AN: I meant to update on Monday because I had a really busy weekend but I was so exhausted and sore I ended up going to bed early and sleeping most of the day. Now that I've given my excuses here is the next chapter, I hope a certain scene helps make up for the delay. Special thanks go to my lovely reviewers, as always: HereToRead84, KnivesAndPens13, Hyaci, gleeismylove and le-femme-cavalier.

Reviews to anonymous replies can be found here **just remove the spaces** fanfiction . net/topic/120357/73482188/1/Ten-Years

Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free

Awake my Soul - Mumford & Sons

.-~*~-.-~*~-

Startled Hermione lifted her head from it's resting place, nearly falling out of her chair as adrenaline and confusion spiked through her. It took her a moment to realize that her source of panic was a certain pain in the ass staring down at her in amusement. Anger and embarrassment took over and she nearly kicked him. Nobody would blame her, he had it coming to him.

"You look horrid." He commented, "Not getting enough sleep?" If anyone else had asked she would have thought they were genuinely worried about her welfare, but from him she recognized it as the jibe it was.

Which was why she was quickly losing her patience, after all he was part of the reason why she wasn't getting enough sleep to begin with, maybe not the full reason but a damn large chunk of it.

"You're looking pretty terrible yourself, it's a shame you can't blame it on a lack of beauty sleep." Hermione snarked right back at him, voice still husky from sleep.

It was a shame that her words didn't seem to bother him at all, for he leaned down, getting uncomfortably close for Hermione's taste, and gently grabbed her chin so that he could make her look him in the eye.

"Hermione." He murmured softly, eyes half closed and so dark they were bordering on black, making her stomach flutter and her pulse quicken in anticipation though she told herself it was definitely against her will. Her mind could only control her body so much, and right now she couldn't deny it's response to the handsome man toying with her. Tom, of course, was quick to notice certain changes in Hermione's demeanor and let her chin go before standing back up, leaving her slightly dazed.

He was like a heady perfume, choking her good senses and drawing her in without her own consent, and the worst part is he knew it, the evil bastard. In that moment Hermione knew without a doubt that he was easily the biggest arse in all England. On second thought, all of Great Britain. Her use of language when it came to him was proof enough, Hermione was taught growing up that ladies never swore and had lived by that rule fairly strictly until recently.

"Guess I'm not so terrible looking after all." Oh he was far too smug. His whole demeanor shouted victory over the situation and Hermione decided to stamp that out as soon as possible. She never lost to anyone.

"Even a frog will start to look appetizing when you're starving." She replied in a blase manner, already deciding that she would have to stop letting him get to her. If this kept up she really would give him power over her and she doubted he was the type to give up power once he gained it. She was actually already pretty annoyed with herself not protesting his advances more, but in a way it was understandable. There was something about him, like a dark magnetism almost, that just drew a person in like a moth to flame. Worse though, because Hermione knew she would get burnt, the moth on the other hand, was just following the light.

"So you admit you're starving for my attention? I think I might be able to fix that." A playful smile slowly formed on his lips.

Her breath hitched and a shiver passed through her body, he was definitely more dangerous than she gave him credit for. She needed to leave, now. Without another thought Hermione began packing her bag, shoving books, notebooks and other materials into her bag, she would just leave the library books on the table. Normally she would have personally put them back in their proper places but right now she figured the sooner she left the better.

"Goodbye Riddle." She emphasized his last name, happy that she would be leaving him here while she went home to go talk some sense into herself. With her heavy bag now weighing her down she headed for the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The sentence hung between them, stopping Hermione more effectively than any physical restraint could have. She wanted to ignore it, pretend he was just trying to get a rise out of her and keep going, but something in the way he said it gave her pause.

"What could I possibly be forgetting?" She mentally checked off everything she had repacked, refusing to look through her bag just so she deny him the pleasure of seeing her doubt herself. Hermione knew she had everything. She did.

A possessive arm wrapped around her shoulders as he made his way beside her again, "We have a date tonight." His closeness set her on edge but she didn't budge, he was playing another one of his games and this time Hermione would win, "Or did you forget our agreement already?"

Carefully Hermione extracted herself from Tom's grasp, "No, but I do seem to have forgotten about agreeing to go on a date with you."

"Well you see, Hermione, when two people become boyfriend and girlfriend they are generally referred to as dating. People who are dating tend to go out on these lovely little things called dates." His condescending attitude made her want to hit him, and she was so tempted, all it would take was one more comment.

"You're impossible, I'm leaving." If she spent one more second with this infuriating man with his knowing smirks and those I'm-so-pleased-with-myself expressions she would snap. Every time she was around him she second guessed her decision, wondering if it would just be easier to go to the police after all. Surely he wasn't that good at covering up after himself. His next comment didn't help, no, all it did was create a cold fury that stopped her in her tracks, once more.

"The ginger first then?"

Turning around she stopped right in front of him, restraining herself from attacking him, "You're just like a spoiled child, you always have to have your way and when you don't get it you kick and scream until the person gives in." Hermione's voice had risen in her anger and she looked completely and thoroughly pissed off. That anger just grew when he seemed completely unaffected and unafraid of her.

"In the end, child or not, I still get my way." His voice was cold and his expression was smug.

"Not always." She spat out, both confused and disoriented now. She was beginning to see how people would rarely ever came out on top with him, he left the opponent never knowing how he was really feeling or what he was thinking.

"Delude yourself for as long as you desire, it will just make my eventual victory all the more satisfying." He was definitely smug.

"Who's the deluded one? If you think that I'll ever willingly help you or be loyal to you then you're sorely mistaken and in for a very long wait. I'm helping you out of love for my friends and family, nothing more." Now it was he who was getting angry, she could feel it and it gave her sick pleasure to know that she was finally getting to him too. Though the atmosphere grew more threatening she couldn't stop herself, it was like the words were just pouring from her, "So yes, maybe for now you've won because I'm agreeing to help you with whatever mad plot you have going on, but it won't last forever."

Tom kept his anger and disgust hidden under a thin veneer of sympathy, "You're so naive, you think love and loyalty are what I want from you? All I want is your cooperation and I have that, know why?" His face was cruel has a hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, while the other reached up to cup her face, his thumb stroking her bottom lip. With a sadistic smile he leaned in, his mouth only inches from hers now, "Power. Power is all that matters and as long as I have power over you, you're mine. Like it or not."

He was so close Hermione could taste the vile, cloying, bitter words dripping from his lips and choking her, causing her to tremble with hatred, disgust and perhaps, as much as she hated herself for it right now, a tiny bit of lust. Before she could properly react his lips were on hers, kissing her, demanding and not at all gentle or sweet like she would have preferred. Tom was showing his dominance, that he could do whatever he wanted with her and she would be unable to stop him.

She didn't dare stop him right now, but she did try to resist him by remaining unmoving, body rigid and lips firmly closed against him. He never did play fair, however, and soon her mouth was opening in a gasp of pain as he bit down hard on her bottom lip. Immediately his tongue slithered in and Hermione forgot why she didn't want him to kiss her to begin with because it felt so good, so amazing and so very deliciously right. Soon she was responding to his kiss, their mouths crushing together as if they were trying to swallow the other whole, as if all that anger and hurt and frustration could be let out in this one moment as they fought for dominance over the other.

So lost was she that she never noticed her hands running through his dark, silky hair. Nor did she notice the little sounds escaping her, whimpers and husky moans encouraging him to continue.

Satisfied and victorious Tom broke off the kiss, leaving Hermione panting slightly and bewildered as to what just happened, "Power, Hermione, is all that matters. Everything else will just weaken you."

Feeling utterly disgusted with herself she pushed him away from her, "I pity you."

Those three small insignificant words hung in the air between them and she realized that not only were they true but they were also a very stupid thing to say. His anger from earlier was just a drizzle before the storm compared to how he looked now, causing her own anger to melt away into fear. Hermione Granger would rarely back down from anything, but in that moment she was considering making an exception.

"Tomorrow at eight I'll pick you up at your apartment. Be ready." His cold gaze chilled her to the bone and his body was tensed in anger, as if he were holding himself back from hurting her.

Even when Hermione was riding alone with three strangers as they discussed whether or not they should kill her she hadn't felt this helpless and scared. She had no doubt in her mind that if he didn't, for some reason, need her that she would be dead. His very presence was trying to suffocate her right now and she wanted nothing more than to break down and apologize even though she meant what she said- it took all of her willpower not to give in. How was it possible for one man to have such an affect on her emotions?

Tom himself stood there long enough to make sure she comprehended what he told her before walking off, leaving her alone in the empty library.

With him gone relief coursed it's way through Hermione and she gladly sunk down to the floor, feeling weak and wondering how one conversation with him drained her so completely, nearly reducing her to tears.