasted act.

"Oh, well, there's this horrible dark wizard named Voldemort," she began. It had been a long time since Hermione had had to be afraid of that name, and the distance between the Dark Lord and herself made her bolder than ever.

A shadow of something flickered across Thomas's face. "Oh, don't worry though. We're taking care of it." She offered a reassuring grin, then a hand. "Come on, we'll be late for potions!"

Thomas followed her, but his mind was reeling. Suddenly, he wasn't sure if he wanted to follow through with his plan. He didn't really want to become something everyone feared. He wanted to be someone who could live forever, whose bold defeat of death would go down in history... Not Voldemort.

--

"And which two of you can tell me the main ingredients in traditional absinthe?"

Hermione's hand was up before Slughorn could even blink. "The first is wormwood, sir."

Thomas's hand shot up just after. "And the other would be aniseed, Professor."

"Excellent, excellent!" Slughorn laughed delightedly. "Ten points to Slytherin for such quick answers!"

It still felt wrong to Hermione, earning points for another house. She wasn't sure if she should do her best or bring this house down. But Thomas has helped me so much...

"And why don't we use this type of absinthe anymore?"

Hermione's hand was up again. "Because it is now largely banned because of its toxicity."

"Beautiful, Miss Granger! Another five points to Slytherin!" Anyway, I can't be the Gryffindor I really am until I find the Time Turner again...

Slughorn turned to face his potions cabinet, busily pulling out various ingredients. "Now that we know so much about absinthe, we're going to brew it. It's a dangerous concoction, mind you, so if anyone should drink a few drops- unintentionally, of course- what would we do to help them?"

Hermione's hand shot up again. "A bezoar, sir."

"The girl's brilliant!" He laughed again. "Ten points! Pick up the pace now, Gryffindor! You're losing that lead!" Besides, if I don't practice, I might lose my touch. Who knows how long I'm going to be here....

As they began their work, Thomas leaned over and whispered, "Well done."

For some reason Hermione couldn't explain, it made her heart skip a beat to hear those words, and for one moment she was totally and impossibly happy.

But only for a moment. She realized now that she had just earned twenty-five points for Slytherin. She had cost Gryffindor their lead. For some reason, this small detail struck home the terrible fact she had been keeping at bay for as long as she could.

She was not Hermione Granger of Gryffindor anymore.

i know nothing much happened here, i just wanted to show hermione's conflicted feelings (and a little bit of tom's), but i dunno how that worked out... don't forget to R&R!