Author's Note:To clear things up, no, this is not going to be a love triangle between Abraxas x Hermione x Tom. Just give them some time, though reviews might speed the process along. ;)

Disclaimer:I do not own anything but the plot. Everything belongs respectfully to JK Rowling and I am not using this fanfiction to make money.

Thanks to my betas, AllShadesofGrey and Annevader.


"Hello, Master Riddle." Hermione said shyly, looking at the ground. Abraxas had sat up, cleared his throat, and was now straightening his robes. His hair was the messiest that Hermione had ever seen, and everything pointed to the duo doing things that were far from innocent. Judging from the look on Riddle's face, he was jumping to conclusions. "I-I was just talking to Master Malfoy over here…" she trailed off as Riddle raised his eyebrows.

He clearly didn't buy it her innocent act, but she didn't expect him to. He wasn't the one who had a pea-sized brain like Gabriel did. Riddle stepped quietly into the room and let the door swing shut behind him. They were trapped in his cage. Not good.

"Master Malfoy?" Riddle snickered. "You didn't seem to have a problem calling him Abraxas a few minutes ago."

Abraxas seemed to be at a loss for words as well, as he stared determinedly at a spot right above his desk. Riddle crossed the room in large strides and sank into Abraxas's armchair. While he hadn't received permission, Hermione thought that both of them weren't in the position to lecture him. Not that that would've stopped her, except she was interested in hearing what Riddle had to say. So she settled with glaring at him instead.

"Since both of you don't feel like talking," Riddle said smoothly. "Why don't I start? Let me summarize this for you. You are," he pointed at Abraxas. "A pureblood wizard. And you are," he pointed at Hermione. "A mudblood slave. Have you got that so far?"

Abraxas had suddenly found his shoes very interesting. 'Way to bail on me,' Hermione thought irritably. Feeling a heavy lump in her throat, Hermione didn't dare to speak, and instead just nodded coldly, maintaining eye contact with him so he would know she wasn't scared of him. It was all useless, though; Riddle was pondering over something and didn't notice her. Finally, he said, "How long has this been going on?"

"A week," Abraxas responded softly. "Since about the second day that she got here." A lie here might've helped, but Hermione remembered that Riddle had a thing for deciphering lies. He was an exceptional wizard, but a conceited prick nevertheless.

Riddle's lips curled up into a sinister smirk as he crossed his legs leisurely, leaning back in his chair. He looked perfectly comfortable as she and Abraxas squirmed around. "So," he drawled slowly. "You two have been having a secret romance for an entire week, and no one noticed anything, yet I come here for two days and already have everything figured out?" He seemed awfully pleased with himself.

Hermione shook her head. "N-no, you misunderstand, Master Riddle. Mas-Abraxas and I are not having a secret romance." She entertained that idea in her head. She kept her mouth shut in case she spouted out something offensive. She used to be able to insult Nick to her heart's content, but it was clear that that kind of behavior was not normal here.

"As much as it pleases me, I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me Master Riddle," Riddle said. "Why don't you just call me Tom, Hermione?" He smiled charmingly at her.

"Uh, I can't," Hermione stammered. "I have to call you-"

"I don't see you calling Abraxas Master Malfoy when you two are…conversing." Riddle replied sharply. Abraxas flinched at the tone of his voice. Hermione glared at him, though once again, a perfectly good glare was wasted as he didn't seem to notice. "And you might as well drop your act. It's obvious that I can see right through it, and you're just wasting your energy and everyone's time trying to play a pitiless slave."

"Have it your way," Hermione said in a voice that rivaled Riddle's. He barely acknowledged it, though Abraxas glanced at her, surprised. "I'll stop my stuttering then. What would you like to talk about, Tom?"

Riddle smirked. "How about we talk about you? Who are you, and where did you come from?"

That's easy. She spent so longer memorizing her cover story that she could recite it in her sleep. "My name is Hermione Granger. I come from France. My parents died in a car crash when I was four, so I've been jumping around from place to place, helping out." She cast her eyes downwards, in what she hoped Riddle would perceive as the truth and pity her.

No such luck.

"That's a very interesting story," Riddle said, fiddling with his ring again. There was a peculiar black stone resting on the top of it, though it looked dull for some reason. "Why don't you tell me the truth?"

Abraxas's eyes widened a little, but Hermione just narrowed her eyes at Riddle. "I am not lying." She hissed at him. He said nothing, but raised his eyebrows, amused. She couldn't understand how he could enjoy this. "How do you know that that's not the truth? Did you look in to my background?" For some reason, the thought that Riddle spent time on her pleased her.

"You think I spent my time researching your background?" Riddle replied smoothly. "Rest assured, I don't waste my time on mudbloods." He leaned in, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "But that's not what you are, is it?"

Hermione stiffened, her face paling. Even if he was just guessing, it was an awfully good one. Hermione had done all she could to cover up her tracks, so how could he have known so easily? He was right; he had only been there for two days, yet he seemed to have uncovered her already.

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, no doubt to spew nasty insults to refute his claim, when she remembered that she and Riddle weren't in the room alone, and Abraxas was also there. His face had gone paler than hers, and he was staring at her incredulously. "You're not muggleborn?"

Hermione had opened her mouth and then shut it. If he believed Riddle so easily, there was no way she could convince him, not with Riddle in the room. She glanced at Riddle to see how he would handle it, but was shocked to see him standing up. "I have some things I need to finish up," he said, and then smirked. "I'll let you explain by yourself. Keep your hands to yourself."

Ah, so Riddle is a wimp himself, Hermione thought angrily.

Once Riddle was out of the room, Abraxas whirled to Hermione. "What is this?" he hissed at her. "I thought we were friends."

Hermione looked at him frostily. She was not trying to scare him, but his faith in her offended her. "Yes, that's what I thought too," she responded coldly.

"If we're friends," Abraxas glared at her, "why the hell are you lying to me?"

"How come you believe him and not me? Why is he suddenly right and I'm completely wrong?" Hermione snapped at him, her nasty temper resurfacing again. She made sure to keep her wand safely tucked in her pocket so she couldn't take it out out of habit.

"I don't know, maybe because everything is pointing to you being wrong," Abraxas said quietly. "I don't know what your background is, where you learn everything. Hell, everything that I do know about you, I don't know if it's true or not. How do you want me to trust you?"

Hermione was determinedly pissed now. "Yeah, but I expected your faith in me to be more than that," she snapped back. "You told me once that you had your own lies, remember? Why can you have your own lies and I can't?" And if I tell you my lies, Hermione added furiously in her brain, I'll get sentenced to a life in Azkaban.

"At least I admitted them," Abraxas glowered at her. "At least I let you know that I'm a wacked up person, and you're the one that decided to trust me. But with you, it's the opposite! I thought you were completely normal, and you spring this crap on me. And you don't even tell me about this. I have to hear it from Tom of all people. So why don't you go and be buddy-buddy with him?"

Hermione clenched her jaw. "You think I'm normal, Abraxas? If that's the case, then you don't know me at all. And, you think I'm consulting Riddle over you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time that it has happened."

"I can't believe you," Hermione fumed angrily, getting up and putting as much space between her and Abraxas as possible. She was too mad to care that it was perfectly right for Abraxas to become suspicious. She would've become suspicious if she was in his place. "I am not everyone else, Abraxas. Stop comparing me to other people." Her eyes flashed dangerously, and for a second, Abraxas looked startled. Then, his mask fell back in place.

"You're right; you're not everyone else. You're worse." His steely gaze cut through her coldly, his words cutting in to her. "Get out."

Hermione wasted no time, slamming the door behind her. It was late by now, but she knew that some people were still awake. However, she didn't care who caught her. She stomped down the hallway, making sure to smash everything in her sight.

Riddle smirked into the darkness. His plan had worked better than he would've ever imagined. He had hazarded a guess that the girl was not a mudblood; a mudblood could not be capable for performing the spells he had seen her perform with Abraxas. He had merely brought up the subject, and the girl had stiffened immediately. Perfect. Tom Riddle was never wrong. Now, he would just have to expose her other secrets.

He had to admit she had done a good job at covering up her tracks. He had spent the last few days researching irritably, but coming across dead ends. However, the girl would spill some time. While she had lived through his cruciatus curse without too much pain, something he was very angry about, could she live through ten? What about twenty? He could break her easily. He also had his legilimens to turn to. However, his first plan, which was the easiest to do, was to corner her. She was a girl, and he was a handsome boy. He would be surprised if she didn't start babbling to him all her dirtiest, darkest secrets.

If his deduction was correct, Abraxas would have yelled at her now and threw her out. Riddle knew him well enough to know that the boy hated being lied to, ever since that incident during their second year. All according to plan. He had needed to test her out before he asked her the important question. If she broke now, he was going to stop all investigations on her. He wasn't going to take some wussy girl on a trip with him. However, he was more curious about her than he had been about anyone else for years. It took more than a normal girl, even more so a slave at that, to break down Abraxas's walls.

"Tom," the girl next to him breathed. He had completely forgotten about her, and he quickly arranged a perfect smile. Not that it mattered; she couldn't see him much in the darkness anyways. He leaned closer to her, his fingers dancing up and down her arms, and she whimpered softly with excitement.

Pathetic.

"Hey," he said, feigning breathlessness as well. They were so close their noses were almost touching. The sigh she gave told him his acting was still as convincing as always. "We finally have some time together." His hand found hers and he squeezed it gently. He smirked when her breath caught. "I've been watching you."

"Have you, Tom?" she sounded flattered. Little did she know that he hadn't cast a single glance towards her direction in public. He had been too busy examining the bushy haired witch. "And I'm glad we can finally be together. I swear Walburga wouldn't stop looking at me," she giggled, and leaned in for a kiss. Through her excitement, she didn't realize that Riddle barely responded.

Riddle allowed the girl to pleasure herself with his lips for a while, and then pulled away. "Should you be talking about your Mistress like that?" he asked, rather amused. Not that he disagreed with her; Walburga was insane and was rather annoying. However, she knew her Dark Arts well, and could be useful to him in the future.

The girl seemed to make a face. "What Walburga doesn't won't hurt her." She grabbed the front of his robes and pulled him towards her again. Riddle fought the urge to get her hands off of his robes. He had just gotten them cleaned, and didn't need some pitiless slave touching them and soiling them.

"Wait," he stopped her before their lips could touch again. He could smell her breath on his nose, and fought the urge to pull away. He needed her cooperation on this. Even though she was a slave, he had to be careful. If he had simply attacked her and taken the item by force, word would reach Dumbledore in less than a day. He grimaced at the thought of how much power the old codger had over him. "Remember the item we were talking about? The item that you said you got?"

"Oh." The girl seemed stunned for a moment, and Riddle feared that he might've just wasted his time on nothing. However, the girl's face lighted up and she said, "Yes, yes. Of course. Would you like it now, Tom?"

"Yes, please." He tried to put on his best innocent face, while inside, he was smirking triumphantly. Victory. "If it wouldn't trouble you too much."

"Oh, no, it's my pleasure." She giggled again, and Riddle tried not to retch at the horrid sound. She swung over to the other side of her bed, and bent down near her luggage. Finally, he could get out of here. He was beginning to get sick of her strong perfume and the way her hair kept brushing against his eyes. Never had he ever met a girl as clumsy as her. For a girl who was happy on jumping on whichever wizard came by, he would've expected that she had more experience.

"Here you go, Tom," the girl turned around cheerfully, holding out a shiny object. Greedily, he took it into his hands, turning it over and examining it. It seemed to be the legitimate thing. His lips curled into a devious smirk, though before he could let his dark magic wrap around it possessively, he realized the girl was watching him. She was still waiting expectantly. She had served her purpose, and she was nothing but a nuisance now.

He had been surprised when she came up to him one night and told him she had the diadem. He hadn't believed her at first, telling himself that there was no way a slave could have something he had been looking for his whole life. However, as he held it in his hands, he could see that it was the real thing. There seemed to be something off about it, though he'd have to investigate it later.

"Thank you so much," he said, with a bit of triumph shining in his voice. "M-may I borrow it for a while? If it wouldn't be too much?" He batted his eyelashes a few extra times for the effect.

"Of course Tom." The girl gushed happily. "I have no use for it anyways, and I would love for you to have it. You can keep it, actually. I'm sure that you'll make good use of it." She giggled.

Foolish girl. Of course I will. What else would I want it for?

Riddle decided to indulge her one more time before he left. He did have an act to keep up, and it wouldn't do for her to get angry and start blabbing about him. He did not need any story to be conjured about him.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't have enough money for lodging, and he was not staying at Hogwarts for the summer. As if a school year of the stupid old codger wasn't enough. With even less people during summer break, Dumbledore was sure to keep an even closer eye on him. He couldn't accomplish anything at Hogwarts without him knowing about it. He would have to come to the Malfoy Manor again, and it wouldn't do to get on anyone's bad side. He didn't want any spiders or anything of that sort to be on his bed the next time he visited the Manor.

He pulled her towards her again, and she was happy to oblige. His lips sought hers, and he was irritated to find her arms wrapping around his body. It would be harder for him to get away like that. Just as he was starting to make his move, he was saved as the door flung open and the two of them broke apart.

The Granger girl was leaning on the door frame, her hands crossed and her face blank. He sat up and straightened himself out, but not before smirking at her. She rolled her eyes before looking at the girl he had been snogging just a few moments ago. Her lips were parted, her eyes full of lust, and her cheeks tinged with red.

Disgusting.

"Oh, sorry." Granger said, not sounding particularly apologetic. Her cold eyes flicked between the two of them. "You alright there, Lav?"

"Yes, yes." Lavender glared at her. "Now if you will just leave, Hermione, I would appreciate it. Oh, and also, close the door."

"Actually," Riddle said, standing up smoothly. Lavender pouted, and Hermione simply raised her eyebrows at him. "I have something I need to talk about with Granger here." He ignored Lavender's protesting, and cocked his head towards Granger. "Right, Granger?"

She gave him a look like she was trying to figure him out. He just gave her a sideways smirk, giving nothing else away. She glanced at Lavender, who was glaring wholeheartedly at her. She sighed. "Fine." she said nonchalantly. "I'll see you later, Lav." She mock waved.

The girl was fuming angrily, so before she could blow up and cause a racket, he bent down and pecked her on the cheek. He could see out of the corner of his eyes Granger rolling her eyes at his antics, and he repressed a smirk. Lavender's eyes wandered to his lips, and then went downwards, before coming back to his eyes. "I'll see you later, Lav," he said, and winked. He watched, thoroughly amused, as the girl melted into a puddle.

Granger muttered something that sounded strangely like 'insufferable showoff.' She then cleared her throat, but Riddle didn't miss her smirk. "You coming, Riddle?"

"Yes." He tore his eyes away from Lavender, who had fallen back against her bed happily. "Come on, Granger. Let's get things sorted out."

"Yes," she looked him in the eyes as he exited Lavender's room. "We have a lot of sorting out to do."

The two of them quickly walked out of the kitchen and into the hallways. Riddle leaned casually against the wall, while Hermione lingered near the stairs. If he tried anything fishy on her, she'd at least have an escape route to turn to. She also didn't want to talk to him in the hallways, as one of the Malfoys could come and catch them, but she didn't want to be in a room alone with Riddle either.

"So, Riddle," Hermione mimicked his posture, crossing her arms and meeting his gaze head on. "You wanted to talk to me about something? Or maybe," she smiled at him innocently. "You just wanted an excuse to ditch Lavender, didn't you?"

Riddle raised his eyebrows and displayed a look of mock hurt. "Now, why would I do that?" He asked earnestly. "We both know Lavender is a well likeable figure." He almost snorted, but refrained himself. "Why would I not enjoy her company?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Because, you were only snogging her to get what you wanted. While Lavender may not see it, it's quite obvious."

"Oh, is it really?" Riddle smirked. "I seem to be an open book to you. Then, Granger, what exactly do I want from Lavender?"

"An open book," Hermione scoffed. "You are far from that, Riddle. And I'm guessing you took some kind of jewelry." Hermione shrugged. "It looks pretty shiny, and I can't think of anything else Lavender would own. I've seen most of her belongings, and almost all of them have to do with jewelry or make up of some kind."

"It looks shiny?" Riddle raised an eyebrow and looked down. The end of the item was peeking of his robes. He frowned slightly; he had been sure he had concealed it properly. For some reason he couldn't explain, he pulled out the item and showed it to Granger. "It's a tiara,"

"I can see that," Hermione smirked. "So, are you going to start playing dress up with Lavender soon? Or maybe you want to be a princess?"

"No," Riddle snapped at her, suddenly defensive. "This tiara has a lot more value than a stupid dress up item." He stashed it back in his robes and glared at her.

"Alright, alright." Hermione held her hands up, but not before she rolled her eyes and muttered 'over-reacting prick' under her breath. "No need to defend your tiara so avidly. Your business is your own."

"Speaking of business," Riddle countered, immediately changing the subject into one where he was not under pressure. "How is your business going?" He smirked as Hermione scowled at him. "How did the lover's spat go?"

"For the last time, Abraxas and I are not dating, nor will we ever go out." She glared at him.

Riddle responded in a voice that was sickening sweet. "But I was right, wasn't I?" He watched in satisfaction as Hermione stiffened. "Are you a pureblood or a half blood?" He leaned in closer. "Who are your parents? Why are you impersonating as a mudblood witch?" He was so close to her now that she could feel his cold breath on her skin. "Who are you really?"

"Like I would tell you," Hermione shoved him off of her, his close proximity making her uncomfortable. He sighed. "Nice try, Riddle."

"You didn't deny that you weren't a mudblood, though. Not before, in Abraxas's room, and not now." He smirked when Hermione realized that he was, in fact, correct.

Hermione took a deep breath and pushed herself away from the wall. "Well, if that's all you wanted from me, I'm going to sleep." She had known, before she said anything, that he wouldn't let her go that easily. He wouldn't have made such a huge effort to corner her if that was the case.

"Actually, Granger, there is something I want from you. Something you have been very reluctant to give me." He said smoothly. "I want answers."

"Well, Riddle," Hermione cocked her head to the side. She should not be engaging him in a conversation. She should just walk away. He was dangerous, and he already knew more than he should. However, Hermione found her mouth moving on its own accord. "Looks like you're not getting them."

"No?" Riddle quirked an eyebrow and leaned in, effectively trapping her against the wall. This time, Hermione found that she couldn't find the strength to lift her arms and push him away. His breath landed on the neck, and goose bumps formed along her arms. She quickly hid them behind her body, but judging at the smirk that had appeared on his face, he had seen them. She glanced down at her arms, thoroughly disgusted. "You sure about that, Granger?"

"What are you doing, Riddle?" She regarded him coolly. Hermione was proud that her voice didn't shake, even though she was sure her heart was pounding so loud that even Riddle could hear it. "You know I'm not affected by whatever you're doing."

"I don't believe you," Riddle leaned down so their noses were almost touching. It was the sheer thought that those same lips had touched Lavender's just moments ago that made her find the strength to push against his chest. He let out a chuckle at her sigh of frustration when he didn't budge. She contemplating whether or not to kick him in the groin, but decided to save that strategy for later.

He pressed his mouth against her ear. "You're an interesting creature, Granger." he purred into her ear. "I will have fun digging out all your secrets and breaking you."

With that, the spell was broken.

"You'll never win, Riddle," Hermione shot back, giving up at attempting to push him off of her. He was strong, and while she was most certain she could push him off of her if she really wanted to, she didn't want to make a racket in the middle of the hallway. She, however, turned her face so he got a face full of her bushy hair. Riddle retracted himself and grimaced, and Hermione smirked back. "Why don't you just give up?"

His lips curled up slightly, and leaned in again, and she felt rather than saw him smile against her ear. "Now, where is the fun in that?" She did her best to make sure her body was as responsive as a rock. "You're an exceptional witch, Miss Granger, for being able to put up your act for this long. Let's see how long you'll last."

"Riddle," she snarled at him. While the act had been amusing at first, it was starting to get really annoying. Not to mention, she did not enjoy getting pinned to a wall. "You should—"

"Hey, Hermione!" Abraxas came bustling into the hallway. "I should apologize for what I did earlier. It was immoral, and you were right. You are entitled to have your own secrets, and…" he trailed off, finally noticing the compromising position that they were in. His eyebrows shot up so high, they disappeared under his blonde hair. His face crinkled in confusion, but, to Hermione's relief, he didn't look angry.

"Hi, Abraxas." Hermione said as Riddle straightened himself up and brushed off his robes. "Riddle here was just leaving."

"On the contrary," Riddle replied smoothly. "I think I'll stay. I wouldn't want to miss your heartfelt apology for the world, Abraxas." He smirked, and Hermione glared at him.

Abraxas stared at the two of them, trying to figure out what was going on. "Erm, okay." He still looked very confused, though of what, Hermione didn't know. "Like I was saying before, you know," he cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that. I let my emotions get ahead of me. I hope you can forgive me." He bowed his head, though he never took his eyes off of Hermione. I was thinking about it after you left," Abraxas admitted easily. "I replayed the conversation in my mind a couple of times, and realized how stupid I sounded. I'm really sorry. I let some stupid thing interfere with our friendship."

Riddle, who was trying not to roll his eyes the whole time, said smoothly, "Oh, so I'm just a stupid thing, am I?"

Abraxas paled considerably, seemingly having forgotten that Riddle was also there. Hermione just rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, you are, Riddle."

Riddle glared at her.

"But anyways," Hermione turned back to Abraxas and beamed. The action, though foreign, felt nice. "I forgive you."

Hermione smiled at him, and he smiled back, relieved that she had forgiven him relatively quickly, and the two of them just stood there, smiling at each other, until Riddle cleared his throat irritably. "If you two are done here," he said offhandedly, "I would like to move on with my life."

"No one asked you to stay," Hermione replied cheekily. Abraxas's apology had done wonders to her mood, though she figured that Riddle must've made it drop pretty low for her to feel so much better at a simple apology. "You wanted to stay, so now you have to put up with our cheesiness."

Abraxas frowned. "We're not cheesy."

Hermione reached over and messed up his hair, just because she could. Abraxas scowled at her, but she could see amusement glinting in his eyes. "Sure we aren't." she cast a sideways glance at Riddle, who had edged farther and farther away from them. "Leaving already, Riddle?"

"Yes, the two of you are positively disgusting," he made a face, and headed down the hall to his room. Hermione watched, amused, as his back disappear around the corner, only to have it reappear moments later.

"Granger?" He called out, locking his eyes with hers.

"Yes, Riddle?"

"I want you to come with us to Little Hangleton tomorrow."

"And what did you say?"

"I said yes, of course," Hermione muttered, leaning back against her chair. She had approximately half an hour to pack everything she needed for the trip. "What else would I say, Harry? He's a wizard. I need to listen to him." She nearly snorted, but refrained from doing so. The only reason she accepted was because she wanted to get out of this house.

Why would Riddle want her to go with him? She would only be an extra weight that he'd have to carry around. Riddle probably had something planned, and Hermione had no idea what it was. His element of surprise was his biggest weapon, and Hermione realized, frustrated, that there was nothing she could do about it.

The two of them were in Hermione's room, Harry watching as Hermione packed. She had retrieved her never ending bag, or the bottomless pit, as she liked to call it, and was now stuffing everything she knew in it. She couldn't take everything, of course, but she was going to take as much as she could. Books, paper, her research. And of course, Nick's letter.

Harry sighed. "I know that, of course. It's just—" he trailed off, staring at the clock above Hermione's head. "Riddle's dangerous, Hermione. I don't like him."

"Don't worry, I don't like him either," she reassured him. That was the understatement of the year. She despised him for wanting to know more than he should, even though that was exactly what she would've done. "He knows more than he should and he always sticks his nose where he belongs."

His frown only intensified. "Look, Hermione. I know you have your secrets, and I have mine. I respect that, and you respect it as well. However, Riddle…I see the way he looks at you. You're a mystery to him, Hermione. And he'll stop at nothing to find out your secrets. "

"I know," Hermione stuffed her clothes in her never ending bag. She wasn't sure how long they would be staying in Little Hangleton, but she had to be prepared. "He straight out told me, Harry."

Harry's jaw dropped. "He told you?" he asked incredulously. "Why are you still going with him then?"

"Are you deaf?" she asked, irritated that she couldn't find her deck of cards she had stashed under her bed. She was sure they had been there when she had last looked. "I just told you why I had to go."

"Go tell your Prince Charming to call it off," Harry said simply. "You belong to the Malfoy family, not the Riddle family. If any of the Malfoys don't want you to go, Riddle can't make you."

"You're wrong about that." Hermione's hand skimmed across the deck, and she retrieved it happily. "Riddle has absolute authority over here. And besides, I'm not the only one with the secrets." Hermione smirked to herself, a look of menace appearing on her face. "I'll have fun finding out his as well."

"You're kind of scary sometimes," Harry said, causing Hermione to grin. Harry sighed again. "Just be careful, alright? I don't want you getting hurt or anything…" he trailed off, staring at Hermione, who was on all fours, looking under her cabinet. "What are you looking for?"

Hermione made a muffled sound that sounded strangely like 'bouncy ball.'

Harry shook his head. "I don't want to know what other types of things you're packing." Hermione stifled a laugh. "Don't get too carried away, though," Harry continued quietly, searching through the box of belongings she had next to her bed. "Riddle's suspicious enough as it is. Don't give him more of a reason to doubt that there's more to you."

"Yes, Harry, I know," she caught the pink ball he threw at her and stashed it away. That seemed to be all her belongings. "I'll be careful. You don't need to worry about me. I'm a big girl."

"Why would Harry worry about you?"

Hermione stifled a sigh and turned around, Lavender standing near the door, looking at the scene in front of her curiously. Hermione had planned to just leave a note for the girl and not face her before she left, but that plan just flew out the window. Every time she looked at her, she saw the girl with her lips plastered to Riddle's. It thoroughly disgusted her when people showed public displays of affection, though it had been her who had barged in without knocking.

"Uh, hey, Lav," Hermione said. Without her hand there to support the bag, it tumbled out of her lap and onto the floor with a thud. Lavender's gaze shifted to it, and Hermione could almost see the gears turning in her head. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Lavender said slowly, and then scanned around the room. Hermione had emptied out almost all the contents, so it was pretty much completely empty. "The better question would be what's up with you."

"Hermione just has a death wish and she's going on a trip with Riddle and Prince Charming," Harry said gruffly. "No big deal."

Crap. She had forgotten to tell Harry about the position she had found Lavender and Riddle in earlier, and by looking at Lavender's face, the girl was far from happy. She gave Hermione a glare that could've made Riddle himself cringe and actually growled.

"What the hell?" Lavender asked her angrily, advancing on her. Hermione stared back at her, unflinching. "First, you go and disrupt my private moment with Tom, and now you have the nerve to run away with him? Who do you think you are?"

Harry shot her a surprised look, but Hermione couldn't deal with him right now. "I am not running away with him. Calm down. And for your information, Riddle was the person who asked me." She snapped. "So why don't you go yell at him instead of me?"

"You're lying," Lavender shook her head. "Why would Tom ask you? You probably threw yourself at him, didn't you? You annoyed him so much that he had to ask you, and yet now you're blaming it on him? You must be more desperate than I thought."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. "And why would you think that? Do I look like the type of girl who throws herself at random wizards?"

"Yes," Lavender told her matter-of-factly. Hermione scowled. This was like her fight with Abraxas all over again. She really was not in the mood. "Why else would Tom take you and not me? I'm the person he likes, not you. You don't even like him, Hermione, so why don't you just give up and give the spot to me?"

"Hold on," Hermione held her hands up, trying not to lash out at the girl for being so stupid. "According to your logic, I don't like him, but I'm still willing to throw myself at him? Is that what you're saying?"

"Alright, you two," Harry cut in, still clueless. "Break it up." He was met by two furious glares, and he shrunk back, wisely deciding not to say anything more.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Lavender hissed at her. "I don't know what you're doing, but stop it right now. It's not your place to engage in romantic activities with a wizard."

Romantic activities? With Riddle? Is he even capable of performing such acts?"Oh, and you are?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, and Lavender's face flushed red with anger. "Have you forgotten, Lavender? You and I are the same. We're both slaves. Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?"

"I'm different!" Lavender screeched. "I'm unique! Tom chose me! He didn't choose you! This is not fair!"

"You know what, Lavender? I don't care. You can have him. Like I said, I never wanted him anyways." The angry look on Lavender's face melted away into a triumphant, proud grin. Hermione never wanted to smack anyone more. How the two of them could've gotten along for the past week was beyond her. "This trip is the one and only time I will ever come in contact with Riddle, so you don't need to worry."

"Why don't you just cancel the trip?" Lavender asked. "Don't give me that crap about Tom being a wizard. Just call in sick, and I'll offer to take your place. That way, everyone is happy."

"I'm not going to lie just for your sake, Lavender," Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I'm in enough trouble as it is. Listen closely, Lavender. You may believe yourself to be in love with Riddle, but I hope that one day, you'll see him for what he really is. He's a manipulative, conceited prick who-"

"If you finish that sentence, Granger, I may have to hurt you."

There, standing near the door, was the subject himself. And judging from the smug look on his face, he heard their whole argument.

"Tom!" Lavender squealed happily, a huge smile stretched out on her face. She looked nothing like the girl who had wanted to de-head Hermione moments ago. Hermione simply sneered at the girl's back, wondering what was wrong with her.

"Lavender." Riddle responded coolly, but barely glanced at her. His blue-grey eyes were staring into Hermione's hazel ones, and he wore a smirk. Lavender's smile quickly died down, and she glared at Hermione furiously.

"Riddle," Hermione sighed tiredly. She was not in the mood to deal with him, nor his smugness right now, especially with Lavender watching right there. "Is there something you needed?"

"Can't you believe I'm here to enjoy your company?" Riddle smirked, causing Hermione to roll her eyes. Lavender seemed to take it literally, and her face grew even redder. Hermione quickly moved away from her in case the girl decided to slap her.

"Yeah, sure," Hermione snorted. "Because we enjoy each other's presence so much." Lavender didn't seem to understand sarcasm, as her eyes were still shooting daggers.

"That certainly isn't what you thought when we were talking, earlier," he wore a pleasant smile, but Hermione could see a smirk under it. "I'm positive you weren't enjoying my presence at all. That was why you were obviously melting into a puddle when I talked to you."

That was aimed at Lavender, and it worked. The girl's anger flared up even more that it already was. Harry's eyebrows shot up so high, they disappeared under his shaggy hair. He had a look of disbelief on his face.

Hermione was unfazed. "You forced yourself on me, Riddle. Don't try to blame this on me."

"Keep telling that to yourself, Granger." Riddle said loftily, but there was an amused tone in his voice. He was definitely enjoying this way too much. "We both know what you really feel about me."

Hermione didn't dignify herself to respond, and instead just glared with the ferocity her father used had taught her.

Riddle narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second and sighed again. "Sarcasm aside, I'm here to escort you upstairs. You were supposed to come up five minutes ago."

Her argument with Lavender had caused the time to fly by rather fast. "Okay, okay," she gathered up her never ending bag. "I'm coming."

"Why?" Lavender suddenly found her voice, and Hermione was surprised at how strong it was. "Why her, and not me, Tom?" Hermione didn't admit it, but she was rather curious about that as well. She listened carefully.

A sadistic sneer spread across his face, but Hermione knew that it was as fake as her 'supposed feelings for Riddle' were, and Hermione knew that whatever was going to come out of his mouth wasn't going to be good. "That's because," he said, grabbing Hermione's arm as she walked near him. She winced slightly as his finger nails pressed into her skin, an action that was not unnoticed by Harry. He frowned, and stared concernedly at Hermione. "I wanted a realwitch to accompany me."

Whatever was left of Lavender's happiness deflated immediately, and Hermione momentarily directed her anger at Riddle. There was nothing left in her. "What the hell?" She asked furiously, ripping her arm out of his grasp. "You didn't have to be so rude."

"Shut it, Granger." His eyes locked into hers, but Hermione saw no trace of remorse, not trace of anything. Not that she expected to find anything; she knew Riddle had the perfect poker face, and even if he did feel remorse, he would certainly not show it. "You've kept Abraxas waiting for long enough as it is with your stupid banter. We have to leave now."

Yeah, like you care if Abraxas has been waiting.However, she allowed Riddle to drag herself out of the room, and she cast one last look into it. Lavender was sobbing pitilessly on her bed. Hermione herself was still appalled by Lavender's words. The blonde actually had the nerve to accuse her of it all.First Abraxas, and now even Lavender was taken away from her because of Riddle. Hermione glared at him, and he returned with a smirk, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking. He was insufferable, and she began planning a thousand ways she could kill him, just because he annoyed her.

Harry was still in the same position he had been when Lavender had burst into her room. His eyes flicked between Riddle and Hermione, and his forehead creased slightly. His face was still a mixture of confusion and disbelief, but there was also a little bit of concern. 'Be careful,' he mouthed at her. 'Stay safe.'

If only it was that easy.

To Be Continued…