Chapter 11

"McGonagall"

Minerva raised her head from the book she was reading called, 'Becoming Anamagi'.

Towering above her was none other than one Tom Riddle.

"Riddle," she acknowledged. When she got a better look, she noticed that he didn't appear to be in a very good mood.

"Eh...is there a particular reason you're here...standing over me...like that...now?" she inquired nervously.

A smirk crossed his features. Despite being angry, he loved how he could easily unnerve people. "I'll give you three guesses."

Minerva took a quick peep from behind him and saw both Abraxes and Maximus leaving the library with looks of discomfort.

"Er, I don't suppose this has something to do with two Slytherins and a few little hexes, does it?" Minerva asked, with her own little smirk.

Seeing this, Tom's eyes became cold again. Gods he hated Gryffindors.

"Listen, McGonagall, you obviously, along with that new girl Granger, did something other than the usual stinging hexes. Now whatever you did, you better go and remove it now." He half ordered, half whispered.

A shudder went through Minerva, but she was determined to not back down. "I'm afraid, Riddle, that I will be unable to remove it, as I don't know the counter curse."

Tom's left eye twitched in annoyance. "What." He hissed. "You mean to say that you hexed a student without even knowing the bloody counter curse."

Minerva shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "er.... yes?"

Before he could say anything else, she stepped in.

When Hermione had crossed the groaning Malfoy and Lestrange whilst entering the library, she felt a tad bit of worry itch at her. Why would people like them enter a library? If not to find Riddle? Its not that she feared Tom, he was funnily not as scary as his much older self, but she did know that Minerva was in there, and probably would be slightly disorientated by a confrontal. Minerva could definitely hold her own, but up against someone like Riddle? She wasn't too sure.

That's why she had watched the small talk between the pair. Deciding she would only interfere if things didn't look to great.

Apparantly they didn't.

Before he started to fully snap, Hermione butted in.

"Unfortunately, Mr Riddle, "She stepped in front of him, guarding Minerva, "she does not now the counter curse, like she just said, because I have yet to show her it." adding a sickly sweet smile - like the ones she used at the orphanage - and grabbed Minerva by her arm, pulling her friend off the table. "Now if you'll excuse us, I think I'd better just do that now."

Not waiting for a response of any kind, Hermione began to drag Minnie out of the library, who didn't protest in the least.

After dragging Minnie out of the library, through several hallways, and into an empty one, she finally stopped. Minnie trying to catch her breath.

"Her...Hermione?"

"Eh..... I think it would be a good idea if I taught you the counter. yeah?"

"Are we actually going to take them off of them?" Minnie asked with a little grimace.

Hermione just snorted. "Of course not." then a small smirk graced her features, "They can try and figure it out themselves....... besides, it will wear off in a couple of hours anyway. It will, of course, have a little side effect, but that's nothing for us to worry about."

Despite his annoyance from being interrupted in the library, and being left standing like an idiot, Tom couldn't couldn't help but be happy to be back in one of the very few classes that kept him from allowing his mind to wonder.

Defence Against The Dark Arts.

Now that was a class Tom Riddle owned.

Everyone was waiting outside the classroom waiting for the professor, Professor Merrythought, to come. He was taking longer than normal today. He usually got here round about the same time as the rest of the class.

Everyone seemed to be getting impatient. "When is that bloody fool going to get his arse here!" Orion moaned next to him.

Now there was something his 'friends' seemed to be doing an awful lot of lately...... moaning!

Just as Tom was about to tell the Black to shut it, the Professor came out in front of the students. "Sorry I'm late everyone! Got caught up in a conversation with Horace, and you all know what he can be like, so everyone inside."

Everyone began to gather into the classroom, taking their respective seats. Tom sat at the back whilst flanked by Orion and Antinon.

As everyone began getting their stuff out and ready, Merrythought began the class.

"Now. Today everyone, we will be talking about werewolves." A few groans were heard. "Now, now. Werewolves are a very interesting topic up for discussion." A few snorts.

Tom just rolled his eyes. Oh well, maybe not today.

"Ahh! Hermione! Nice to see you again dear, I see you will be taking my class this year! Excellent excellent."

Tom looked over to see Granger's face turning slightly red, "Er, thank you, Professor."

"Now, as I was saying-"

He was interrupted when Antinon raised his hand.

"Professor, really, what is there to discuss? There vile, cruel and disgusting half breeds. What else is there really to discuss? Apart from the fact they shouldn't be allowed to roam around free in the wizarding world." Antinon stated.

"Now, Dolohov, I'm sure there is many other th-"

"I agree with him, Professor"

Everyone's head turned round to look at Hermione Granger, who by now had turned herself round to look at Antinon. She looked calm, however, with one look in her eyes, Tom could see she was contorted in rage. It almost made him wince. But instead he chose to lean back and enjoy the show that was surely about to occur in front of him.

Hermione was positively steaming. She hated it when someone would down talk someone like Remus just because of something he turns into once a month. She had grown close to him over the summer, and he had been like an uncle/father/brother/mentor to her all in one. If she wasn't so angry, tears would of fallen by now as the image of him fighting Fenrir Greyback came back into her mind. She still didn't know whether or not he had survived the battle. She could only hope and prey he did.

"He's right......in most cases, they can be vile and cruel...... once a month. That, however, says nothing about who they are when they are just themselves and not under any control of the inner wolf. A lot of the werewolves today, were never given the option of becoming one, because they were attacked and bitten. It's not as if they have the option, is it?." She took a deep breath in an attempt to control herself. If there was one thing Hermione never had much control over, it was her anger. At least she knew she had made a decent point.

"Pfft! Please. Spear me. If people thought like that, don't you think that they would have fair rights by now?"

"No! Because a lot of the people at the ministry are too proud and stubborn to look past their own noses at things like this." Hermione shot back, even though what he said was partly true in ways.

"No wonder! They're nothing but a nuisance to our society! They don't deserve the time or effort."

"The only nuisance to our society, that I see, is you! What exactly do you do that's better? huh? Nothing! So keep your mouth shut and never ever disregard people that have to go through life with painful and forced transformations once every month! Especially when in my presence!"

By this time, both students had managed to stand up at their tables. Everyone was looking at the pair with wide eyes. Tom looked impassive and the Professor looked ecstatic.

A round of applause was heard coming from the Professor. Hermione turned herself around and sat back down, calmness thrown completely out of the window. Throughout the rest of the class she could feel Dolohov's glare burning at the back of her neck.

"Well. Thats my essay finished." Hermione claimed as she screwed the lid down tight on her ink jar. "How far are you?"

"Just a few more lines left to go and I'll be done." Minnie said as she scribbled down the rest of her essay.

Okay, maybe they had managed to get themselves out of detention, but they still managed to earn themselves homework. A three foot essay on Thestrals.

Minerva snorted when she heard Hermione's stomach give out a loud growl. Hermione mock glared at her friend.

"That's what you get for skipping dinner and going to the library instead." Minnie stated in a sort of sing song voice.

"If I didn't we wouldn't have the books we need to do these essays on." Hermione retorted in the same type of voice.

Minerva just stuck out her tongue. Hermione let out a small chuckle. It really was weird being such good friends with a teenager McGonagall. Hermione wondered what had been the excuse for her turning so strict. It didn't matter, Hermione enjoyed getting to know the fun side to her Head of House.

Her stomach growled again in protest to her empty stomach. Hermione sighed then lifted up her top to reveal her flat tum. Looking down at it, Hermine pretended to talk. "Okay, you win."

She looked back up to Minerva whilst straightening out her top again. "I'm gonna nip down to the kitchens. Coming?"

"Hermione it's half ten! Its well past curfew." Minnie exclaimed.

Hermione smiled, she'd decided sometime last week to enjoy her war free time here and just act like herself rather than her rule obeying self. It was time Hermione Granger enjoyed her life a little bit more. "Yeah, I know. I'll make sure and not get caught. So are you coming or do you want me to bring you something up?"

Minnie sighed, knowing she had no chance in changing her friend's mind now that it was determined. "Can you bring me up some muffins? I want get this essay done tonight."

"Sure." Hermine chirped.

Hermione got up and put on her big, purple, fluffy slippers. Her slippers had been enchanted to match whatever night clothes she had on for the night. Tonight she had on baggy pyjama bottoms that went slightly past her waist and well past her feet. On top she had a purple, spaghetti strapped top that stopped at her waist, revealing just a little bit of her tum and belly button.

Her type of sleeping atire was very much different from what girls would normally wear, but she simply down right refused to give up her pyjamas. She basically transformed all of her itchy night gowns into her old pyjamas she wore in her own time.

She pulled on her white dressing gown, not bothering to tie it and pulled her hair into a messy pony tail.

"Back in Thirty." She claimed before exiting the dorm.

Tom Riddle, walked quietly as he patrolled the hallways. It was the second night being back at school and he had already taken points off three of the schools houses - only giving his house detention - for sneaking out and going for late night make out sessions, thoroughly disgusting himself in the process.

Apart from that, nothing much had really happened that night. Not that he expected anything to, but still, he was bored. Luckily, he only had this floor to do, then he could go back to his room and sleep.

Once he reached the end of the hall, he began to turn back in the direction of the main stair case. But just as he turned, he saw a small glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. Turning again, he found that there was no one there. Just to double check, Tom silently ran to the end of the hallway and peered around the corner. What he saw made him smirk. It was Hermione Granger sneaking off to god knows where.

He was about to call out to her, but then thought better of it. Instead, when she turned the corner, he followed behind.

R&R