Author's Note: So, I meant to have this out by last Friday, but this chapter didn't want to come out for anything (that's also why it's so short). I'm also considering getting a beta for this, so if any of my lovely readers has any experience beta-ing, or thinks they want to try, and would be willing to do so in order to read the chapters early, let me know in a review.
And with all that said, I hope you enjoy!
Obviously, it would have been too easy if she had already managed to capture his attention that effectively; his idea for a break turned out to be lunch which, though nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, was still better nothing
Obviously, it would have been too easy if she had already managed to capture his attention that effectively; his idea for a break turned out to be lunch which, though nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, was still better nothing. Besides, she really did need to eat something.
Being significantly more awake at lunch than she had been at breakfast, it turned out to be a much less strenuous affair. As different as Tom Riddle was from her old friends, she was surprised to find that she could talk to him in a completely different way, relate to him in a manner that she had never been able to with Ron and Harry. Different, new, and somehow…still natural. She had to watch what she said, of course, because slipping up and knowing something she shouldn't would not be acceptable; but at the same time, she didn't worry as much about boring him, and she knew there was very little she would have to explain to Tom. It was less stressful in that way, not having to pretend to be normal, not having to feign interest in silly things like Quidditch games just to keep her friends.
"How is your essay going?" he asked, sounding validly interested in her progress.
"Decently," she replied. "I'm considering going deeper into the exact principles behind giving something a task when animating it." It was obviously unnecessary – the professor hadn't asked for anything nearly so thorough. But when trying to impress someone like Tom, more was virtually guaranteed to be better; not to mention, of course, that she didn't want to risk this conversation coming to an end just yet.
"May I recommend something by Blitsworth? He is, I believe, the leading expert on purposeful transfiguration; I find his works fascinating."
Hermione couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but his face seemed earnest enough that she was fairly sure that she was supposed to take him seriously, at least. It was easier, probably, to simply play along, react in the ways he meant her to – at least until she could be more certain of what he actually meant when he spoke. It wouldn't do for her to seem paranoid – seeing through his pretenses might be useful eventually, but until she could do it with any real degree of certainty, she knew she shouldn't show that she was even trying.
"Thank you," she said with a smile, trying to sound genuine. "I'll be sure to look into that." And memorize every word she read, if she was being honest. She needed something, desperately needed anything, that she could use to make conversation with Tom Riddle. She needed something that would allow her to show off a bit – not to upstage him, certainly, as that seemed a patently bad idea, to upstage the future Dark Lord – but enough to make sure that he knew that she was smarter than the average student, to ensure that she had his attention.
"Well of course," he said.
An awkward silence ensued, of exactly the sort that Hermione was trying to avoid. If Tom thought that she was boring…
Unable to think of anything to add, but not wanting Tom to realize it, she allowed herself to appear immersed in her thoughts – not a difficult feat considering exactly how many thoughts she had to lose herself in.
A few moments later, before she'd managed to thoroughly space out, Tom brought her back to the real world – if this extremely odd, awkward situation she was in counted as the real world. "So Jane, how are you finding Hogwarts?"
Obviously an attempt at small talk; but it was better than the weather, and certainly better than not speaking at all. "I like it quite well, actually. The classes are obviously rather difficult, but I enjoy the challenge; it's different."
He seemed to approve of that. It was getting rather tiring, she thought, intending her every word, her every action to gain the approval and perhaps even the eventual affection of a person she had no romantic or even platonic interest in. She could pull it off, however, if she had to; after all, she hadn't been the one sent back for no reason. Perhaps eventually she would be allowed to be herself a bit more effectively.
"That's good to hear," he replied. Yes, definitely an awkward conversation. Hermione wanted to leave, to go do something, anything but continue to sit here across from Tom; however she had been the one to excuse herself previously, and didn't want to seem rude. She finished her food and sat politely, waiting for him to say something.
He, however, seemed perfectly content to sit across from her and just kind of stare. It made her downright uncomfortable, if she was perfectly honest – she wasn't used to being stared at, and especially not so openly. She wondered if he even realized what he was looking at, knowing that sometimes people seemed to be gazing at a person or a thing without seeing it, thoughts miles away.
She gave up, then, any thoughts of not seeming rude, of waiting for him to leave before she did. The way she saw it, there were only two options: either he was perfectly happy to sit and stare at her for indeterminable amounts of time, in which case he wasn't likely to excuse himself anytime soon; or he had no idea of what he was doing, where he was, or even whom he was with, in which case there was no telling how long it would be before he regained his senses.
She cleared her throat, in a way rather reminiscent of former (or is that future) Professor Umbridge, in an effort to get Tom's attention. He sat up a bit straighter, blinked a couple of times, and she knew that he was done, for now at least, with whatever it was that had just been going on.
"If you'll excuse me, Tom, I think I'm going to go for a walk around the grounds." Being outdoors seemed like an excellent idea; it felt like she hadn't been out of doors in at least a month. It of course held the slight risk of her thoughts being interrupted by practically anyone in the school; but then, after Tom's show of the night before, she had no idea whether there was a student who would risk interacting with her at all.
"That sounds like an excellent idea, Jane," he said with a smile. No, she thought furiously. Please don't… "Of course, I would be only too pleased to give you a tour. Hogwarts grounds are rather large, and can be confusing to those not properly acquainted." The smile on his face looked genuine – but then, it always did. And she was certain that nobody could possibly be that overly helpful; he had to be doing it on purpose.
Regardless, she couldn't risk another bout of relatively undeserved rudeness. Putting on her best imitation of a shy smile, trying to seem like she was trying very hard to not seem happier than she should be, she said, "That would be very nice, actually." And the two left the Great Hall.