Disclaimer: don't own.

Hermione felt thousands of eyes on her. They had their last minutes of the shoot in Hogsmeade directly. The passer-bys stared, whistled or called something out to her, which Hermione found very distracting. It seemed as if the other models were used to such kind of behaviour that they just looked simply bored.

"Focus now! Lean on that wall, a bit more casual than that – yes right and look at this shop over there." the photographer took his last pictures for the day, Hermione trying hard to concentrate, but the photographer seemed to like her effort.

"Perfect, Natalija. Now, your turn, Marc."

Ten minutes later, they were back in the photostudio. "I will put you into our book, Natalija. You have proved yourself useful. We might use you for future projects." he smiled at her and Hermione returned his smile. Success!

He told them that the pictures would be in Witch's Weekly approximately in three weeks with the promise that he would mail Hermione the magazine by owl. He handed Hermione 50 golden galleons as she hadn't opened an account yet. Her vault existed 50-some years later. Though Hermione wasn't placed into Ravenclaw for nothing. She had told him that she only had an account in Russia and therefore the man had handed her the money directly.

"Thank you!" Hermione smiled. She hadn't expected to earn THAT much as a beginner, but apparently everyone was satisfied so she shrugged and put it in her purse.

The two female models had already left the photostudio – apparently in a hurry – and Marc addressed Hermione.

"So how did you like the photo shoot?"

"Really catchy pick-up phrase." Hermione smirked the Slytherins-smirk she had adopted from Draco and Harry.

"Yes, isn't it?" Marc grinned and Hermione had to smile as well. At least he had some humour.

"Yes, I liked it a lot. Though I'm really tired now."

"What would you say to some dinner in the three broomsticks?" Marc pointed to the familiar café. 'Why not? It's not as if I'm together with someone. He is probably torturing one of his followers right now. I am still free to go there with Marc. Besides, I haven't eaten any lunch and now I'm starving.'

"Yes, that would be a lovely idea." she smiled. Marc grinned as well and held out his arm, which she gingerly took as they walked into the café together. For some reason, this gesture reminded her of Tom.

Why was she thinking about him so often anyway?

It was not as if he was thinking of her all the time. She shouldn't make that fatal mistake and even hope that. Hermione smiled at Marc as he helped her out of her cloak.

"Ravenclaw? A fine house, as I myself was there." he stated, looking at Hermione's raven crest.

"Thank you. Yes, it's very nice." Hermione sat down at the table where Marc pulled out the chair for her.

"No, it's the best! So what year are you in? Quite frankly, I have never seen you before." Marc scrutinized her closely which Hermione didn't like at all.

"Because I am a transfer from Durmstrang. It's my first year here and I am attending 7th year." Hermione informed him. "But yes, I prefer Hogwarts to Durmstrang."

"So tell me all about Durmstrang. My mother wanted to send me there at first but my father thought it was too far away and didn't like the idea. So I was stuck here." Marc shrugged.

Hermione recounted everything that Victor had told her at the time they had been together and quite frankly, it wasn't a lot. She was glad when the waitress arrived to take their orders. She was careful to steer the conversation to a safer topic when the waitress was gone.

"So, how did you get into the modelling business, Marc?" Well, that should keep him talking for a while.

THTHTH

"Malfoy and Krum you are first." Rookwood called out, his voice carefully controlled. "Your first task is to ENDURE pain, to WATCH other people be tortured and to CAST that charm yourself."

Draco looked at Rookwood unbelievable. That had to be a joke! But as nobody was laughing and Abraxas was watching him fearfully he assumed that this was real.

"Ready?" Abraxas called out in a quiet soft voice.

Draco nodded. Of course he was not ready for pain. But he didn't want to seem like a coward. Besides, he had endured that curse already and knew how it felt like, although that didn't make the situation more bearable.

"Crucio." Abraxas said, pointing the wand at his grandson. Draco felt his whole body ache and fell to the ground, twisting and writhing in agony. "Stop it stop it." he pleaded. He had been under the crucio some times from Bellatrix or his father and knew that pleading usually made them stop faster. Predictably, Abraxas released him from his spell seconds later.

"Now WATCH!" Voldemort roared. He pointed his wand at another figure. His hood was pushed back and a boy from the quidditch team who Draco liked was put under the crucio. Draco couldn't bear to watch the poor boy writhing on the floor.

He was about to scream "Stop it!" at Voldemort, when Voldemort released him.

"Now CAST!" Voldemort ordered. Draco was shaking from fear. He could not cast the spell on Abraxas, he was his grandfather after all. Besides, he had never cast that spell before and didn't know how to do it.

But he would have to try. He was doing it for a better cause.

He stood in front of Abraxas, who was looking fearfully at his grandson.

POV Abraxas:

'Why doesn't the feeling leave me that this boy is strange? He looks like me (a bit at least), he walks and TALKS like me, struts like me, is cocky like me, stuck up like me… and' Abraxas scrutinized his face closer.

Then he gasped. He could see it in his eyes. This boy had HIS eyes.

Before he could dwell on that thought, Krum was standing in front of him, his wand raised, his face stark white but no sound coming out.

Abraxas sighed inwardly. He must have looked like that the first time he had been forced to use the spell.

"Go on Krum, or are you a coward?" he heard Tom's taunting voice and the other students snickered.

Abraxas flinched. Tom had become more and more dangerous and unsympathetic. He felt sorry for himself all of a sudden when Krum released the spell. Krum's eyes bored into his, praying for forgiveness.

POV Draco:

'Forgive me grandfather! It is for the greater good. I'm just trying to save us all! Please remember that.' Draco thought.

He pointed the wand at his grandfather and looked deeply into his eyes while casting the curse, his hand trembling violently.

He felt his hand vibrate as soon as the word had left his mouth.

It was over after two seconds and Abraxas was even still standing.

Draco was glad that it hadn't lasted longer. 'You have to really mean the curse, Draco. Downright anger or determination won't help you there.' Aunt Bellatrix had once told him.

"Not able to cast it longer? You have to mean it, to really mean it, Krum." Tom said, his face inches from Draco's whose heart beat wildly.

"But for a beginner not too bad." Tom said emotionlessly. "Nott!"

Draco gasped when he saw the Ravenclaw emerge from the mass of black. Hermione's friend! He would have to warn her about that boy. She probably didn't have a clue that he was involved in Tom's group. The dark-brown haired boy, stepped up at Tom and Draco.

"Here is your coin. It means that you have been accepted into our group. This coin is heated up when it shows the time and place of the next meeting. You are sworn to total secrecy. Do you, Maxim, Krum swear that you will not reveal any secret of this group – secret or no secret?" Nott asked, a silver mist coming out from his wand.

"Yes, I swear." Draco said, not really meaning it.

The silver mist disappeared and Draco caught the coin in his right hand.

Tom's POV:

Poliakoff looked at Abraxas number two pityingly. Tom smirked. He would find something special for Poliakoff who ran around with this good-for-nothing Gryffindor. Tom would have to teach him some manners and who to hang with.

He watched Krum accept the coin from Nott and was about to retreat to his circle, when Tom's gaze fell onto his watch. His eyes widened in horror. Natalija! He had almost forgotten about her. Well, he had not promised her to pick her up, but he wanted to do that. He had planned to do that actually.

WAIT A SECOND.

He was cancelling HIS meeting for a mere GIRL?

But tom's heart felt painfully empty without her. The whole time he had been thinking about her. Was everything alright? Did the photo shoot go well? How did she do? Were there any male models? At this thought, he felt his heart speed up, his blood boil and his fists clench. What effect did that girl have on him? It was not normal! He should be meeting up with his followers more often and plot and read and decide! He should not think or even spend time with a GIRL.

He sighed inwardly. It wouldn't matter if he closed the meeting early just this once.

"Alright. Nott, give Poliakoff his coin and off you go. Do the secrecy vow with him as well."

Normal POV:

Harry looked at Draco wide-eyed. That couldn't be! He didn't have to go through the ordeal that Draco did?

Draco shot daggers at his former enemy. Why wasn't Potter forced to endure the same ritual? Once the golden boy - always the golden boy? In their time and now in this time as well? From the good side AND the bad side? It looked as if Harry Potter could do no wrong and Draco hated him for that.

Nott handed the surprised Harry the coin and made him swear to secrecy as well.

"You are free to go." Tom dismissed them with his hand.

"Thank you my lord." the followers answered and were gone with a swish of the cloak.

THTHTH

"Thank you Marc." Hermione smiled at the model who had invited her to toast and salad and of course butterbeer.

"You're welcome. Look, I would take you to Hogwarts, but I have to rush and pick up my father." Marc said, looking at his watch.

"No problem, Marc. I can find my way back on my own." Hermione said.

"I see." Marc's face had become a mask of fear when he looked over Hermione's shoulder and therefore Hermione turned her face – only to see – in all of his glory – HIM. The young man she had thought about the whole time. The young man who was haunting her dreams.

"Higgs." Tom said with a sneer on his handsome face.

"Riddle." Marc answered in the same stoic voice.

"I will take this lady back to the castle then." Tom said and took Hermione by her arm.

"Thank you, Marc. It was nice meeting you." Hermione's smile was wiped off her face.

"You too." and with that Marc stepped outside and disappeared with a swish of his cloak.

Tom and Hermione didn't speak at first – they were walking to the castle in silence. Neither of them wanted to break the silence but then Hermione remembered her mission.

"Thanks for picking me up!" Hermione said quietly. Tom shrugged. "I'm headboy after all and it's my duty."

"Of course it is." Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"So, he was the male model? Not a good company for somebody like you. He seemed like a good-for-nothing, superficial idiot. No wonder, he is a model now." Tom sneered.

Hermione huffed. "So is that the same you think about me? That I'm superficial and good-for-nothing just because I was on this photo-shoot?"

"No. But if you hang around people like him then the chance is high." Tom didn't look at her. Her face was even more perfect that usual and that bothered him to no end.

Tom was furious. What was this idiot doing here? Marc had been some years older than Tom, but he had always looked down on that Ravenclaw-idiot. Besides, it was clear that he wanted something from Natalija. He was flirting like mad with her. Tom was sure that Natalija didn't want that. 'I'm not jealous.' Tom kept repeating to himself and the more he said it, the more he didn't believe himself anymore.

Yes, Tom Riddle was jealous. Not that Nataija knew of course. Not that she would ever find out.

Tom gave her a twisted smile. "But it's your decision. You might not even have to make it."

"Look Tom. It's not my responsibility to explain something to you, but I will, nevertheless. We just went for a bite as we were starving and we were only talking about school and modelling. That's it. Not more and not less." Hermione explained while rolling her eyes. Tom Riddle was jealous. She couldn't believe it. He was jealous because of HER. How sweet.

"That's completely beside the point." Tom glared at her jokingly. But he looked considerably happier afterwards and continued with a newfound spring in his step.

"So what did you do in the afternoon?" Hermione asked, trying to sound not too suspicious.

"I met up with my friends. Nothing more and nothing less." Tom replied.

Hermione nodded. She would have to wait for Harry and Draco to tell her about the meeting then. She was bursting from excitement anyway and they had arranged to meet in the kitchens instead of going to dinner.

"Thanks again, Tom, for picking me up." Hermione said gratefully when they arrived in front of the Ravenclaw common room.

Tom gazed at her, taking in all her beauty. "Yes, it was my pleasure. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

Hermione gazed back at him, his high cheekbones, his stormy, passionate eyes, his perfect hair and his… kissable lips.

Tom inched nearer and Hermione stood there, as if she were waiting for him to come nearer. Tom brushed the left side of her face with his cold long fingers and looked deeply into her eyes. Hermione almost lost her breath when they locked eyes and trembled. Tom steadied her with his other hand, by pulling her by her hip towards him.

Hermione just remembered the kiss from Marc and knew how to proceed immediately. If she didn't react now, she would regret it.

Her eyes wondered to his lips and she traced the outline of his lips with her right finger while she snaked the other hand around his waist as well. Tom groaned quietly but Hermione heard it. Tom's eyes fell onto her lush lips as well and they inched closer.

Then it happened. Like fireworks. Like dancing in the rain. Like flying on a cloud. Like emerging from darkness into the light. Only to find themselves deeper in darkness. His lips were soft like a feather. Her lips were slightly wet and open.

Tom kissed her with more vigour now, wanting to taste every part of her and she granted him entry by parting her lips. Tom pulled her even closer and kissed her more passionately, hotter now.

To Hermione it felt like seconds, minutes, hours or years – she didn't know. Tom had also lost his sense of time as they just stood there and kissed and kissed and kissed. Hermione never wanted this to end.

They didn't even notice when the Ravenclaw door opened and two second-years emerged, giggling at the sight of Tom and Hermione. They also didn't notice the door open a second time.

Only when the person called out their names, they finally turned around, confused.

"Natalija!" Hermione looked at Matthew dumbstruck and embarrassed. "What are you doing in front of the Ravenclaw tower?"

"What does it look like to you, Nott?" Tom asked sneering.

"It looks to me as if you are disrespecting the rules, RIDDLE." Matthew Nott sneered as well. Hermione and Tom understood in a second that he meant HIS rules. The rules that Dark Lords didn't love and couldn't show love or weakness.

But Tom ignored him. "As I am headboy, I am well aware of the rules, Nott. And nothing states that whatever, wherever and with whom I am doing whatever – is forbidden. So go and deal with your own business." he spat.

"Very well, Riddle. It's your choice anyway. But don't let me interrupt you. I will see you tonight at 8, Natalija." Matthew said and stalked off.

"What are you doing at 8?" tom asked. Jealous again?

"Studying together. Nothing important." Hermione shrugged.

"So, where have we left off, before this idiot interrupted us?" Tom smirked and bent down, kissing her senseless.