Right, firstly I would like to apologize to my readers for taking so long to update. I know how annoying it is when an author doesn't update their story for ages, and I promise to try and speed it up. Secondly, a week ago I returned to college, and it's taking up more time than I had hoped for; please stick with the story, I hopefully won't disappoint you 'cause it would be actually ridiculous to quit the story after getting this far with it. Anyway, that's enough of my ranting for the day x] On with the story…

Chapter Fifteen: Favourite Girl

Previously: "Tell me about this person you're in love with then," I said, resting back once again and trying my hardest to act like I didn't care. Honestly, it was like a hundred knives striking me directly in the chest, over and over again. I couldn't stand to think she could love someone else. When had I begun to be so possessive over her? Here I was, cursing someone I probably didn't even know just because they had the heart of the girl I lo-

No, I shouted, she's just a girl for Merlin's sake! Don't you even consider finishing that fucking sentence!

"His name was Ron." Hermione replied, biting her lip, obviously trying to hold back the tears.

See what she does to you? The voice shouted.

A hundred more knives.

Tom Riddle P.O.V.

Never before had I loved; never before had I been loved. Neither had I ever cared, or been cared for. The only things I had ever wanted were power and respect. I didn't need anything else; especially love. Never before had I craved the presence of another; why now? Just as my plans were at their peaks, just as I would be free of worries and complications, just as I thought my future was set it stone…a curly haired, brown eyes, intelligent, beautiful and…just wonderful witch entered my life and changed everything! What gave her the right to rewrite my bloody future? What gave her the right to walk all over me? What gave her the right to- to make me feel the way I did about her..?

Who are you kidding? I thought; stop trying to blame other people for your stupidity!

How could I not blame her though? I was so used to everything being everyone else's fault that I never even considered that anything could be my fault! Here I was, with the attitude of a stuck up, arrogant and spoilt Pureblood…yet my life had been pure shit; my mother died when I was born, my "father" didn't want to admit I existed and lived that way until his death, I grew up in an orphanage where I was oblivious to my true magic inheritance…and for once in my life I had something to look forward to; a real purpose. Trust me to let a mere girl destroy that!

Stop complaining, she hasn't ruined anything!

There I go again; blaming other people. But what do you expect? I had always been that way; maybe it was in my genes…and if it was, that would be the only thing I could thank my parents for. If I hadn't been given that strength, then I wouldn't even be where I was today. All the guilt would have gotten too much for me; it's entirely their fault, I told myself; it's always their fault.

Blaming other people was like second nature to me; even the teachers helped me along that route! I was too perfect in their eyes for anything to ever be my fault; I seriously can't go wrong! I'm Head Boy, I'm intelligent, I'm good-looking, I'm popular, I'm eager to learn, and I have manners; everything that teachers love in a student. In some ways, I wish they didn't encourage me to be so self-centred, but I was. There was no denying I thought I was perfect, because I was. And for once, instead of thinking about myself, I was putting someone else's wellbeing before that of my own.

Ron, I thought, hmm, he sounds like an idiot.

Gahh! I didn't even know the boy, but I already hated him. How could I not hate him though? He had stolen the heart of someone important to me. No one was important to me…no one apart from her. And the one person I cared for loved someone else. Maybe I should have respected him, maybe I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so fast…but I was angry. I was jealous. I was fucking heart broken! I wanted to curse him. I wanted to curse her! I wanted to let my anger engulf me, and not give a damn about the consequences. This Ron boy would suffer; he would suffer so very dearly.

"Don't jump to conclusions though," Hermione whispered.

Don't jump to conclusions? I thought, Merlin woman! Don't you understand anything! What conclusions?

Her eyes wouldn't meet mine, and I don't blame her; the rage in my eyes would probably burn her! But even when she looked…well, pretty depressed really, she was still pretty. I felt like making some sarcastic remark about how it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, but I ignored that idea and focused on the situation at hand.

"Who says I was making conclusions?" I spat, clenching my fists and gritting my teeth painfully together to distract the aching in my chest and the fire in my stomach. She could be such a hypocrite sometimes; how could she tell me not to "jump to conclusions" when that's exactly what she did with the Mona thing.

"You're too easy to read, Tom," she replied quietly, fiddling with a blade of grass; "you haven't allowed me to explain yet."

I wanted to kick her. I wanted to smack her. I wanted to hex her to oblivion and curse her once she got there! I wanted to call her all the names under the sun for causing me so much bloody pain! Couldn't she tell what she was doing? I bet this was just one big joke for her and…Ron. It wouldn't have surprised me if she'd ended everything with me, thrown me in the gutter, picked me up then chucked me, then scuttled back to him and had a good laugh at my expense. I felt so humiliated by the girl I- by the girl I…loved.

"What is there to explain, Hermione?" I shouted, rising from my sitting position and throwing my hands up in the air.

I felt so destroyed.

Hermione Granger P.O.V.

Please, Tom, I mentally begged, stop it please. Don't blame me; it isn't my fault! I can't tell you, just please, please understand!

I honestly wanted to tell him the whole truth; how it was under his orders that Ron died. But how could I tell someone I truly cared for that they were the reason for my sadness? I wouldn't be the person I was today if I had the heart to utter something like that.

"What is there to explain, Hermione?" Tom shouted, jumping up and glaring at me with anger and despair. All I wanted to do was hold him and tell him not to be angry because he wasn't there anymore. There was nothing for him to be angry about.

"You're in love with some stranger! Brilliant! Isn't that perfect…you just don't get it! You just don't get it!" I didn't catch a lot he was saying because I was trying my hardest to blank it all out and focus on what I would tell him; "…this is a joke, I bet you two laugh…I can't believe you haven't told…in love! Perfect…bloody brilliant…you live a happy life together…" his angry ranting went on for quite a while, and the whole time I just sat there, rocking myself forwards and backwards, chewing nervously on my lower lip trying my damdest to think of some way to sort things out apart from letting the whole truth escape.

"…here I was thinking you could…but that's all gone now…you're in love with someone…I can't believe you didn't tell…why would you though…" He wasn't making sense; why was he so damn bothered about this? As if it was any of his business anyway!

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

"…you've just been stringing me along…bet you and Ron have a good laugh at me, eh-" I couldn't take any more.

"RON'S DEAD!" I shrieked, jumping from my spot, then erupted into showers of unshed tears for my lost loved one.

Tom Riddle P.O.V.

Three hours later…

I was officially the most heartless twat on this planet. I had manages to accuse a very special girl of being a two-faced bitch, and I insulted her dead boyfriend. Could things actually get any worse? Wait, fuck that; things probably could get much worse. Trust me to tempt fate!

I felt mentally dead. I felt like a coward. Why? Because as soon as I discovered Hermione's bloke was dead, I set fire to a tree and ran off in a huff. Gah! I was acting like a four year old with temper problems! If I had just kept my cool for a little longer, then I would have noticed her having a bloody break down right before my eyes! Why the hell didn't I stop and use my bloody brain for a second instead of making the whole situation ten times worse than it had to be?

You're an idiot, I told myself, be a man and go back!

But I couldn't bring myself to do it; maybe I was a coward, or maybe I was doing it so she wouldn't hate me more. One thing was for certain; I'd just screwed up big time!

By the time it was almost three in the morning, I realised I was in dire need of a one to one with Cygnus. It didn't take me long to reach the boys dorm, and usually I would have deliberately woken them all up, but I was in no mood for fuss and bother. My head was already thumping, and an angry mob of Slytherin boys was the last thing I needed at the moment.

"Care to share with me why you've chosen to grace me with your presence at this time in the morning, Tom?" Cygnus groaned with mock politeness lacing his words. He rubbed his head as he sat up; his breath reeked with alcohol.

"I've done something stupid," I confessed, flicking my wand and sending the bed covers off then his dressing gown flew to the bed.

Cygnus laughed as he stood up and adjusted his gown. "Tom Riddle; stupid? I've never heard that before!"

We seated in the common room, seemingly from prying eyes.

"Ok," Cygnus began," what's got your wand in a knot?" he asked.

"I've screwed up; I asked her who she loved and she told me his name. I flipped; I had a go at her before knowing the details…" I clenched my fists with frustration and remembered her face as I ran off.

Coward.

"He's dead, Cygnus." I whispered, staring into his light blue eyes, "I just destroyed her trust; I know it…" I couldn't form the words to express how I was feeling. I felt…lost.

I had been such an idiot. I should have stayed there with her; I should have comforted her and told her not to cry because everything would be fine. I mentally prayed that she would be able to forgive me for what I had accused her of…truth be told, I needed her. Never before had I admitted something that extreme, but I really did need her. And for the sake of both of us, I needed to go back there and sort things out with her.

Cygnus sighed heavily and brushed his hair from his eyes before saying, "Well, you really have screwed up this time, Tom. But you weren't to know he was dead," I nodded in agreement, "I think you should go find her, apologize and try your damdest to sort it all out."

"Yeah," was all I said. I didn't know what else to say really.

Cygnus sighed loudly and leaned back, grimacing and running his hand through his thick hair. "Look, mate," he began, "You've gotta sort this out with Hermione. She's a lovely girl, she's intelligent, she's gorgeous…you need to tell her that every day if you want to be a part of her life, and be truthful; I think you do want that, Tom."

I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that he didn't know me, and that I didn't need anyone else in my life! But I would have lied if I had said that, and I honestly didn't have the energy to lie; especially to myself. I would talk to her in the morning, I would tell her I was wrong to act in such a way, I would tell her how much she meant to me, and hopefully things would return to normal. I needed her with me…I knew that. And it broke my heart to merely imagine Hermione hating me. Cygnus didn't realise how right he was; she was my top priority, and I couldn't lose her for this. In a way, it was quite stupid; I felt I was getting worked up and angry for something almost…insignificant. But the risk of not having Hermione was too serious for me to treat it as an unimportant situation.

By the following morning, the majority of us were extremely hung over. I joined my fellow Slytherins at breakfast after not being able to sleep for the rest of the night…or rather, morning. I hated seeing Cygnus and Druella all over each other like love sick puppies, but Merlin did I wish that could have been me and Hermione. Of course, I was too busy sulking over a bowl of cereal and Hermione was too busy hunched over at the far end of the table with her head down and eyes focused intently on a book. No surprises there, but it hurt slightly to see her on her own when she should have been by my side, smiling and laughing, being happy. But right now, she certainly looked liked the most unloved and lonely girl on the planet.

"Hey," Avery whispered, nudging me with his elbow to get my attention. I turned my head to look at him and couldn't help but think, he may be loyal to me, but sometimes I wish he'd just piss off. He was one of those people who had to know every possible detail of everything. If he were a girl, I'm sure he would have been a gossip lout. Sometimes I regretted recruiting such a typical gossip, but due to the fact that he could find things out a lot easier than some was indeed an extremely important advantage for me. I may have had a gift with charming the truth from people, but in no means was I as skilled in that area as Avery was; of course, I didn't admit that.

"What's up with your girl; she on the rag?" he laughed, shovelling another fork full of bacon into his mouth and wiping the grease away from his lips with a napkin. Very Pureblood of you, Avery, I must say, I thought sarcastically as I raised my eyebrow at the pig of a Slytherin before me.

"Well," I began formally, tearing my gaze from him to flicker back to the caramel haired beauty seated so far from my side. I strange pang of something struck my stomach, and I suddenly had the strangest urge to comfort her. Of course, I did no such thing. "Whether or not she is, is no concern of mine, nor is it yours or mines business. And if you even think of saying something to her, I'll hunt you down and butcher you; understand?" I replied calmly, dragging my sight of focus from Hermione and resuming my gaze to the bowl of…well, it didn't really look like cereal anymore; more like a mashed up mandrake in pumpkin juice. Lovely, I thought with a grimace and pushed the bowl away from me.

Avery remained silent from then on, thankfully. I wasn't in the mood for his mindless comments, regardless of whether he realised what he was saying or not. To be honest, by now he should have known what to say in my presence, what not to say in my presence, and when to say it. But he did seem to be a little slower than the others, so I suppose he couldn't help making a total idiot of himself in front of me.

"Ay up;" Cygnus piped up, pointing to the far end of the table with his eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkling with amusement and disbelief. He wasn't the only one who couldn't quite believe what he could see.

Hermione remained seated on the bench; her book was now closed but her thumb separated pages from others. She was smiling slightly and her free hand was absentmindedly running her fingers through her soft curls. Her cheeks were tinged pink and her lips were slowly widening.

It seems I wasn't the only person staring at the blushing witch; the majority of the Slytherin's and Gryffindor's were gawping like fishes at her. I felt a possessive growl brewing in my chest, but bit it back. I didn't fancy any attention at the moment.

Hermione appeared to be in a pleasant conversation with the Gryffindor Seeker, Alistair Duggan.

"No way…" some people whispered, "I thought she was with Riddle…shows how loyal she is…she's just a whore…Tom and Alistair can do better than that…" what I could hear made my bloody boil, but what made me even angrier was the fact that my girl was flirting with the Gryffindor heart throb right before my eyes. Did the girl have no shame?

Idiot, I thought, they're probably just discussing homework or something. Stop getting so worked up!

I wanted to believe that so badly, but the expression on her face as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear said it all, and before I realised what I was actually doing, I had risen from my seat and was walking towards the flirting couple with a blank expression on my face.

"Tom! What the hell are you doing, man?" I heard Cygnus shout behind me, but I didn't reply. My attention was drawn to the scene before me like an obsession and I found myself unable to process my actions until I had already done it.

As I reached the far end of the table, Hermione and Duggan glanced up to meet my stormy eyes with sickly expressions. He needs to learn his place, I thought as he greeted me with a small smile. Other people maybe hadn't noticed this, but I was certain I had seen a flicker of anxiety flicker in his dark green eyes. That was soon replaced with a gentle yet confident expression which made me want to puke over his "handsome" face.

I nodded my hello but focused my gaze on the witch seated before me. Her face seemed to have paled a little and the pink tinge had abandoned her creamy cheeks. She chewed her plump lower lip nervously, but refused to break eye contact. Brave little witch, I thought approvingly, or stupid.

I smirked at her obvious discomfort and dived into action before anyone could hold me back. Although I doubt anyone would have anyway really.

The moment my lips met hers, the hall was filled to the brim with gasps and I felt a swelling feeling of confidence and pride. Did they honestly think this cocky twat could openly flirt with my woman? Well, if he did he had another thing coming. No one flirted with her, no one touched her, no one even looked at her in that way. No one apart from me.

Obsessive much? A voice in my head thought, but I growled the voice to silence and focused on putting as much passion into the kiss as possible. Although, that was a little difficult seeing as it was previously supposed to be a quick, yet definite peck of the lips. I smirked into her lips, then pulled back and marched from the Hall and back to the Slytherin common room for a well earned cigar.

Dear me, Tom, I thought proudly, you do indeed have a way with women.

Yes, I continued, but Hermione is the only one I will waste my time on, I thought as I rested on the green sofa and pulled the locket from my pocket. My finger traced over the emerald encrusted "S" and I smiled to myself.

Oh, what I wouldn't do for my witch.

Well, there's the 15

th chapter people :) please review and…stuff :L love you all =]