hiiiii!

so i'm actually really happy with this chapter... it took me so long to get the last chapter right but this one came so easily. i tried to fit several different things in it.

also, tom seems a bit... ooc in this chapter. he's going to be the tom everyone knows him as in this, but he's also going to be slightly... changing. i'm not sure how to describe it. it'll all make sense in the end.

also: i've received a couple questions about how long this story is going to be. i've been trying to post a chapter or two for each month of the year, hoping to take this all the way through seventh year. i might split it into two stories, though - i might put years 1-4/5 in this story and begin a new one for years 5/6-7. i haven't decided yet. it all depends how long this is around the end of 3/4 year. i might just do it all as one story though asnd just let it be super long.

i'm blabbing. sorry.

one more thing before i finally get on to the story: there may or may not be an update next week. i have a dress fitting for my sisters wedding on sunday, a concert next monday night, and my birthday is next friday (finally 18! woo hoo!) along with musical rehearsal after school and work a couple nights this week. i don't work or have musical rehearsal this upcoming saturday, though, so expect another update then. if there's not an update that day, it might be another week... sorry :/ just wanted to let you all know.

on to the story!

disclaimer: i don't own harry potter.

November 1, 1938

Hermione told Draco about the scene in the library the next morning.

"It's scary, really," she admitted, staring into the fire crackling in the empty common room. "I never realized how young he was when he began torturing people. I can't even begin to imagine all the hexes he used on them."
"How advanced do you think he is?" Draco asked, looking from the fire to Hermione.

She shrugged. "I'd say that he's learning spells that we probably learned during third year. I've never seen him research them, though, so he must be doing it while he's alone."
"We could slow his progress if we made sure there wasn't a moment he was alone," Draco commented, watching Hermione out of his peripheral vision to catch her reaction.

Her eyes slightly widened and she turned away from the fire, completely facing Draco. "Are you mad? There's no way I can manage to be around him at all times! Not knowing what he will eventually turn into, especially not after last night.."

"Where's that bloody Gryffindor bravery at, eh? You're already around him half the time anyway, don't try lying, Granger, I know you enjoy his company."

"Malfoy – "

"And he seems quite fond of you as well. He looks like you the same way Weasel King looks at a platter of food," Malfoy said, a disgusted sneer masking his face.

Hermione looked away from him, slouching against the couch. "He does not enjoy my company. He merely tolerates me, nothing more."
"Yeah, well, you haven't seen the possessive look he gives you. 'Brightest witch of her age' my arse, Granger, you're so bloody naive! How old are you again, five?"

Hermione gave him a steely glare. "In case you forgot, Malfoy, I am technically twelve as of right now. Stop being such an arse!"

"Why don't you stop being so stupid, huh? Why don't you – dammit, Granger, are you still wearing that bloody ring he gave you?"
Hermione looked down to her left hand and felt her face slightly flush. Indeed, the ring Tom gave her was still resting on her ring finger, catching the light from the fire and tossing it onto the walls.

"That doesn't matter," Hermione said quickly.

"But wasn't that one of his – "

"NO!" Hermione exclaimed loudly before he could utter the word Horcrux. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "We still have a few years before he'll begin making those. And that was a different ring. How do you even know about those?"

Draco smirked, turning away from her to look into the fire again. "After he found out what you and Potty and Weaselbee were up to, he returned to the manor. He was proper blazing, he was. I don't think I've ever seen him so angry." Draco softly shook his head. "He called us all to the drawing room and showed us what each of the Horcruxes were – minus Potter, of course, I don't think he realized Potty was one of them – and how they were all destroyed, save for Nagini and the Diadem." He looked back at Hermione, holding her gaze. "Most of us got the Cruciatus Curse for that one."
Suddenly uncomfortable, Hermione looked down to her hands, twiddling her thumbs. Draco was inadvertently implying that is was her, Ron, and Harry's faults that he and other Death Eaters had been put under the Cruciatus that day, and the worst part was she knew it was absolutely true. It was a well-known fact that Lord Voldemort tortured his followers, but from her knowledge, all of them have never been cursed within the same day. This wouldn't affect her if it hadn't been for the boy next to her, who had put under it so many times at such a young age.

Great, now I care about Draco Malfoy. Perfect, Hermione bitterly thought to herself. She was pulled out of her thoughts as other students started filing into the common room, their conversations rising to the high ceiling and echoing around.

Hermione stood slowly, picking up her bag and turning towards Draco. "After Transfiguration this afternoon we'll stay behind to speak with Professor Dumbledore. Maybe he could help us." Without another word, or even waiting for Tom, She turned on her heel and left the common room.

Draco stared after her for a moment, slowly rubbing at his eyes. He was extremely tired and he was positive that Hermione was to blame.

He felt the couch dip beside him and turned to find none other than Tom Riddle sitting on the cushion Hermione had previously occupied. Tom didn't look at him as he spoke. "Where is Hermione?"

Draco swallowed. "She left for the Great Hall already. She's not exactly in a good mood," Draco said nonchalantly, hoping the young Dark Lord's influence wouldn't make Hermione change her mind about going to Dumbledore later that day. Even though he couldn't stand the man, he was all too aware that only Dumbledore could help them return home.

Tom raised a single, perfect eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"We got into a bit of a... disagreement," Draco said carefully. He didn't want to be at the receiving end of Tom's wand if he was as protective about Hermione as Draco had guessed.

"About?" Tom pressed, his voice dropping a bit of his warmth. Draco held back a shiver.

"Just stupid stuff, like always. You know how Hermione is, she overreacts quite a bit," he said, hoping Tom wouldn't catch the nervousness lacing his voice.

Tom turned to Draco, his gaze so intense that Draco couldn't hold it for very long. "As I'm sure you have noticed, Draco, Hermione is my best friend. She is very dear to me and I care about her very much. I am aware that you are her brother, but make no mistake, if you upset her in the future, I will find you. And you will regret it. Do you understand me?"

Draco nodded slightly, seeing the future Lord Voldemort deep in Tom's eyes.

Tom smiled slightly. "Good. I'm glad you understand. I'll be off to find Hermione now."

As Tom left the common room, Draco remained frozen in his seat. Hermione had been right – Tom began the transition from Tom Marvole Riddle to Lord Voldemort at a very young age, indeed.

But he had been right, too. Tom was as possessive over Hemione as he suspected, if not more. There's no way I can tell her about this, Draco thought to himself, panic rising in his chest. If I tell Hermione, it will only worry her. She has to know already, though. She has to see the way he looks at her as if he owns her. Softly shaking his head, he stood up when Abraxas entered the common room to leave for breakfast. It didn't escape his attention that Abraxas walked with a slight limp, a result from last night's 'activities', he didn't doubt. As he entered the Great Hall, he glanced from Hermione sitting with Tom up to Dumbledore at the staff table. It was going to be a long day.

Hermione fidgeted all through Transfiguration, her last class of the day. She was very eager to speak with Professor Dumbledore, especially if he knew a way that could help her and Draco return home. The class dragged on, and just when she thought she was close to going insane, the class ended. Hermione stood slowly, taking her time packing her books into her bag. She had already told Tom she was staying behind after class to speak with Professor Dumbledore, and even though she told Tom she wished to speak to a Professor about a serious matter, she hadn't technically been lying, she reminded herself. She let Tom assume she was speaking to the Professor about a grade instead of time travel.

What he doesn't know won't hurt him... or me, Hermione told herself, waiting until the last student walked out of the class to walk towards the front of the room with Draco.

Professor Dumbledore looked between the two of them for a few seconds before smiling softly, eyes crinkling in the corners. "Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Granger, I was wondering when I would be able to speak with the two of you."
Upon hearing his true surname from someone other than Hermione, Draco became defensive. "How did you know our real last names?" He demanded.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Ah, Draco. There is nothing that goes on in this castle that I am not aware of. Come, let's go into my office, I trust it's more private there."

Once situated in the Professors office, Hermione and Draco launched into their tale of patrolling the halls, seeing the strange light inside the Forbidden Forest, getting caught inside it, and waking up as siblings. Dumbledore stayed quiet until they finished, and once they did, he stood, walking to a bookshelf in a corner of his office. He returned a moment later, a thick book in his arms.

"Children, I believe I may know what you're talking about," he said softly, opening the book. He flipped through the pages for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He turned the book so Hermione and Draco could read it.

Victis Monstrum

The Victis Monstrum is a very rare form of magic seemingly produced by nothing. The Victis Monstrum appears to those who have a great chance of defeating evil and changing time as he/she currently knows it. It is commonly characterized as having a strange glow, and upon closer inspection, takes the form of the world surrounded by electricity. Once caught by one, the Monstrum will transport the man/woman it has caught to a time where they are needed to defeat evil or a source of dark magic. However, the Monstrum only appears when he/she who is evil has a chance of renewing their ways. It is unknown if one can return to their previous life after being chosen by the Monstrum. The Victis Monstrum has only been seen two times in recorded history, first by Krankfürt the Great in year 72 and again by Mourisseimo Abbadelli in 1542.

Hermione and Draco looked from the book, to each other, back to the Professor. "I believe the two of you have been picked to save your future," Professor Dumblefore said, a soft smile on his face. "Tell me, is there a dark ruler in your time?"

Draco hesitated, but eventually spoke up. "Yes, Proferssor. But he had been defeated for six months when we saw the... the Victis Monstrum."

Dumbledore nodded. "And, I'm assuming since it brought you here to go to Hogwarts at thie specific time, this Dark Lord of your time in a student here, am I correct?"

Hermione nodded, glancing back down to the book, which was still open to the Victis Monstrum.

"It's Tom Riddle, isn't it."

Hermione quickly met her Professor's gaze. "Sir, how did you..?"

"How did I know Mr. Riddle would grow to do great, if terrible, things?" Hermione and Draco both nodded yes.

"I could tell from the moment I met him the day I visited him in his orphanage," Dumbledore admitted, sitting up straighter, lacing his fingers together. "The way that he carried himself and acted made it quite obvious that he expected to do great things in life. Miss. Granger. I believe you are here because Tom wasn't supposed to die when he did, that his soul is meant to be saved."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Draco asked, leaning forward in this seat. "So this thing sent us back because he can stop him from turning into a Dark Lord?"

"Precisely."

"And how do we do that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, Mr. Malfoy, but I do not know how. The Monstrum sent you and Miss Granger back because it believed the two of you are intelligent and skilled enough to find out on your own. I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to help you."

"So... so we have to do this by ourselves..? What if we fail?"

Dumbledore smiled again. "I doubt you will fail, children." He stood, walking to his bookshelf and returning with another book. "Though I can not help you, that is not to say that I cannot help get you started. I have a theory as to how you can keep Mr. Riddle from choosing a dark path."

Dumbledore flipped through the book, finding the page he was looking for, and again moved it so Hermione and Draco could read its contents.

Often through history, witches/wizards have made others fall into a "fake' love with themselves. While occasionally done under the Imperious Curse, it is most commonly done under the influence of Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in existence. A witch/wizard would give this potion to the once he/she is in love with, and it would cause the drinker to fall in love with them. However, once the drinker is no longer given the potion, he/she will lose affections for the one who gave it to them and be left to their own free will. If a wizard used this potion on a witch and she became pregnant, the child would be in grave danger, because they will be conceived under fake love.

A child conceived this way will need to experience true love themselves, or face life unable to love. It could take years for these children to fall in love or find true love, for they will only be freed of this curse if the one they fall in love with is indeed their soulmate. If they don't fall in love with their soulmate before the last minute of the night the day before their eighteenth birthday, they will not be able to love at all. This could lead to a very dangerous individual, and it is due to this that Amortentia should be made only for educational purposes.

Dumbledore was the first to speak.

"I'm assuming the two of you know about Tom's parents and how he was born."
Hermione and Draco nodded slowly, both quiet. It was another moment before either of them spoke up.

"So you think we need to make Riddle fall in love with someone."
Professor Dumbledore nodded, looking from Draco to Hermione, who seemed to be conflicted.

Draco let out a laugh that sounded more like a cough. "Looks like you were right, Granger. We need to make him fall in love. But I believe I was right, too. We have to make Tom Riddle fall in love with you."

Hermione remained silent.

"He's absolutely right, Hermione," Professor Dumbledore said, closing both the books and returning them to his book shelf. "The Victis Monstrum wouldn't have sent you back unless you were the one that Mr. Riddle was supposed to fall in love with. Mr. Riddle and yourself are soul mates."

"Then why am I here? Why did I get sent back is the thing only needed her?"

Dumbledore turned his attention from Hermione to Draco. "Draco, my dear child, the Victis Monstrum doesn't send people back in time by accident. It sent you alone with Miss. Granger because you, too, have a purpose here as well. I cannot be sure, but I'm assuming you're here to assist Miss. Granger."

The three of them fell silent.

"Well, Miss. Granger, you're already friends with Mr. Riddle, correct?"

Hermione, unable to find her voice, nodded again.

"Then you will need to let him know that you are interested in him in... more than a friendly way," the professor said."

Hermione finally looked up into her Professor's eyes. "But I'm not interested in him that way, Professor. I'll never be able to be attracted to him."

"But you are, or you will. The Monstrum makes no mistakes, Miss., Granger. You have to make Tom Riddle fall in love with you. And along the way you will most likely fall in love with him as well."

Hermione stared at her professor, anger swimming in her gray eyes. She quickly picked up her bag and stormed out of the office before Draco and Professor Dumbledore could see the tears that had gathered in her eyes begin to stream down her face.

It was too much.

Her conversation with Draco about this, only a month ago, felt like it was light years ago. Back then, she could convince herself that Draco had been wrong; he was just guessing, trying to upset her.

But hearing it from Professor Dumbledore completely changed everything. Even though she was technically born forty-eight years after him, she was Tom Riddle's soul mate. And now that she was here in his time period, that she was brought here to save him, keep him from turning into Lord Voldemort, he was going to fall in love with her. She had to make him

Hermione sank down beside a wall, vision blurry through the tears streaming down her face. Tom Marvolo Riddle was her soul mate. She felt her heart ache as she saw Ron's face flash in her mind. She was always so sure it was him. Even though they hadn't been together when the Victis Monstrum sent her here, she was so sure that they'd get back together. She was positive she would marry Ron Weasley one day, that he would be the love of her life.

She never thought that the man she was made to be with would one day become Lord Voldemort.

But he won't become Lord Voldemort, a voice somewhere inside her head reminded her. Isn't that why you're here?

He'd already began torturing people, manipulating them. She'd seen it with her own eyes. He was already heading down a dark path. How the hell would love be able to change him?

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, pulling Hermione away from her thoughts. She scrambled to her feet, hurrying off to find an empty room. She needed room to breathe, and this hallway was becoming suffocating.

Hermione was in the Room of Requirement when Tom found her.

He knew something was wrong when she hadn't returned to the common room or shown up at dinner. He almost grew worried when he cornered Draco, who admitted he didn't even know where she was. She wasn't even in the library, and she's always in the library!

He paced before the wall three times, thinking slowly and deliberately. I need the study room... a place to get away... where Hermione might be...

The familiar wooden door appeared on the wall and Tom yanked it open, slamming it behind him.

He walked through the bookshelves until he got to the center of the room where be found Hermione, curled up as tightly as she could in a large armchair, shoulders softly shaking.

Tom stopped in his tracks. Hermione, crying..?

He slowly walked over to her, careful not to make a lot of noise. After standing in front of her chair for a moment, he sat down. "Hermione."

She froze, but stayed in the same position. Tom put a hand on her shoulder, than then began rubbing her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. She seemed to relax a little, which Tom was thankful for. She seemed fine after her fight with Draco that morning, but Tom had expected something like this to happen soon enough. Seeing Hermione so upset made anger rise within him, though. No one has the right to upset someone who was so clearly his. He would make whoever hurt her regret living, wish they were already six foot under so they wouldn't have to face his wrath.

Tom wrapped his arms around Hermione, pulling her against his chest. She was always making sure he was okay that he sometimes forgot she needed comforting, too.

Tom scowled at himself. He had never comforted someone before, little less cared about them. It was a strange feeling. He had questioned everything he knew about himself upon acquiring Hermione as a friend, and at first it had made him angry, but right now, when he was holding her while her body shook, he couldn't seem to care.

"Who was it? Who hurt you?"

She didn't say anything, or look up. Tom was growing impatient.

"Hermione, I can't make it better if you don't tell me what happened."

She sniffled. "It wouldn't matter either way. You can't do something to a Professor, Tom."

So that's who it was. Professor Dumbledore had somehow hurt Hermione. His Hermione.

"Hermione, I could hurt people for you. I will hurt people for you. Do you understand me? What I did to Black, Rosier and Malfoy last night will seem elementary compared to what I will do to whoever even thinks about harming you in some way."

Hermione froze for a moment in his arms. She lifted her head and rubbed at her eyes before turning to face him. The look in her eyes was an odd one; she looked as if she had made a huge decision. Not as if she had given something up, but like she had decided she wanted something, or would do something important or life-changing. Tom couldn't find any exact words for it. He vowed to himself to ask her about it later.

"Come, Tom. It's getting late." She grabbed his hand – the first time she had grabbed his hand first – and stood up. She hugged him before they left the Room of Requirement, her chin resting on his shoulder. Tom tentatively wrapped his arms back around her, not sure what she was playing at. He could see that she was pretending to be all right – he wasn't stupid, he could see she was still upset about something. He chose to ignore it, though, and lead her back to the Slytherin common room, making sure everyone they passed in the hallways could see that she clearly belonged to him.

01/11/38

Hermione was upset today. She wouldn't tell me why. Though I am almost positive it has something to do with Professor Dumbledore. I do not know what he said to her or what he did, for she would not tell me. If I ever find out what he did, he will be dead. No one hurts Hermione – my Hermione – and gets away with it.

I think she's frightened of me due to what I said to her in the library last night. Those words were empty, though. How could I ever hurt her? She is absolutely fascinating. Her wavy, thick hair, her grey eyes that seem almost out of place with her face and hair, the way she's so confident she knows anything – she is nothing like any of the girls back in the orphanage. No girl in Hogwarts could ever compare to her. She is mine.

Rosier, Black and Malfoy. The three of them are insufferable idiots. How dare any of them think their magical capabilities could even compare to mine? I am studying third year spells and charms in my free time, learning more and more each day. I will be a greater wizard than any of them could ever dream of becoming. I think Malfoy likes Hermione. He's always looking at her in class or at the Great Hall. It doesn't help that he's friends with her brother. I assume they knew each other outside of school as well. That won't do. Abraxas needs to learn to not try to take what so obviously belongs to another man. Because she is mine. She might not be aware of it, but she is. From the moment she accepted that ring she has been mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.

She held my hand today – it was the first time she held mine first. And then she hugged me. It's nothing we haven't done before, but doing it still made my pulse quicken. I like touching her. She is perfect and pure and everyone else in this world is dirty, tainted.

I won't let them hurt her.

puhhh-lease let me know what you think!

also: "Victis Monstrum" - "destroying the monster".