Author's Note: Haha, I failed my first deadline. I had about five essays to write, and a midterm on Saturday, so I didn't actually get started until Saturday afternoon. I might change my schedule to once every two weeks. We'll see. On a second note, I started making an outline for what I'm going to write for each individual chapter. Major spoiler: Tom and Hermione interact. Bet you didn't know that. ;)

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 beta, AllShadesOfGrey!

Thanks for reviewing and reading my story. You guys are the best!

Vanilla Sensation, Allie Riddle, sweets1111, Zombie Reine, CathyCullen16, Angellwriter, Kareanna, morpheusandmuse, andiescandieee, Red Sphinx, Brooke Alanah


"Cygnus," Hermione said, suddenly serious. He turned towards her, and Hermione could see the panic etched in his eyes. "I need you to go back to Hogwarts and stay there until I come back. Don't tell anyone about this."

Cygnus gaped at her. "If you think I'm crazy, and let you just go by yourself, I'm not going to let you-"

"Please, Cygnus" She said tiredly. She was in no mood to argue with him, and she was wasting time standing there and arguing with him.

Cygnus crossed his hands in front of his chest and scowled. "No."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She was going to save his best friend for him, yet he still didn't let her go? She understood his protectiveness, but she couldn't bring him along. Not only was he likely to get killed, but she would get slowed down.

"I think you're underestimating this," Cygnus said. "Do you realize what this is? This is Grindelwald'ssymbol. Do you know Grindelwald?" He looked at her.

Hermione's eyebrow twitched. "Of course I know Grindelwald."

"You think you can singlehandedly defeat him?" Cygnus asked, looking at her. Hermione took a deep breath, trying to control herself. She didn't know if, when she opened her mouth, she was going to scream in frustration or laugh at the irony of the situation. Neither option seemed particularly welcoming. "I don't know where you're from, but you're clearly underestimating him if you think you can just go by yourself-"

"Cygnus," she said softly. "I think you're underestimating me."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, she struck the back of his head, and he slumped over. She caught him, and laid him down near the Forbidden Forest, but still protected by the Hogwarts wards. She disillusioned him, silently apologizing. She couldn't bring him along and risk his life. What good would it be if she brought Violetta back and left Cygnus there to die?

Hermione took a deep breath. She would be meeting her father again. It was a little too early for her liking, but she didn't have a choice. She fingered her necklace. Her father had given it to her before, telling her that the little circle in the middle was actually a portkey. However, him being ever so careful, he attached a secret code to it. She spun the dial seven times, and then the portkey activated, dragging her with it.

"Hermione, dear, what brings you here?"

Hermione scowled at her father as she was brought into a tiny room. Grindelwald sat on a chair, drinking wine out of his goblet. His robes looked similar to Dumbledore's. They were both crimson red. The room and the situation reminded Hermione strangely of Riddle and his little group.

"You know why I'm here," Hermione scowled at him. She looked around, trying to have any clue to indicate where she was. She came up with nothing.

His grin widened, and he twirled his cup between his fingers. "I do not. Please enlighten me."

Hermione gritted her teeth. She guessed that if one was powerful enough, they could be as annoying as they wanted, hence why Riddle and her father were both insufferable pricks. "Where's Violetta?"

Before her father could answer, another man bustled in to the room and immediately kneeled before him. He had short blond hair, a scrawny face, and was rather short. She recognized him as Russell, one of her father's closest confidants. She had never really paid him any attention, but to her defense, neither had he.

"My Lord," Russell said, and Hermione was struck on how similar the situation was to Riddle's meeting. I guess the high and mighty like being addressed with superiority, though if it was up to me, I wouldn't want anyone to ever call me 'My Lord.' "Stalin and the others reported that Mission 1662 was completed successfully."

My mission was mission 1231,Hermione thought. There seemed to be a lot of missions since she was gone. Most of the time, the mission were tiny things like stealing a certain object. It was quick, unlike hers. However, four hundred thirty one missions was a little over the top. Guess he's finally started to expand his power

"Very well. They will be rewarded." Hermione didn't miss the envious glint in Russell's eyes, but apparently Grindelwald did. Her father took a sip from his goblet before continuing. "You are dismissed. I will contact you with any more information."

"Yes, sir," Russell said, getting up. Hermione moved aside to let him pass by her, and the little movement caused his eyes to stray to her. His eyes widened in recognition, and before Hermione could process anything, he lunged for her, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Where is he?" he hissed. "Where are you hiding him?"

Hermione stared at him, too shocked to say anything. Russell clutched the front of her sweatshirt and shook her, his eyes narrowed. Her silence seemed to tick him off more, and he bared his teeth at her threateningly. Her hand inched towards her wand in her pocket just in case he decided to do anything suspicious.

"I know you have him." Russell said angrily. "That stupid rodent that keeps evading my grasp. Where is he?How dare you hide him from me!"

Nick. Hermione closed her mouth and stared at him defiantly, all her fear gone. Russell most likely knew that Nick was in Hogwarts, so maybe he was wondering where Nick went over the breaks. She wasn't going to endanger both Nick and the Weasleys. She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. Maybe he saw it on her face, because he scowled furiously and looked as if he were going to beat her up when someone cleared their throat loudly behind them.

"Russell," Grindelwald said in a clear voice, and Russell reluctantly released his grip on Hermione's sweatshirt. He didn't move from his close proximity, though, and he kept sneaking glares at her. "I would appreciate if you did not murder my daughter."

Russell nodded and said, "Yes, My Lord. I apologize." An awkward silence spanned as the man didn't seem to take the hint that his presence was not wanted.

Her father finally sighed. "Russell, you are dismissed."

Now that he had said it, Russell had no choice but to obey. However, before he left, he shot one last threatening glare at Hermione. She met his gaze evenly, and that seemed to make him even more furious. With a swirl of his cloak, he was gone. Hermione hoped she wouldn't see him again for a long time. Without her father's presence, he would most definitely attack her. While she didn't think she had any trouble dueling with him, it would be rather tiresome.

"Now, Hermione," Grindelwald said. He twirled his goblet and gestured towards her. "Why don't you sit down? We have so much to catch up on, and this conversation will be no means short." He leaned back in his chair comfortably.

"No," Hermione scowled at him. She didn't like sitting down in front of her father. There was the fact that it made her so much shorter than him, and she needed to be ready on her feet in case someone decided to do something.

"As you wish," Grindelwald purred. "Now, why do you say you are here? Other than to appreciate my presence, of course."

Egoistic bastard."Violetta," Hermione gritted out.

"Violetta?" Grindelwald mused. "Oh, is that the name of my newest collection? Such a pretty name for a pretty girl…I think I may keep her." He looked at her, as if gauging her reaction.

Hermione knew he was playing with her. He had no need to keep a random schoolgirl, and Hermione saw no advantage for him to do so. However, she still felt fury surge through her body, and she scowled at him. "No. Give her back. I need to bring her back to Hogwarts."

Grindelwald clucked his tongue in amusement. "Such anger I see in your eyes. I suppose the report was correct when they mentioned that you were getting rather…attached to your friends." Hermione could hear a disapproving tone in his voice.

Hermione's blood froze over. "How come you didn't tell me?" she demanded. "Shouldn't I be able to know who else is a spy at Hogwarts so we can work together?"

Her father shook his head disapprovingly. "I didn't send her so the two of you could work together." Her. It was a girl. Hermione thought hard, and came up with several candidates of who she could be. She would have to investigate more. "I sent her to make sure that you were on track." He rested his head on his hands. "It seemed as if you are getting rather…distracted."

Hermione hated when people were watching her, especially if she didn't know who exactly it was. Even more so if her father knew who it was, and wasn't going to tell her. "I am not getting distracted,"

"No?" Grindelwald raised an eyebrow. "So you weren't parading through the school with Misters Malfoy and Black?" He didn't mention Riddle, Hermione thought. Guess the two of us aren't 'friendly' enough for the spy.

Hermione flushed angrily at the mention of her friends, but raised her head to meet his gaze evenly. "They mean nothing to me," she lied, hoping her face didn't betray her feelings. "You always said that the best of spies could trick anyone they wanted."

Grindelwald's eyes twinkled, though very unlike Dumbledore's. His held a mad glint in it. "Yes, but when I said that, I meant important people who held power and information, not little schoolboys with disgusting desires."

Hermione's eyebrows twitched, but she couldn't come up with a retort. The two families did have power, but it wasn't the kind of power that her father was seeking for. He didn't care for money; he had plenty of that himself.

"Tell me," Grindelwald purred. "How are things going at Hogwarts? Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes." Hermione said curtly. Had it been anyone else—even Riddle—she would've babbled on and on. However, seeing how this was her father, she figured the less information she gave him, the better. "It's going well."

"Make sure it does," he replied smoothly. "And how about your friend?"

"Which one?" she replied bitterly.

Grindelwald's smile widened. "Why, Nick, of course. Russell has been complaining to me nonstop after your friend decided to take refuge in Hogwarts. It is quite dreadfully boring to listen to him obsess over your friend."

Your friend. Not 'my son,' but 'your friend.' Hermione glared at him. "What Nick does is none of your business."

Her father seemed to be amused. "No?" he asked, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of who she was talking to. She tried not to shrink back, though she desperately wanted to. "I have to admit, I didn't expect him to be that cowardly, running and hiding under Albus Dumbledore." Hermione didn't miss the edge in his voice as he spoke of her Transfiguration teacher. "However, even that won't stop me from getting what I want."

"No!" Hermione said, eyes wide. "P-please don't hurt him. Please."

Grindelwald looked pleased. "But you know, Hermione dear," he purred. "I do not give in to mere begging. I expect something in return."

I will give anything. "What do you want?" she croaked out.

Grindelwald smiled, but to her displeasure, he changed the topic. "My daughter, do you know why I allowed you to go to Hogwarts? Do you know what your mission is?"

"Dumbledore?" Who else?

Her father looked genuinely surprised, before masking it with a smirk. "Why yes, your mission is my dear old friend, Albus." There was a false tone in his voice, though, and it made Hermione grow suspicious. If not, then what?"How is he? Have you met him?"

"Yes, he's my professor." Hermione said. She didn't want to add anything that might offend her father, but she didn't want to insult Dumbledore behind his back either. He, in her opinion, was one of the best professors she had.

"Does he still have his dreadful obsession with lemon drops?"

Hermione didn't know why he cared, but nodded. Before she could elaborate further, another man came in. This time he had an afro, and Nick's words suddenly echoed in her mind. Stalin. He took no notice of her and knelt down at Grindelwald's feet.

"My Lord," he said dutifully.

"Stalin, what great pleasure to see you," Her father said, putting down his empty goblet. A maid scuttled out of nowhere and took it with shaking fingers before hurrying back into the shadows. Hermione frowned; her father had never been one to use maids. He always used house elves. "What news do you bring for me?"

"He told me that the girl has escaped from Hogwarts," Stalin said, bending his head so low his nose almost touched the floor. Hermione raised an eyebrow. What girl?

Grindelwald chuckled. "Yes, I know. My daughter is right behind you, after all."

Stalin jerked his head up, narrowing his eyes when he saw her. Hermione met his gaze evenly. Am I really that invisible?Suddenly, something that the man said registered in her mind. 'He told me that the girl has escaped from Hogwarts.'There was a boy spy as well? How many of them were there?

"Forgive me for interrupting your reunion," Stalin said smoothly, standing up and brushing himself off. "Is there anything you require of me, My Lord?"

"Tell him I am greatly pleased in him," Grindelwald replied. "He will be rewarded soon enough."

Stalin nodded respectfully and spun away, though not before Hermione saw a prideful glint in his eyes. Huh, perhaps the said spy was related to Stalin? She dug through her memory, but she couldn't remember Stalin being anything but solo.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione demanded once Stalin left.

Her father's grin was infuriating. "Tell you what?"

"How many spies are there?" Hermione asked. "How come you have so many people running around for you, and I don't know anything about it? I'm yourdaughter! I deserve to know!"

As soon as she said it, her father's face changed to an expressionless mask. Hermione gulped. "Being my daughter does not give you extra rights," he said dangerously. All her previous bravado gone, Hermione could only nod. "If you were truly my daughter, you would have taken the time to written me letters on how the mission was going." Right, I forgot.Hermione mentally smacked herself. She cursed herself for being so stupid. "Next time, instead of spending time with your precious Nick, why don't you think about who let you attend Hogwarts in the first place?"

Hermione kept her head low. "Yes, Father."

"Do not test my limitations. Ignore me again, and you'll find that I can be much crueler than taking your friend in order to contact you." His clear blue eyes met hers, and Hermione was reminded again about why she feared him so much. "Are we clear?"

Violetta was taken because of me, Hermione thought. She was taken because of my careless mistake. She could've been hurt because of me."It won't happen again, Father." She whispered.

"Make sure it doesn't." He snapped his fingers. The maid from earlier scuttled back in. However, this time, she was carrying a dozing Violetta. Hermione smiled slightly in reassurance at the maid when she neared her, but the maid cast a look of horror and hurried away. Hermione crouched down and brushed the hair off of Violetta's face. There seemed to be no physical damage to her, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"I obliviated her memory," her father said. She hadn't realized he had gotten up from his chair until he was towering over her. "Get her back to her dorm and don't make anyone suspicious. If you disappoint me one more time, Hermione," he looked at her. "I will make no promises."

"Yes, Father," she said, before pulling Violetta with her in side apparition. She had seen enough of her father for the time being, and she needed some time to herself to seriously on her position on this whole, elaborate plan that her father thought up that was more complicated than she dared to imagine.

Hermione yawned tiredly, heading towards the common room. It was five in the morning, though she still couldn't sleep. Her recent encounter with her father had her rolling around, and classes started in three hours anyway. She didn't think she'd be able to fall asleep before then.

Cygnus had woken up by the time she had dragged an unconscious Violetta back to Hogwarts, and he was livid. She had no doubt he would've yelled at her if they weren't currently on the field after curfew. Cygnus was suspicious, but he didn't seem to put the puzzle pieces together, much to Hermione's relief. She didn't want to obliviate him. Not only would it make her feel terrible—he didn't do anything, after all—but she had a great risk of getting caught.

I can't believe Father overlooked him, Hermione snorted.

However, she had a feeling she wasn't off the hook with Cygnus yet. He had grudgingly let her go when he was ensured that Violetta was safely in her bed. However, he was most likely going to start questioning her tomorrow, and she had to be extra careful to not let anything important slip. What's more, she didn't know what he knew. Her father had known that she would be put in to an awkward position, and it seemed as if he didn't care. There was nothing she held against him. What was she going to do if Dumbledore or someone else arrested her? She didn't even know where her father was. He could easily shut down the portkey.

Hermione stumbled in to the common room and was surprised to see a figure draped over one of the sofas. She paused slightly, not wanting to answer questions from a random first year Slytherin about why she was up so late, but then saw it was Riddle. His chest was moving up and down, and his eyes were closed. He looked rather vulnerable for once, and Hermione smiled as she slid in to the sofa next to him, being careful not to shake the sofa in the process.

His eyes popped open, startling her. She hadn't realized he was awake. He grinned toothily at her, a look that was foreign on his face. "Hey, Hermione," he said cheerily, and Hermione stared. That was the first time he had addressed her by her first name. He didn't seem to notice anything wrong, and instead sat up and placed his hands in his lap and beamed at her. He reminded Hermione of a kindergartener who was about to receive a birthday gift.

"Hi, Riddle," she eyed him, still slightly suspicious. "Why are you up so early?"

"Early?" he repeated, a loopy grin on his face. "It's not early. Look," he gestured towards the window. "It's still dark."

"Riddle, that's because there's curtains," she explained, trying to decide whether or not to laugh or go find him serious help. Maybe he was playing dumb with her because that was his idea of fun. "The sun is up."

"Is it really?" Riddle giggled, and Hermione finally realized something. The giggle ticked her off. She had never heard him giggle, and the sound scared her. "I like the sun. It's bright."

"Are you drunk?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Drunk? No." Riddle replied cheerfully, sliding closer to her. "I just had a teeny little sip of Firewhiskey, that's all. Dumbledore would have my head if I were drunk."

"You're drunk, Riddle," Hermione sighed. Who would have thought that the high and mighty Tom Riddle would fall under the influences of alcohol?

Riddle surprised her even more by stamping his feet loudly. "I am not drunk!"

"Whatever you say."

He suddenly looked extremely sad, and before Hermione could do anything, he leaned towards her, grabbing her hands and stared intently into her eyes. Hermione let out a small squeak, but he didn't seem to notice. "Maybe I'm a little drunk." He admitted. "But please don't tell Dumbledore. I don't want to be expelled." He had the look of a kicked puppy. "I don't want to go back to the orphanage."

Hermione blinked. There was no way this was Tom Riddle, drunk or not. Maybe this was an imposter. However, he raised his head to meet hers, and she couldn't resist the face he had on. "I won't tell Dumbledore," she said, watching his face light up. "But you have to tell me about the orphanage."

Riddle made a face. "I don't like the orphanage." He said. "People don't like me. I don't belong there. P-people don't give me their stuff when I ask, so then I curse them." A triumphant look crossed his face. "I cursed a lot of them."

Hermione snorted.

"Dumbledore made me give all the things back," he continued, a look of sadness and fury appearing on his face. "I was sad, but then I went back and stole them again. He doesn't know, though," he pressed his fingers to his lips. "Shh."

Hermione wondered if alcohol had the ability to make one act like a three year old. It certainly seemed to have that effect on Riddle. She remembered her last experience with alcohol, and it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"Do you go back to the orphanage often?" she asked, trying but failing to keep the laughter out of her voice. She wanted to run up to her dorm to get a video camera, but was afraid Riddle would decide to stray before she got back. Plus, there was the matter of Tracey, and what the girl would do if she discovered Riddle in this state.

"Yeah, Dumbledore makes me go back there every break." Riddle nodded. "I can go to Abraxas's or Orion's during the summer, but I have to stay at the orphanage for the entire winter break. It's boring. Mrs. Cole makes me help with the Christmas tree." A smirk crossed his face. "I always knock it down."

Some people just never change. However, Riddle was reminding her more and more of a prankster rather than the evil mastermind that he was. She would've expected something more subtle. "You were quite the troublemaker."

"I was not," Riddle defended. "I actually spent a lot of time in my room, thinking. I rarely participated in the group events—only when Mrs. Cole made me—and then I'd do my best and ruin everyone's night."

Hermione laughed; yes, that sounded like Riddle. "What do you think about?" she asked curiously.

"I think of Hogwarts a lot," He admitted. "Hogwarts is my home, and people think of their homes a lot, right?" Not for me."I also think of my name a lot."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Your name?"

"Yes," he got an excited glint in his eyes. "My name belongs to my stupid muggle father. I'm not going to keep it forever." Tim."So I tried to come up with names for myself. Do you want to hear them?"

He looked so happy; Hermione didn't have the heart to say no. "Sure," she shrugged.

"I went with my first and last name," he explained. "Tom Riddle. If you take the 'i' and the 'm' out, you're left with Torddle. I'm Torddle." Riddle made a face. "That just sounds awful. Who wants to be afraid of a turtle?"

Hermione was amused. "True."

"There's also Rod Led." Riddle continued. "But then I'd have an extra 't' left over, and I didn't know where to put it." He turned towards her. "Would you fear someone named Rod Led?"

"No," Hermione said. But then again, I probably will never fear someone unless they were named Grindelwald.

Riddle didn't seem to notice her expression and kept talking. "But then I found out that I have a middle name. It's Marvolo. It gives me six more letters to work with." He paused. "No…eight…"

"Seven," she corrected, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"Then I came up with my name," he said happily. "It took a long time, but I finally settled with Voldemort. I am Lord Voldemort." He giggled. "You can check if you don't believe it works."

Lord. Hermione snorted. Even her father didn't call himself Lord. His followers addressed him by 'My Lord,' but she hadn't heard anyone ever refer to him as 'Lord Grindelwald.' Just Grindelwald was terrifying enough. "No, it's fine. I believe you." She looked at him. He had scooted closer than comfortable, and she moved away. He looked rather disappointed. "Flight of Death?"

"You know French?" He sounded pleased. He reached over and twirled a piece of her hair. Hermione froze and was unable to do anything other than stare at him. "You're so smart, Hermione."

Hermione laughed. "I'd like to see your face when you're sober."

Riddle looked at her. "Why?"

"You'd never be caught dead saying that," she laughed. "You're always obsessed with coming up on the top, so you hate me because you don't want to admit I'm smarter than you."

Riddle was quiet for a while. Hermione thought he had died. She prodded him with a finger. "Riddle?"

"Call me Tom," he said quietly, and then looked at her. His eyes really were quite a sight, and even though his hair was disheveled, he was still quite handsome. Hermione shook that thought out of her mind. Off limits. "And I don't hate you."

"No?" Hermione tried to grin it off. "You sure are great at acting then,"

His usual smirk was back on his face. "Of course," he said haughtily. "Tom Riddle settles for no better than perfection."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but fought a smile. She decided she liked Riddle—no, Tom—like this. Sure, he had the intelligent and personality of a kindergartener, but he was fun to be around. Not to mention, she didn't need to be constantly on guard.

Unless this is his plan to get me to reveal everything, Hermione though. If that were the case, though, she'd really bow down to his acting skills. Even shecouldn't act this well.

"Tell me, Hermione," Tom said, propping his head up on his hands. "What do you like to do?"

"Me?" Hermione blinked. "Study, I guess. I can't let studies fall too behind."

"You're the same as me," Tom gave her a huge smile. Hermione wondered if there was a potion she could brew and feed him that would make him forever intoxicated. However, even if she could do it, she would miss their intelligent banters. He was the only one she had met so far who could hold a debate with her. Of course, they didn't see eye to eye, either of them defending their side furiously, but their debates were fun. "No one can understand why I like studying for fun."

"No, we're quite different," Hermione informed him. "I read books that help me get ahead in class. You, on the other hand, read dark books. That's completely different."

Tom frowned at her. "Just because they're dark doesn't mean they're bad."

"Yes, it does. Hence why the books are dark and restricted."

"So…" Tom said slowly, scrunching up his forehead. Hermione almost laughed at the expression he was making. "It's okay to not know something? I thought you wanted to know everything." He paused. "I think dark magic is beautiful."

"Ever hear of the expression, 'ignorance is bliss?'"

Tom frowned at her, but seemingly decided to drop the topic. He moved even closer to her, nearly touching her. Hermione moved away, only to find out that she was on the edge of the sofa. She was about to stand up and excuse herself from this very weird conversation with Tom, and he suddenly said, "I like your hair. It's pretty."

Then he plopped right down, his head on her lap. Hermione could do nothing but gape as the boy who wanted nothing more than to discover her secrets only a few hours ago was lying on her lap peacefully. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe her father had knocked her out. She pinched her arm. It hurt.

"You'd be the first one," she said shakily. "Everyone always says it's a mess, like a lion."

"There's nothing wrong with lions," Tom yawned. "Snakes are just better."

Hermione looked at him. "What if you're a lion and a snake?"

"Then there's something wrong with you," Tom mumbled sleepily.

"Gee, thanks."

"You're in Slytherin now," Tom said, his eyes popping open once more. He stared at her, and then reached for her hand, slipping his into hers. Hermione stared back at him, trying to figure out what he was playing at. She had never pictures him to be a lovesick romantic, but the way he was acting right now made her seriously reconsider Tom's image in her mind. "I thought you would be in Gryffindor, but you're in Slytherin." He snuggled, and Hermione felt herself blush. Get a grip! "You're not a lion."

Hermione blinked. He looked up at her expectantly. That seemed to be the equivalent of a compliment in his book. Hermione sighed. "Er, thanks?"

"Good night, Hermione." He fell asleep in her lap, snoring. Hermione stared down at him. People were going to start to come down for breakfast very soon, but she decided to let him rest for a little. For him to act like that definitely signaled that he needed some sleep.

"Mrs. Cole," Tom mumbled, and Hermione jumped at the noise. Who knew Tom sleep talked as well? There was so much about him that she didn't know. "I don't want to dress up for Christmaasss."

Or maybe he didn't sleep talk in general, but now that he was drunk, anything was possible. She smiled at him, aware that she wouldn't be able to do so once he was awake and sober, and started to move his head off of her. However, what he said next made her freeze.

"My head hurts, Amy." Tom whined.

Who was Amy? Hermione dug through her mind, trying to find if she had met the girl before. There was a loving tone in Tom's voice, something Hermione had never heard before. However, much to her displeasure, she couldn't come up with anything. She would just have to get him drunk again and ask him. She was really curious, though. Who knew that Tom actually cared for someone?

Hermione sighed and made to get up, but he circled his arms around her waist. "Don't go," he muttered, not yet awake, but not completely asleep either. "Stay."

Five minutes, she told herself. Tom had fallen back asleep, and she eyed his hair. She looked around to make sure that no one else had come down yet, and hesitantly touched it. It was as soft as she imagined, and Hermione didn't know why she was doing it. Maybe he was infecting her with his intoxication, because in a normal situation, she would have never been caught doing this.

He leaned into her touch, though he was still sleeping. Hermione absentmindedly ran her hand through his hair. She glanced around at the clock. She needed to wake him up in ten minutes. She looked down at him. It was a pity; he really was adorable when he slept.

Of course I will never tell anyone that. Ever.

"Tooom," someone crooned, and Black appeared in the common room. "How was your alcohol? Rise and shine, Grumpy Pants, or your perfect student image will be ruined-" he froze, his mouth open wide. Cygnus and Abraxas who were following him crashed into him, and they too froze and gaped when they saw Hermione. She felt herself turn red as she looked down at Tom, who was still firmly clinging to her waist.

"My eyeees," Black moaned, turning around and covering his eyes. "I'm blind. I'm bliinnnddd."

Hermione sighed. "Black," she said irritably. "We're not doing anything."

Black looked doubtful, but sat down next to her anyways. Cygnus shot her a look which she couldn't interpret, but she was happy to see no anger in them. Maybe there were a lot of negative effects of her meeting with her father, but there were good ones too. Cygnus didn't seem to dislike her as much anymore. Abraxas, however, seemed to take over all his hate and glared at Hermione.

"Don't do it," he said. She blinked at him. He towered over her and looked down at her seriously. "You have no idea how many girls Tom has screwed with. They always end up broken." He swallowed. "Normally, I wouldn't care, but I don't want to see you like that, Hermione."

Hermione could do nothing but gape at him in confusion.

"Abraxas," Black smirked. "If you want to proclaim your undying love for Squirtle, you can just do so. You don't need to insult Tom." He glanced down nervously, but the said boy was still asleep and firmly clutching Hermione's waist.

Abraxas scowled at him. "Shut up. You know that's not it." He crouched down next to Hermione. "Seriously, though. I'm not trying to warn you about him-"

"You are," Black snorted.

Abraxas rolled his eyes. "Okay, so maybe I am. But Tom isn't what you think he is. There's a lot to him that you don't know. Please think about it carefully. I know I can't prevent you from loving Tom if you really do, but please at least step back and look."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh, and Abraxas stared at her incredulously. Love Tom? She didn't think it was possible for anyone to love him. Maybe a simple attraction, but he always made sure to destroy a person before they could love him.

"I don't love Tom," she said, the idea absurd even as she said it. "I don't even think we're friends. In case you haven't noticed, he hates me." Hermione decided to keep their conversation a secret.

"Yeah, I can see that," Black eyed Tom. "Which is why he's oozing with his hatred for you as he lies on your lap."

Hermione glared at him. "For your information, I couldn't sleep, so I came down and found Tom here. Drunk. We talked a little, and then he laid down on my lap and fell asleep." Cygnus looked at her and nodded. Maybe he hadn't been able to fall asleep? Hermione didn't blame him. Maybe she should've obliviated his memory for his sake. As she said to Tom before, ignorance is bliss. "Does he get drunk often?"

Black shrugged. "Once a month, maybe. He tells us he's going somewhere, and we get the fabulous task of staying awake until past midnight to make sure he comes back. After he does, we leave him here, because he always stinks of alcohol." Black made a face. Hermione wanted to remind him that he was the one who had drank more than ten glasses at their truth and dare game. "We have to wake up early to make sure his perfect student image is still intact though."

Abraxas looked at her. "Enough about us. Why couldn't you fall asleep?"

Hermione shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Cy couldn't sleep either," Black piped, and Hermione looked over at Cygnus. He had a look of indifference on his face, and Hermione noted that he was still standing. She gestured for him to sit down, and he did. At least we're civil towards each other now."He kept whining all night." He laughed as Cygnus scowled at him. Cygnus, whining? What has the world come to?"Then there was a period of time he was so quiet, we all thought he actually fell asleep."

That would be the time where I knocked him out on the field.

"Mrf," Tom made an incoherent sound, and drew all of their eyes to him. His eyes popped open, and Hermione was relieved, yet disappointed when they were back to their usual state. No sign of alcohol and was written on his face. He smirked and looked up at her. "Granger, why are your hands in my hair?"

Hermione blushed, not realizing they were still there. "Sorry."

"Also, why am I on your lap?"

Hermione stared at him as he sat up and looked around. The other three boys nodded in respect, but he didn't notice. He clutched his head and muttered something that sounded like, 'Damn headaches.'

"You don't remember?" Hermione asked timidly.

Tom blinked at her. "Remember what?"

Black laughed. "Obviously something naughty happened down here," he winked, and Hermione scowled at him. "She was even calling you Tom."

A smirk formed on his face and he spun around. Hermione blushed slightly. "You were calling me Tom?" he sounded pleased. For someone who hated his muggle name so much, his actions were certainly contradictory.

"Yeah—er—" Hermione averted her gaze awkwardly. "You were calling me Hermione, and then you told me to call you Tom." He blinked at her. "Er—I can go back to calling you Riddle, if you would like?"

Tom shook his head slowly. "Hermione," he said, and Hermione realized he wasn't talking to her; he was testing the name. "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione." A smile spread on his face, and Hermione almost believed that his kindergarten self was back again, when he said haughtily, "I guess I'll give you permission to say my fabulous name."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Tom moaned next to her, clutching his head. "My head is killing me. I think I'll just skip first period and sleep in." He turned towards Abraxas. "What do we have today? Maybe I can just skip the entire day."

Abraxas eyed him. "You have Transfiguration first, Tom. I don't think Dumbledore would be too happy if you were to skip his class because you had a hangover."

Tom groaned and stood up anyway, looking at Hermione. "Do you have hangover potion?"

Hermione scowled at him. "Why would I have hangover potion?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "True. I'll go see Slughorn before breakfast, then. He should have some from last time." He bent down and whispered to Hermione, "You're going to tell me everything that happened last night."

Hermione realized how close they were, but she didn't care. Thatwas the Tom Riddle she knew. "My mouth is closed," she told him defiantly.

He chuckled. "You're going to tell me all your secrets," he said. "Including why you were out on the field so late last night."

Hermione felt her body freeze, but kept the smirk on her face. "You'll find that you'll run into dead ends." She whispered at him. "You're not the only one who can interrogate, Tom. Who's Amy?"

A mixture of shock and disbelief crossed his face, but before he could say anything, a high pitched scream reached her ears. Hermione sighed and turned around to meet the livid face of Tracey Parkinson with her dorm mates behind her. Violetta rushed to Cygnus, seeming to be fine, though Hermione doubted Cygnus would ever be the same. He felt guilty. Maybe she should really obliviate his memory sometimes. Violetta noticed the worried look on his face, and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, though his sullen expression was still present.

"You filthy half breed," Walburga snarled. Abraxas shot her a look, but she glared it off. Black snarled at her. "Stop molesting Tom. He's too good for you."

"Molesting?" Hermione blinked, looking at Tom, who had stood up. A look of indifference was on his face once again, though Hermione could see a smirk underneath. "There was no molesting here. If there was any, then it would be him molesting me."

"I can't believe you!" Tracey shrieked loudly. Eileen rolled her eyes and headed out of the common room, nodding at Hermione before she left. Tom put a hand on his forehead and grimaced. "You're hurting Tom!"

Hermione stared at her incredulously. "I'm hurting him? I'm not the one screaming."

"Why is he clutching his head, then? I can't believe it." Tracey turned towards Tom. "Tom, it's okay. This witch won't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you." She glared at Hermione. "You stay away from Tom or else I'll-"

"Tracey," Tom said in a quiet voice. Tracey beamed and looked at him, obviously pleased at being addressed. "Shut up or I'll kill you."

A look of pure shock crossed Tracey's face, as the Slytherin Prince crossed the room in huge strides and slammed the door as he left the common room, leaving behind seven Slytherins staring at the spot he had just been in disbelief.

Tom had arrived at breakfast as if nothing had happened. His mood had improved significantly. Hermione guessed that Slughorn really did have the hangover potion he so desperately needed. She wondered how many glasses he had to get him so drunk.

Tracey and Walburga had gone back to their happy, bubbly selves. They had decided that Tom was playing 'hard to get,' which they determined enhanced his sexiness. Hermione almost gagged. This was exactly what Tom needed, people who he could treat like crap, and who would still like him afterwards.

She talked with Violetta a little at breakfast, much to the disbelief of her roommates. Violetta didn't seem to care that she would face Tracey's wrath, and instead babbled on and on throughout breakfast. Hermione didn't mind; it was nice to see that she didn't seem to be affected by the incident at all. She had bid Hermione farewell and skipped off to Charms with Abraxas, seemingly happy.

When Hermione got to Transfiguration, she was more than just a little nervous. She was afraid she had 'Grindelwald' stamped over her face, but if Dumbledore noted anything unusual, he didn't say anything. He had merely gone back to Vanishing spells, which they had been practicing over a week ago. He had given them the assignment for homework, telling them it was imperative to practice as the said spell would appear on the O.W.L.s. He gave them mice to work with this time, instead of snails, and sent them on their way.

"So," Cygnus said, once they had gotten their mice. Hermione glanced at him in surprise. He hadn't spoken a word since their meeting in the common room. "I suppose I have to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," Hermione said quickly. After all, it is my fault that Violetta ended up in that position in the first place.She waved her wand, happy that she had been practicing, and the mouse disappeared. Cygnus eyed her with…was that respect?

"I think I do," Cygnus said quietly. "You saved Violetta while you knew the risks of doing so, though I'm still a little suspicious about how you did it," Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but Cygnus shook his head. "I don't care. I'm not like Tom. I don't need to find out your secrets." He looked at her. "Thanks for not obliviating me."

"I think I should though." Hermione told him. Because he knows more than he should."Because watching your friend get kidnapped is something you're not going to forget—ever."

"It was something that I needed to see," Cygnus said. "A reality check."

Hermione nodded as Dumbledore rounded their table. He beamed at her. "Ten points to Slytherin, Miss Granger." He said, and then looked towards Cygnus. "Would you allow me to demonstrate, Mister Black?"

Cygnus shook his head. "It's okay. I'll ask Hermione for help."

Hermione gaped at him, but Dumbledore nodded and moved on to the next table. He looked at her mouth open wide, and he cracked the smallest of smiles, the first one that she had ever seen him make. And it was towards her, Hermione Granger! The person he had hated just two days ago.

"I need to apologize as well," Cygnus admitted, turning back towards his mice and waving his wand rather wildly. "I treated you like crap."

This day was getting weirder and weirder. First Tom, and now even Cygnus? "It's okay," she said quickly. "Violetta told me about it."

"Did she?" he turned his dark eyes to her. "What exactly did she say?"

"You don't open up to people because of your past," she said, thinking about her own history. "I respect that."

"Yeah, well, I just don't like people in general," Cygnus vanished one of his mice, and a satisfactory look crossed his face. Guess I wasn't the only one practicing."I just use that as an excuse."

"Why don't you like people?" Hermione pried.

Cygnus shrugged. "They're just so annoying. Have you seen Tracey?" Hermione laughed. "I swear she's high every day. I can't come up with another explanation on why she's so annoying."

"So you don't like people because of people like Tracey?" Hermione asked. Cygnus nodded. "Not everyone is like that, you know."

"I know. Like you, for example," He looked at her. "You break every girl cliché there is."

Hermione didn't know whether to be proud of feel offended. "Like what?"

"Squealing." Cygnus shrugged. "Girls always squeal at one point in time. Even Violetta squeals."

"There's nothing that can be gained by squealing, which is why I don't do it," Hermione informed it. "However, you're thinking of girls who overly embrace their feminine side. There are plenty of girls out there who care more about boys and gossip."

Cygnus nodded, and then suddenly said, "So how's Tom?"

Hermione blinked. "What about him?"

"Well," A small sign of a grin appeared on his face, and Hermione could finally see the resemblance between him and his twin. "There are a lot of rumors going around about you and Tom, so I thought I'd just cut the crap and listen to it first-handedly."

"There's nothing," Hermione said hotly. "going on between Tom and me."

"You sure about that?" Tom said, smirking as he passed by their table. He returned a disheveled mouse to the box. One look at Eileen informed Hermione that the two of them were still bickering, and the mouse was an unfortunate accident to their fight.

"I'm perfectly sure," Hermione said crossly. "What did you do to Eileen?"

"She was interrogating me," Tom said plainly. "I still have my headache, so her voice was nauseating to listen to." He smirked. "Not that her voice isn't nauseating when I'm completely sober."

"Let me guess, you told her to shut up like you did to Tracey this morning."

Tom's lips curled upwards. "Of course I did," he drawled. "She's rather angry at me now." He cast Hermione a sideways look. "You should ask her if she has feelings for me."

Hermione stared at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"My ego is not quite yet big enough," Tom informed her, and Hermione rolled her eyes. Cygnus made a sound that sounded like a snort, but he covered it up with coughs when the two of them looked at him.

"Mister Riddle," Dumbledore came back, and Hermione was surprised to see displeasure etched on his face. The same expression was written on Tom's. "I would appreciate if you would go back to your seat."

Tom didn't say anything and spun on his heels and walked away. Dumbledore didn't cast neither she nor Cygnus another glance and walked away. Hermione frowned. She hadn't believed it with Tom said that Dumbledore made him go back to the orphanage every break—a place Tom obviously hated—but it seemed possible now.

Cygnus nudged her. "Are you going to ask him out to the Halloween Dance?"

Hermione blinked at him. "What's the Halloween Dance?"

"It's a dance on Halloween."

Hermione looked at him. "No, really?"

Cygnus gave her a small smile. "It's one of the three dances of the school year. This is by far the smallest one, though people dress up and act like idiots, so it's cool. It's a pre-dance to the Christmas ball, which is pretty huge." Cygnus rolled his eyes. "According to Tracey's endless babbling, anyone who dances at the Halloween Dance has a bigger chance of being together at the Christmas ball. And she, being the ever romantic, says that if two people kiss at midnight then, they will be happily in love forever."

"Give me a break," Hermione muttered under her breath. "We don't live in a fairytale."

"The girls usually worry more about dances than boys," Cygnus continued. "So you should hear your dorm mates squabbling about it in a few days. I'm surprised they didn't start already. They're going to ask Tom, of course, like they do every year. Why they do, I have no idea." Cygnus looked at her. "This is a dance where no one dances."

"Really." Hermione deadpanned. The event sounded dreadfully boring. She always thought the whole process of working up the nerve to ask a guy to dance was dumb. Not to mention, she couldn't even dance. "What do you do, then?"

"We have a paintball battle." Cygnus said simply. Hermione gaped at him. "The girls choose to sit out most years. Tracey, because she doesn't want to get paint in her clothing, and Violetta because she's not in any condition to run around."

Hermione blinked. The idea sounded so muggle, she couldn't believe that a group of Slytherin purebloods were the ones playing it. "What about Tom?"

"He plays, though Orion often says it's because he wants to defend his manliness." Hermione rolled her eyes. "He doesn't do anything, though, but he somehow avoids getting hit by everyone. Everyone thinks he's using magic, but his wand is where everyone else's wand is, so we can't do anything about it."

"Doesn't that mean that whoever has him on their team wins the game automatically?" Hermione asked. This sounded ten times better than the dance itself.

"It used to be like that, but they decided it wasn't fair," Cygnus shrugged. "Now, there's a time limit. At the end of five minutes, whichever team has more people not hit wins. And it's not only Tom who's good. Eleanor is pretty good herself." Catching the look Hermione gave him, he added, "Eleanor is the only girl who plays. She's extremely athletic, since she plays Quidditch, but none of the guys feel right to hit her."

"Do you play?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Yeah," Cygnus grumbled. "But only because Orion begs me every year to play. I am more than content in sitting out with Violetta, but she wants me to play as well, so I can't say no to both of them."

Hermione nodded respectfully. She remembered what Orion had said about him. If he likes you, he'll do anything for you. Hermione could see that was true. He may not care for many people, but it was evident just how much love he had for the people he did care about.

Dumbledore dismissed the class, and Hermione saw Tom waiting for her to go to Ancient Runes. He leaned against the wall with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Eileen looked visibly upset as she left the classroom alone. Hermione's mind whirled. Since when did Eileen fancy Tom? How did she miss it?

"See you around," Cygnus said to her. If someone had told her yesterday that Cygnus was going to be this civil towards her, she wouldn't have believed it. However, it was happening now. Hermione really wondered if both Tom and Cygnus were playing pranks on her. "You should consider playing in the tournament. I'd request for you to be on my team."

Hermione was left to gap at his retreating back as he left with Orion. She couldn't help but wonder if someone had replaced him with an imposter at the time when she was gone trying to get Violetta back. It certainly seemed like a plausible scenario.

The day, which had started off almost like a dream, ended in a nightmare.

She lost to Tom. She lost. He had handed in his Ancient Runes paper just 0.1432 seconds before she did, but that was bad enough for her. The smirk and the 'I win,' he gave her afterwards didn't help her temper at all.

"Hey," someone said, and Hermione looked up from her stack of books. Nick grinned and her and plopped down next to her. "What's up? You look like you swallowed a lemon." Hermione opened her mouth, but Nick stopped her. "No, let me guess. You weren't top in your class and it's pissing you off."

Hermione grumbled. He knew her so well. "I'm supposed to be good at Ancient Runes," she said.

Nick laughed and scanned the book in front of her. She had decided to focus more on the said subject for awhile. "Hermione, you are good at Ancient Runes. This is stuff we don't learn until seventh year. Chill, Riddle's a robot."

"Yeah, but he has more OWLs than I do," Hermione mumbled, reading furiously. She didn't get half of the stuff, and that thought scared her. "If I can't even beat him in regular classes, how on earth am I going to be the top of our year?"

Nick laughed and sat back leisurely. "Isn't that supposed to be my line? You're doing fine. You're still the top girl in your year anyway. You can't win them all."

Hermione scowled, but said nothing. Nick just didn't get it. She had to beat Tom. She couldn't live with herself if she let him beat her. It would haunt her forever.

"So how's it going?" Nick asked when she didn't argue. "Was your meeting with your father okay?"

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, it was as well as it could be, considering him-" She paused and narrowed her eyes. "Wait, how do you know about it?"

Nick whistled and looked away, trying to look innocent. "Whoops."

Hermione eyed him. "Nick."

Nick held his hands up. "I am very disappointed that you didn't come running to me crying the second you got back," he teased. Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "I was on my way back to the common room, when I saw Cygnus running around and panicking. He was asking where you were." Nick snorted. "As if I knew."

"That still doesn't explain how you know, though." Hermione said suspiciously.

"He was clutching Grindelwald's sign in his hands. It was quite easy to place together." Nick looked at her seriously. "Did he manage to figure it out? That you and Grindelwald were, you know…"

"Shh," Hermione looked around, but there was no one anywhere close to them. "No. He saw me duel in DADA, which is why he asked me. Apparently, he didn't want to bother Tom with his problems."

"Tom." Nick repeated, a smirk crossing his face. "You're on first name basis now? Took you long enough." Hermione smacked his arm. "Never mind that. So how was he? Did he punish you too badly?"

"No," Hermione shook her head. "Just reminding me of my place."

Nick pulled her into a hug. "I want you to be careful," he told her. "He's a dangerous man."

Hermione laughed shakily. "I don't need you to tell me that, Nick."

Nick studied her for a while. "He's threatening you with me, isn't he?" Hermione's silence confirmed his suspicions. "I'm an idiot. I should have never gotten close to you again. I'm putting you in a bad position."

He moved to stand up, but Hermione gripped the front of his robes. "No!" she said. "If you leave me, I don't know what I'd do. Please, we'll work it out. I just want you to be careful."

"I told you not to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Please," Hermione buried her head in the front of his robes. "Please don't go."

Nick sighed and patted her head awkwardly. "However, if you get hurt because of me, I'm not going to stay. Are we clear?"

Before Hermione had a chance to respond, another voice said, "Aw, the two lover's reunite." Tom popped out of nowhere and sat himself opposite of them, a smirk present on his face. "How incredibly…sappy."

"Hi Tom." Hermione detached herself from Nick and smoothed the front of her robes. "What brings you here?"

"Studying," he shrugged, taking some books out of his bag. "Can't let my studies slip." He yawned and stretched lazily. "I think I'm good in Ancient Runes, though. I can't say the same for you," he reached for Hermione's book and she scowled at him.

"Pretty advanced topics here," he noted, scanning over the pages briefly. "It looks like you're going all out to beat someone. Who's the lucky guy?"

Hermione growled at him, and then snatched her textbook back. "None of your business."

"No need to get so defensive. I was only asking." Tom said calmly, opening his own books. Hermione gaped at him as he made himself comfortable and started studying. She traded looks with Nick, but he just shrugged.

"So," Nick finally broke the silence. Both of them looked at him. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Nick Porter."

"Tom Riddle," Tom didn't even look up from his writing.

"You're good at dueling," Nick tried.

"Thanks."

This clearly was not working. "Tom," she said irritably, and he smirked at her, finally putting down his quill. "If you want to eavesdrop on us, you should be more subtle about it. We're not going to say anything, so you might as well stop pretending to do your homework."

"Who says I'm eavesdropping?" Tom raised an eyebrow, though he leaned back in his chair leisurely. "Maybe I just want to spend time with the two newest students."

Nick rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's what it is."

Tom regarded him for awhile, and the two of them stared each other down. Hermione twitched uncomfortably next to them, before Tom broke eye contact and turned towards Hermione with a pleasant smile on his face. "It's Hogsmeade weekend this Sunday. Are you coming?"

"Erm…" she was planning on not going, but if she said so now, he would become suspicious. She would just have to find a way around the permission slip. "Of course I am."

Tom nodded as though that was the response he had anticipated. Nick shot her a look, but she ignored him. "Great," Tom said. "I'll send Orion and Abraxas to accompany you."

Hermione crossed her arms. "I don't need someone to accompany me."

A smirk crossed his face. "Sure you don't."

"You should go," Nick spoke up, looking towards the left. Hermione rolled her eyes as the two of them glared at each other. "Your fan club is waiting, and I, unlike you, came here to study." That was a big lie, and Hermione glanced at him. He rolled his eyes at her. "If you want to listen to your squabbling admirers, take it outside. Pince is going to have your head if you stay."

"For your information, I have no interest in listen to their squabbling," Tom massaged his head. His headache must not have gone away completely yet. "I think I'll go back to the dorm. They haven't tried coming in there…yet."

And so Hermione watch, rather amused, as the Slytherin prince took off running to hide from his fan girls. Hermione couldn't help but wonder if a little bit of the kindergarten him was still showing. There was obviously something still very wrong with his head. He had only gotten about half an hour of sleep, so Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he were still intoxicated.

Hermione was about to turn back towards her work when she noticed something. After Tom had left the library, a shadow had come out from behind the book shelves and stalked after him. She narrowed her eyes. It was a girl, so it was possible that she was the spy her father had talked about. However, she was too far away for Hermione to see her identity. Who was she?

Nick followed her line of sight and sighed. "Hermione, I want you to promise me something."

There was something in his voice that made her tear her eyes away from the spy who was exiting the library to look at him. "What is it?"

"I want you to stay away from Eileen."

Author's Note: You have no idea how many times I wrote 'Riddle' and had to replace it with 'Tom.'