Author's Note: HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEE. (Just thought I should put it out there so all of you who read it will have to leave a review saying at least happy birthday, because that's the nice thing to do, right? Right.) As some of you have noticed, and others are noticing right now, the title and summary have changed. They. Are. Not. Official. I'm still going through title after title, trying to come up with a new one. As for the spoiler about who her dad is, that fact is revealed rather early on, so I'm not particularly worried about that.

If you haven't noticed, my new story is out! It's called 'The art of not knowing.' Check it out if you haven't already, and feel free to leave me birthday wishes on that one as well. ;)

Now, to answer some of the comments. (Leave me some questions in the comments and I'll answer what I can. For those of you who leave comments without questions, thank you for commenting and I really appreciate it. I usually don't have the time to respond as I'm rushing to get the chapter out, but I'll start replying to every comment in the future when I start getting more time. So now that you have a promise from me, you'll have to keep reviewing till then, won't you? ;))

LadyBalacenia: I'm really sorry, but I don't write lemon. I never have, and probably never will. I don't even think it's legal for me to write them (though I don't know if there's an age limit on that one.) I also have no experience whatsoever with romance, so even the kiss scenes I'm super insecure about. So if you're looking for lemons, you won't get them here. Sorry. Though, I might feel bolder in the future and drag out the snogging scenes. We'll see.

DawnMay: Okay, that was a lot of questions and most of them I can't answer. Actually, more like all of them I can't answer, except your main question. I am updating now, evidently. And I take that by 'Mia,' you mean 'Hermione?'

Name: I'm sorry about the name change, but a lot of people were saying that it was boring, and I looked at it, and I kind of agreed. The name will probably change over the span of the next couple of chapters, but it will not go back to what it was before. Sorry if it makes you enjoy the story less. :c

Thanks for your reviews! (New high! Twenty a chapter!)

LadyBalacenia, loves2readalways, maniac333, TheGirlonFire52, Slytherin ice princess, Virtuoso Wanderings, UniCryin, Fan, Weird-Chik2, voldyismyfather, morpheusandmuse, asianstotheleft, TheEscapeFromReality, tHevoLtuRi'SdARkpRiNceSS, Red Sphinx, reader204, DawnMay, Name


If Hermione thought that the new Tom would last, she was horribly wrong.

It took him approximately twelve hours, ten minutes and fifty two seconds to revert back to normal. But then again, Hermione couldn't be too sure, as she didn't waste time counting. Because that idea was just absolutely absurd.

The two of them ate breakfast together, though Jake's friend was shooting murderous looks at her throughout the meal. Hermione noticed that all the other kids were staying away from her as well, and Mrs. Cole herself didn't say a word to her. Tom seemed amused by this whole situation, and Hermione had finished her breakfast in record time and dragged him outside.

Tom cast her an amused look as the two of them headed down Diagon Alley. He had spent the last five minutes smiling politely at the girls who were swooning about him, reminding her much of Black. She absentmindedly wondered what it was like to live with Walburga for that much time. "Knut for your thoughts?"

"They're worth more than that." Hermione eyed the bookstore with interest. She could see rows and rows of books, waiting to be read. It had been a full day since she had been away from a real library. "See that store over there? I'm just going to—"

"You're not going anywhere near there," Tom said, chuckling slightly. Hermione pouted. "This whole Christmas shopping idea was your plan. I'm just an innocent victim you decided to drag along."

Hermione snorted. Tom was anything but innocent. "I'll just leave you to your happy dwindling at the orphanage next time, then."

Tom ignored her comment. "I don't see why you go through all this trouble. I usually send them coal."

"That's awfully thoughtful of you," Hermione replied, grinning. "And here I thought you got them nothing."

"You truly think I'm heartless," Tom said, a look of mock hurt on his face. "Nevertheless, we're not here to buy books. I doubt Abraxas and the others would appreciate getting Hogwarts, A History for Christmas."

"Well, what else am I supposed to get them?" Hermione asked, frustrated. "A broom? They already have enough brooms for a lifetime."

"Granger, I will appreciate it if you stopped complaining," Tom drawled. "Black must've told you what he wanted for Christmas. He always does." Tom made an incredibly childish face, which caused Hermione to fall in to a giggling fit. She had never seen Tom this carefree before. Then again, she had never known about his background either.

Tom looked at her, amused, as she struggled to calm herself down. Many people stopped to see what the commotion was, and saw a silly schoolgirl nearly falling over and wetting herself. Many just rolled their eyes and kept going, but several girls glared when Tom mockingly patted Hermione on her back. It seemed that she could never truly be alone with Tom in public.

It took her a couple of minutes, and Hermione was rather surprised that Tom stayed there when he could've just left. Well, he certainly looked like he had fun mocking her. "What did Black ask for?" She asked as the two of them resumed their walking.

"Silly little things. Pokemon cards, little trinklets, other girly stuff. One year, I actually listened to his request and went to buy him a little pink bracelet. It was awfully generous of me, if I may say so." He smirked. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Black took one look at it and threw it in the toilet. Then the toilet got clogged."

"It got clogged?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I may or may not have enlarged it," Tom shrugged.

"For someone who doesn't care about Black, you sure are spending a lot of effort to make his life worse."

Tom snickered. "It was worth it. You should've seen his face when he realized his favorite toilet was clogged."

"His favorite toilet?" Hermione asked, slightly scandalized. "Do I want to know what it looks like?"

"Sure you do," Tom replied easily. "It's covered in Hello Kitty."

"Liar."

"Fine. It isn't. There is this one Hello Kitty sticker near the top of the seat, though," Tom shrugged. "Black usually tries to aim for it."

Hermione gaped. "Really?"

"No. But I'm sure Black would be pleased to know your opinion of him is so high."

Before Hermione could insult him for tricking her, another voice yelled out. "Tommy!" A small girl with blonde hair came charging over and threw herself in Tom's arms. Hermione gaped as she began placing kisses all over his face. Tom, however, looked like he expected the little girl. The other girls who had been previously eyeing him deflated slightly when he smiled politely at the girl clutching his waist.

Tom set the girl down gently, which made Hermione raise an eyebrow. Tom was never gentle with anyone, except, well, her, and that was because she earned it. She insulted him more than anyone else, after all.

"Hello, Scarlett," Tom said with a polite smile on his face. His mask was back on, and his face suggests no sign of the playful nature he was earlier. The little girl giggled and took his hand in hers. She could be no older than seven. "Is Eleanor around?"

With a jolt, Hermione realized that she was looking at Eleanor's younger sister. She could see the resemblance, though while Eleanor was calm and collected, her younger sister was hyper and cheerful. The little girl pouted. "You always ask for Ellie. Why don't you like me?"

"Of course I like you," That, of course, was a lie. Tom Riddle did not like anyone. He was interested in people, that was a given, but he did not like nor love. People were categorized in to three groups for him: the nuisance, the tolerable, and the interesting.

Hermione hoped that she was loitering somewhere in the interesting category.

"Sure you do," Scarlett stuck her tongue out teasingly. "Ellie's over there, with Abby. They were looking at brooms when I saw you." Scarlett made a face. "You're so much more interesting than brooms, Tommy."

"Glad to hear that," Tom shot Hermione a small wink, while she mulled over who Abby could be. To be honest, she didn't really see Eleanor with any of her friends. She never saw Eleanor outside of class, and Hermione was rarely paying attention at meal time. However, she had a suspicious who Abby was. "I personally think brooms are dreadful boring."

Hermione imagined Tom flopping around on a broom and grinned. "Now, books on the other hand…"

Tom smirked back at her. "Agreed."

Scarlett seemed to notice her for the first time and blinked at Hermione with her large eyes. They had no malice in them, though, which was a first. Then again, Eleanor had never really hated her either; the girl just didn't care what Hermione did. "Who are you?" She asked. "Are you Tommy's friend?"

"Acquaintance," Hermione correct, and Tom snorted. The two of them had agreed to start dating again last night, but they had laid down some ground rules. Hermione could absolutely not be out after hours anywhere near Nick (she protested against that,) and Tom was to absolutely make it clear that he was not available ("But that'll ruin my reputation.") Nevertheless, though both sides were not quite happy with all the arrangements, they ended up coming to an agreement. It was shaky, and Hermione doubted it would last long, but for now, it worked.

"I'm Scarlett Bletchey!" Scarlett held out her tiny hand, and Hermione bent down to shake it. "Do you know my sister? Ellie? She's in the same grade as Tommy."

"Yes, I know Eleanor," Hermione smiled gently. Something about this girl reminded her of her childhood, before her father started making her do his errands. She seemed so carefree. "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm a classmate of your sister."

"Nice to meet you Hermie!" The girl said cheerfully, and Tom almost fell over. Hermione glared at him. Hermie wasn't worse than Tommy, at least. At least she could look like a Hermie. Tom as a Tommy, she grinned a little at that thought.

"Scarlett, are you harassing innocent people again?" Eleanor came in to view, two bags tucked under her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the three of them. "Oh. Not so innocent."

"Hello, Eleanor," Hermione said as Scarlett hugged her older sister around the waist. "Are you doing some Christmas shopping as well?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "No. The new model came out today, and someone just had to come here the second he read the news." She glanced over her shoulder, and Hermione smiled as Abraxas came in to view, holding a package to him like it was his life.

"Abby!" Hermione laughed as Scarlett confirmed her suspcions as she threw herself at Abraxas. "Hi Abby!"

"Whoa, watch the broom, Scarlett." Abraxas held the package above his head while wrapping his other arm around Scarlett's small body and patting her back. "This is sacred right here. The newest version of the Cleansweep."

"Give it!" Scarlett put on her best mature face and reached for the box. She came up about a feet and a half short. "I want it, Abby! Give it to me!"

"You don't even like brooms," Abraxas stuck his tongue out at the little girl, holding it as high as he could. "This is my broom. Get your own."

"ELLIE!" Scarlett hollered, stamping her feet down loudly, attracting many strange looks. "MAKE ABBY GIVE ME HIS BROOM."

"Wow," Hermione said, turning towards Tom. He was watching the situation with an amused look on his face. He shot her a smirk and reached for her hand. Not to be sentimental, of course, but because this little actions caused multiple girls to shoot glares at Hermione. She pushed his hand away from her and scowled. He simply grinned. The girls glared harder.

Scarlett was still yelling and screaming, causing quite a scene, and Hermione turned to Abraxas and grinned. "She's just like you," Hermione said. "Same stubbornness. I'm surprised she isn't your sister."

"Hermione?" Abraxas looked at her, as if noticing her for the first time. He accidently dropped his hands, and Scarlett snatched up the box and held it triumphantly. Eleanor scolded her sister, but Scarlett shook her head and held the box even tighter. Abraxas, however, seemed to temporarily forget about his broom. "When did you get here?"

"I've always been here," Hermione coughed, trying to cover up a laugh. She pointed to the boy next to her. "I came here with Tom."

"Tom?" Abraxas's eyes grew big. Tom merely raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Why didn't tell me you were here?"

"You were…busy." Tom drawled, gesturing towards Eleanor who had now snatched away the box and was now scowling down at a crying Scarlett. "The three of you came together?" Tom commented dryly. "How sweet."

"I suppose it is," Abraxas looked at the two of them. "And you two came together? So I guess Black was right, Hermione—you are staying with Tom."

He tried to mask it, though the hurt was clearly in his voice. Hermione shook her head. "No, it was coincidental," she explained. "I asked Dumbledore to find me a hotel, and he sent me to Tom's orphanage." Hermione made a face. "Quite a pleasant place there."

"Is it really?" Abraxas' eyes lit up, and he swiveled towards Tom. "Can I—"

"Absolutely not," Tom said firmly, casting Hermione a look. Of course he had his trademark smirk was still there, but Hermione could see something else under. It looked a little like happiness, if such a thing was possible with him. He seemed relieved that there was someone else to keep him sane in the orphanage. Hermione wondered how he didn't go insane with all the years in the orphanage. But then again, maybe Tom was already insane, in his own way.

Abraxas groaned. "Alright, I see you two have this lovey-dovey thing going on," he gestured towards the two of them, not breaking eye contact with each other. "Don't let me bother you." He, Hermione realized rather amusedly, was still watching intently, as if planning to observe whatever he thought Tom and Hermione were going to do.

"Don't be silly," Hermione chided. "We're not being lovey-dovey."

"Sure," Abraxas cast them another glance, as if trying to figure what was going on between them. He got a blank look and a smirk in response. "So, what are you two doing here? I don't think that you were interested in the new broom model, were you?"

"No," Tom shrugged. "We were buying a new toilet for Black."

Hermione gaped at him. "The toilet is still destroyed?"

"Whoa," Abraxas held up his hands and stared between the two of them. "Tom…did you just make a joke?"

Tom tilted his head slightly. "I don't know. Did I?"

"What did you do to him?" Abraxas asked, his eyes wide. "Did you put him under the Imperius? Or maybe you fed him some potion. Or did you polyjuice someone." He tapped Tom's forehead, much to the displeasure of the latter. "Black, is that you in there?"

Hermione was rather bewildered. "Is it that uncommon for him to joke around?" She hadn't really noticed. Tom had always been like this with her, though he was more carefree now than he was at Hogwarts.

"Yes. He's usually dark and moody and he curses everyone he sees." Abraxas looked at Tom, as if judging the boy's reaction. He didn't get any; a blank face was all he got in return.

Dark and moody? She had only seen him like that once, and that was when he met his father in Little Hangleton. Sure, he had his little group meetings, but he had never invited her nor spoken about it to her. Had she really been only seeing the side he wanted her to see? Was he hiding his true personality from her?

Well, she couldn't dwell on that too much. She herself was hiding nasty secrets from him, so she didn't think it was her place to scold him.

Their conversation was interrupted when Scarlett returned Abraxas's broom to him, her head drooping slightly. Eleanor was standing with her arms crossed, a scowl present on her face. Abraxas ruffled Scarlett's hair, which seemed to improve the little girl's mood, but Eleanor's scowl only grew.

"It's time to go," Eleanor clipped angrily. Abraxas seemed rather bewildered by her sudden mood change. "Scarlett, we're leaving."

"But Ellie!" Scarlett protested. "I just met Hermie! I want to talk with her!"

Eleanor cast a glance at Hermione, completely void of emotion, before turning back to her sister. "Well, then, you can just stay with her, can't you? She'll be your new sister. You'll have no need for me." Without waiting for a response, she turned and stomped off. Scarlett ran after her, crying, while Abraxas quickly followed.

Hermione stared bewilderedly, wondering if there was something that she did wrong.

"Well," Tom chuckled after awhile. "That was interesting."

"Interesting is the correct word," Hermione said as the two of them watched the trio walk nosily down Diagon Alley. Eleanor seemed to be parting the crowd with her angry stampede, and she shrugged off every attempt Abraxas did to put his hand on her shoulder. He eventually gave up and trailed behind with a crying Scarlett in tow.

"That girl is so dramatic," Tom rolled his eyes. He cast Hermione a sideways glance. "You won't do that to me, won't you?" He reached for her hand again, but she pushed it away a second time.

"Abraxas was right!" Hermione gasped. "I have turned you in to a romantic sap!"

Tom groaned. "Could you have thought of a worse mood killer?"

Hermione giggled, but her mood was immediately dampened when one of the girls who had been eyeing Tom came up. "Um." She cast a nervous glance at Hermione, who didn't do anything, and the turned to Tom with a small smile on her face. "Hi."

Tom cast Hermione a look, which caused her to momentarily freeze. Is he actually considering my feelings for once? She thought mockingly. Tom seemed to read her thoughts, because he grinned and then turned back to the trembling girl in front of him.

Hermione watched them converse for awhile, as more and more girls crowded around Tom. Strangely enough, she wasn't jealous. She had discovered that she wasn't going to be those shallow girls who would get upset every time another girl talked to Tom. Tom could do whatever he wanted, and it wasn't her right to stop him.

"I see the gears turning,"

Hermione turned around and grinned. "Hey Nick. Fancy running in to you here."

Nick snorted, running his hand through his blue hair. Hermione noticed that he was getting his share of stares as well. "You're the one who invited me here, Hermione."

"I suppose I did," Hermione gestured towards Tom, who quite surprisingly was keeping his hands to himself. He seemed to be holding up his end of the bargain, much to Hermione's surprise. "I kind of expected this to happen. I always need a backup plan."

"So, I've been reduced from 'best friend' to 'backup plan?'" Hermione merely grinned. Nick frowned slightly. "Why were you with him in the first place?"

"I asked Dumbledore for a hotel," she said. "I can't go back to him because of the tracking devices. Not that I want to, though I'd go if he was dressed up as Santa and singing next to the Christmas tree." Nick snorted at the imagery. "Somehow, Dumbledore decided to send me to an orphanage. It also happened to be Tom's orphanage."

"Riddle lives in an orphanage?" Nick's eyebrows shot up. He glanced over at Tom. "I never would've guessed."

"Neither would I." Hermione paused. "They were mean to him in the orphanage, Nick. They were breaking him down emotionally?"

"Who, Riddle?" Nick asked. "Riddle can be broken down emotionally? Are you sure we're talking about the same person? And for the sake of the argument, even if he had been broken down, I'm sure he's more than capable of defending himself."

"Dumbledore took his wand."

"Can't he do anything else?"

Hermione snorted. "Can you imagine Tom doing a karate kick?" Nick shook his head, and Hermione laughed. "I didn't think so."

"Well, I'm not saying it's right for him to be bullied," Nick said. "But I'm not saying that he doesn't completely deserve it either."

"Fair enough."

Nick looked at her. "So what are you two doing here? Don't tell me you're on a date and you want me to be the third wheel, because I'm going to get out of here if that's the case." He grinned cheekily. "Your boyfriend hates me already."

"Don't be silly. He does not," That was a lie, and both of them knew it. "We're Christmas shopping, and I thought you might want to buy some gifts away from the Weasleys."

"I'm touched that you care," Nick replied. Hermione swatted at him. "I, though, unlike you, have already bought my gifts years ago. You, however, are cramming on the last day." He smirked. "For someone who is so persistent on finishing her homework weeks before, you sure are a procrastinator when it comes to other things."

"You keep talking and you'll get nothing for Christmas."

Nick held his hands up in defeat and then jerked his head to the right. "I can see you looking at the bookstore. Want to go in?"

Hermione glanced over at Tom, who was still engaged his multiple conversations. Plus, those books looked awfully tempting, and Hermione nodded towards Nick. She would have plenty of time to spend with Tom, now that she was living in the orphanage. The books, on the other hand… "Lead the way."

Hermione allowed herself indulge in books for awhile, not even letting Nick disturb her. He had come over and tempted her with more books, but she simply swatted him away and he eventually got the hint. However, it didn't stop him from teasingly thrusting his hand in front of her vision, blocking her view. She had chased after him and kicked him in the ankle, never taking her eyes away from the words. He eventually settled next to her quietly, reading his own book.

It had been too long since she had been away from books. Too long. Just one glance at these books informed her of how behind she was in her studies. It was the best time to study now; Tom obviously wasn't doing any work at the orphanage, so it was a good chance for her to pull ahead.

Unfortunately, Tom had other ideas.

Tom Riddle marched in to the bookstore, a murderous glare on his face. He looked around, and before Hermione could have time to hide, he stomped over. He seemed to have no idea about the strange glances he was receiving. The other shoppers were staring at the usually charming and polite Tom scowl like a little kid who didn't receive a Christmas present.

Nick moved closer to her, a frown on his face, but Tom didn't notice him. Instead, he grabbed her arm roughly, and to Hermione's embarrassment, a whimper left her mouth. "What do you think you're doing?" Tom hissed.

"Um." Hermione held up a book. "Reading?" He was still looking at her angrily, and she fidgeted. "Are you mad because I'm trying to get ahead of you in class?"

"No." Tom said shortly. "It doesn't matter. I'll beat you anyway."

Hermione scowled and crossed her arms the best she could with his tight grip still on her arm. "Aren't you modest."

"What were you doing, coming here by yourself?" Tom asked, though Hermione saw that most of his anger had melted away. Instead, there was something else in his expression, something she had never seen before. "I thought…"

He trailed off, and Hermione gaped at him. She had seen Tom Riddle do a lot of things, ranging from bad to worse to plain stupid. However, she had never seen him speechless. "Did you think I would leave you to the orphanage by yourself?" She asked. He didn't answer, but the loosening of his grip was enough of a response.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. Tom's scowl only grew as he glowered at her. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Yes, I believe I am," Hermione said, wiping fake tears. "Who would've guessed that under all that macho you had, you were afraid of being left by yourself?"

Tom's angry look vanished once he realized that she was teasing him. Hermione was glad that he had stopped looking like he was going to murder her. Instead, he simply frowned and said, "Are you making fun of me?"

"Maybe I am," Hermione laughed. "Too bad you're not like this at Hogwarts. I bet everyone would love to see your 'little small boy' personality."

"They would love me no matter how I acted," Tom replied arrogantly.

"I'm sure they would."

Nick chose that moment to jump in, giving Tom a huge, cheesy smile. "Hey Riddle. Long time no see."

"Porter?" Tom's scowl returned. He looked between the two of them. "Did you invite him?"

"There's no need to get so angry," Hermione patted his arm mockingly. "I'm sure Nick can chip in some suggestions on what he wants you to get him from Christmas. Right Nick?"

The look on both of their faces told her exactly what they thought of that idea. The two of them spent the majority of the remainder of the trip ignoring her, but she was glad that the two of them followed her nonetheless. They watched her go in to countless stores, picking out item after item, all while standing there quietly and glaring at each other.

Maybe there would come a day where the three of them could talk civilly.

Though, Hermione watched as Nick said something that caused Tom to scowl, that dream was still a long distance away.

It was Christmas Eve. The snowflakes were following outside, covering the ground with a white blanket.

Hermione Granger lay awake in a dark room, her wrists and ankles tied together with ropes. They dug in to her skin every time she moved, though the pain didn't stop her as she gritted her teeth and worked at the knots with her fingers.

They were too easy, as if they wanted her to get free. Once her hands were free, it took her a couple of seconds to untie the ropes bounding her ankles, and then she was sprinting down the stairs. Because she recognized this house, and it was bad if her suspicious were correct.

As she entered the dimly lit room below, it was clear that her suspicious were correct. Hermione's heart dropped when the first person she saw was one that she did not want to see.

"Hermione, dear, how nice of you to join us," Her father sat at one end of the table, looking quite majestic. There were about eight other people in the room, though there were all masked so Hermione couldn't tell who they were. "Please sit."

The glint in his eyes clearly informed her that she had no other choice, and she sat as far away from him and all the other people as possible. Grindelwald raised an eyebrow, but she paid him no mind. "Father," she said as politely as she could, and saw one of the masked figures wince slightly. Interesting. "What about the tracking devices?"

"They have been taking care of," Grindelwald nodded, glancing slightly at the wincing person. They sat up straighter, as if praised. "Not hard to do, I must say, since they were created by Dippet." The wincing person deflated visibly.

"Why am the only one not masked?"

Grindelwald chuckled. "Always so many questions. You are not masked because you chose not to wear yours. That is hardly my fault."

"I never got a mask," Hermione said blankly, though quite frankly, she didn't want one. Why would she want to cover her face and roam around like that? It was shameful, in her opinion. Of course, telling that to her father would be a death sentence.

"You didn't?" Grindelwald sounded genuinely surprised as he looked around. "Who was in charge of giving my daughter her uniform?" No one spoke up, though Hermione did notice the wincing person tense slightly. It seemed like Hermione had already made an enemy, in this group of strangers.

"Don't worry, we'll get you a new one," Her father said, like it was the biggest honor in the world, and Hermione couldn't do anything but nod politely. Grindelwald then gestured around and said, "For the purpose of secrecy, we will use numbers to address each other in this meeting. We have some new recruits, you see, that I don't plan on sharing quite yet."

Grindelwald then went on to explain how everyone's voice was altered so that it was impossible to guess the person hidden under the mask. The more Hermione listened, the angrier she got. This whole thing sounded like his warped way of toying with her. Here she was, fully exposed, and she couldn't even learn the identities of her father's minions? She knew Russell, of course. She had seen him around since she was a baby. Stalin too, but she had no idea who the rest were. She didn't even have an inkling.

"My Lord," the person who didn't like Hermione began. They had been given the number 'one,' much to their pleasure. One bowed their head slightly. "The murder of Erica Belby is now being investigated, though it seems like Dumbledore has closed it up and Hogwarts will be back open."

One seemed awfully proud of themselves, until Grindelwald said, "We wouldn't have needed to get in this whole mess if you didn't let her nor her friend witness your potion." One sank lower in their chair.

Potion?

"We listened in on their meeting," another person, who, though hidden by a mask, didn't look too old. His posture looked somewhat familiar as well. Much to Hermione's surprise, she could see the person holding the hand of the person next to them. Sentimentalism wasn't common among her father's followers. "There is no sign they suspect One."

Hermione blanched. 'One' was most definitely the spy at Hogwarts, and it seemed like both Erica and Daisy were murdered by One. Hermione stared hard, but could not find any sign that would give One's identity away.

Five sounded like the other spy, though Hermione had no idea who Five was either. This whole mask and identity and voice altering thing was stupid. She had no idea who they were, and they all knew who she was. Knowing her father, that was probably his plan.

She wondered how far she could make it if she jumped out of her seat and ripped the mask off One's face. Seeing how close One was to her father, not very far. Then again, her father might let her as a source of entertainment. With him, nothing was predictable, though that wasn't a good thing.

"Good work, Five." Hermione didn't know how her father could call his followers numbers and not laugh at the situation, but he seemed to manage. Not even Tom did that, though Hermione didn't know all the specifics of his little meetings. Five bowed slightly, but there was nothing else, unlike One, who was kissing up to Grindelwald.

Why would anyone want to kiss up to him?

Grindelwald turned his blue eyes to her, and she had to fight the urge to shiver. They looked like Dumbledore's eyes, except they were brighter and fiercer. The two of them were quite alike, yet entirely different at the same time, if such was possible. "And what about you, my daughter?" She hated his title for her. All eyes swung to her. "What news have you got for us?"

How am I supposed to give news when I have no idea what the mission is?

"Um." Hermione said the first thing that popped in to her head. "When Abraxas Malfoy was sent to jail for murdering Daisy, someone polyjuiced as Kingsley Shacklebolt and freed him."

"It wasn't me!" One immediately squeaked in denial.

Grindelwald ignored One. "Abraxas Malfoy, hm?" He raised an eyebrow, and Hermione immediately regretted bringing him up in the first place. Hadn't she vowed to keep her friends out of all business with her father? "I've been told that you've been becoming quite close to your friends, Hermione."

One look at One informed Hermione who exactly did the telling. Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir." She remembered how he had reacted the last time he learned of her friends. It wasn't something she wanted to repeat.

To her amazement, her father smiled at her and said, "Who else?"

Hermione stared back, but whatever his hidden motif was, he wasn't showing it. He simply beamed at her, a look that was foreign on her father's face. It made him seem normal, when he was clearly far from it. "Uh. Orion, Cygnus, and Violetta?" She had no idea what her father wanted her to say, and she wasn't going to go naming Gryffindors. She had a feeling he wouldn't react well to that fact.

Grindelwald's eyes glinted. "What about Tom Riddle?"

Hermione opened her mouth, and then closed it. One decided to jump in and said, "Subject is quite smitten with her, my Lord."

Subject? Tom is a SUBJECT?

"Good." Grindelwald's glance was calculating as he surveyed her. He looked prideful, but with what? Tom wasn't smitten when her, as One put it. The two of them just decided to get over their differences and try to speak to each other without killing each other. That hardly counted as smitten. Tom was interested with her at most.

Speaking with Tom, she had an appointment to keep with him. She promised the two of them would go to one of her favorite Italian restaurants as soon as she woke up. It looked like she couldn't keep her promise. She hoped he wouldn't be mad. She really didn't have a choice, but she couldn't tell him why.

He had other things to do with his time, didn't he? She wasn't the only thing in his life, after all. He would manage fine without her.

"Hermione, dear," Grindelwald said. "You are going to use Tom Riddle to get at Dumbledore, do you understand?"

She was confused. "How?"

"You aggravate the subject as much as possible," One said, sounding bored. Hermione hated how she kept referring to Tom as the subject, like he was some lab rat they were experimenting on. Tom was better than most people in this room in so many ways. "He'll take his anger out on Dumbledore."

The plan was so strange, Hermione knew almost instantly that they were just trying to get her to do something unwillingly. Something that had to do with the real mission that she wasn't told about. She was going to do it accidently, because she had no idea what not to do. "Tom's not easy to aggravate." She finally said, swallowing all the questions she was longing to ask.

"Oh, good, you're already on first name basis." Grindelwald sounded giddy, like a child opening his present. Over the years she had known him, he had never sounded anything close to giddy. "Just do what I tell you to do, Hermione, and send me frequent updates." He must've noted her hesitation, because he added, "You know what will happen to you if you defy me, don't you?"

Hermione bowed her head. Yes, she did. The consequences weren't pretty, and they certainly weren't worth it. The task wasn't even hard. Just spend some more time with Tom, which she had been planning to do, as her presence just naturally aggravated him most of the time, and send her father notices. "Yes, sir."

"Why don't you say them out loud for everyone?" Grindelwald suggested smoothly.

Hermione gritted her teeth. He was obviously trying to humiliate her, and unfortunately, it was working. "You'll kill everyone I care about. Like Violetta, Abraxas, Cygnus and Orion."

One was clapping rather insanely, and didn't seem to care that everyone thought they were crazy. Her father simply ignored One and said, "And don't forget Nick."

Nick was actually the person she was least worried about. Nick knew how to defend himself, and Nick knew exactly how dangerous her father was. But then again, Nick had angered her father, and Grindelwald wasn't known for being a forgiving person.

However, not wanting to anger her father anymore than she had already, she simply said, "Yes, sir."

"Excuse me, my Lord?" Seven interrupted, raising their hand hesitantly. Grindelwald nodded at him, and their swiveled their body to look at Hermione. "Did she say she cared about them?" Hermione could almost see the frown on their face.

"Yes!" One cackled gleefully before Grindelwald had a chance to respond. "She's a terrible spy, caring for subjects. She's letting her feelings get in the way." One snickered. "They're all so annoying. I say, get rid of them all!"

"That's how you got in trouble," Five reminded One, who scowled but thankfully fell silent.

"Normally, I would punish all those who let their feelings get in their way," Hermione winced slightly, but her father didn't seem to notice. Not that he would've cared if he had noticed. He was especially known for adding salt to a wound. "But in Hermione's case, it is different." He didn't elaborate on why it was different, though everyone else seemed to understand. Everyone else, that is, but Hermione.

"Can I know what exactly my mission is?" Hermione asked, not caring that she sounded rude. Wouldn't it make more sense if she actually knew what she was supposed to do? It would be much faster for her to make it a goal than waiting for her to accidently stumble upon it.

"Now, darling, good things come to those who wait," Grindelwald said, though Hermione doubted that anything good would come out of her running around clueless, right under the nose of Albus Dumbledore. "Besides, you are known for being sloppy. We wouldn't want Dumbledore to find out the plan from you, would we?"

Of course. Her father cared more about the mission than about her. There was nothing new about that, though it still stung. It stung that he obviously trusted One enough to let them run around under Dumbledore's nose with the whole mission in their head. "How am I sloppy?"

"Well," Grindelwald sighed dramatically. "It took you about two days to let your feelings get in your way, didn't it?" He gestured towards One and Five, the former sighting up straighter while the latter showed no signs of having heard Grindelwald at all. "One and Five have been spies for so many years, and they didn't let their feelings get in their way." Hermione looked pointedly at Five, who was still holding hands with the person next to them. Grindelwald caught her glance and said, "That's a relationship I approve of, Hermione. Everyone here is aiming for the same goal, while I can't say the same for your friends."

One cackled again, the sound really destroying Hermione's ears. "This is sacred right here. The newest version of the Cleansweep."

Hermione froze. One was spying on her! One was the person who had been doing all the spying on her at Hogwarts, planting the bugs. Was that Eileen? However, Hermione couldn't imagine Eileen cackling like that. Hermione's mouth worked before she could stop it. "Eileen?"

One didn't hesitate at all and cackled again. "I'm not Eileen."

One could've lied, but Hermione couldn't help but start growing doubts. What if the spy wasn't Eileen? Was Five Eileen? This was all so confusing. She was a puzzle piece in this elaborate mission that she had no info about.

"Before you go on your guessing spree, Hermione," Grindelwald interrupted. "I have some news for you from your friends." He laughed as Hermione visibly tensed, murmurs going around the room. People were mumbling about 'letting her feelings get in the way,' but Hermione ignored them. "Relax, my daughter, nothing bad has happened to them. Yet."

That hardly was a reassurance, coming from her father. She nodded at him to go on. Pleading him to go on. She would never forgive herself if something happened to them.

"They seemed to be quite thoughtfully," Grindelwald continued. "They sent you gifts. Imagine that. Gifts." Hermione didn't know where he was getting at. "Seeing how you had no need for them, I burned them. Your friend, Orion Black, was it? He even gave you a cat." Grindelwald's eyes glinted. "I burned it in the fire place. You can go pick up its scorched furs, if you would like."

One immediately began clapping delightfully again, but Hermione felt sick, resisting the urge to vomit all over the table. How could he burn a living animal just because he deemed that she didn't need it? How was she going to explain it to Black? I'm sorry, but my dad burned the cat you gave me. I still have the tail though. It was an awfully thoughtful gift as well. She always wanted a cat, and she told Black just once. She was grateful that he remembered, but his kindness just made the pain so much worse.

She briefly wondered if she was hurting them by caring for them more than leaving them alone, but Grindelwald immediately crushed that idea. "You will continue showing your…feelings." He spat the word out as if he was a curse. "If I learn that you have decided to break things off with your friends, they will pay, do you understand? And I will not be as lenient to them as I was to the cat."

As if burning to death wasn't bad enough. Hermione had long given up and trying to figure out what her father's plan with it. The only thing she could do now was to go along with it."Yes, sir."

Grindelwald nodded and stood up, the rest of the table rising with him. Hermione was the last one up, trying to resist the urge to punch her father. Looking at her streak, she'd say she got a good chance of hitting a pretty painful part, but she didn't want anyone else to suffer her consequences. "Meeting is dismissed."

The rest of the people started moving away to their respective rooms. One stayed to converse with Grindelwald, with three or four people behind her. Several people bumped in to Hermione, and glared at her the best they could with their masks on. She simply ignored them and headed towards her room, plotting a way to escape.

Five came up to her, and she looked at them expectantly. Five's hand holding companion was nowhere to be seen. Five's hand came up and touched her arm gently. They seemed to be trying to convey a message to her. Unfortunately for them, Hermione was not in the mood to try and decipher what Five was trying to say under their mask.

Hermione wretched her arm away and ran to her room. It was the same room she had woke up in; completely empty except for the chair she had been placed in. She quickly shut the door and locked it before she sank to the floor and let the first tears fall.

Hermione didn't know how long she slept. She was only aware of the endless nightmares that plagued her mind that were interrupted only by her waking up screaming. She was sure everyone else could hear her as well, but none of them came. One did pop their head in once and laugh at Hermione, before leaving.

Nice cheerful group of people they are.

The floor wasn't terribly comfortable either. The chair had been taken away as a joke, so Hermione was left with a room with no windows and one almost broken door. But then again, she could consider this an improvement. Knowing her father's sense of amusement, she should be glad that she wasn't tossed in a room with spikes.

That wouldn't be the first time.

There was one time, when she was five. She accidently kissed Nick. She had tripped and fell on top of him, and his lips barely brushed against hers when he turned his head. They was barely any contact, but her father had been in the room meeting with a couple of others. They weren't his followers. It was more like they had something he wanted, and he was negotiating for it. Nevertheless, whistles and calls of 'incest' could be heard in the room.

Her father didn't get what he wanted from the meeting, so he decided that his two children would have to pay.

Nick was almost drowned, taken out of the water before he could. He was given a couple of breaths in between, before he was dunked back in. To this day, Hermione knew that Nick was still rather wary about approaching water. He had quickly learned how to swim from Hermione, just in case, and then stayed away from it as best as he could.

Hermione had been set on a broom that was tied to the ceiling. Grindelwald invited a few friends over and they threw spikes at her. She eventually slipped off, grabbing the broom with her left hand. Her father then lobbed a spike at her arm, and she slipped and fell. Her father wouldn't let her die, but he didn't cushion her fall by too much either.

She still had the scars on her body, as well as the fear of heights.

They were only five when this happened. Five. Hermione had learned since then that defying her father wasn't the smartest thing to do. For Nick, however, it only seemed to spark his defying streak.

Hermione was woken by the smell of burning. She opened her eyes to see a person standing in front of her. She couldn't see who the intruder was, as the room was completely dark, so she opened her mouth to scream. She didn't think that would do any good; they would all just think it was another nightmare and none of them would come and save her, but the intruder placed their hand on her mouth, muffling her.

Maybe it'd be better if the intruder just killed her now. Her friends would be safe. If the intruder wanted to use her as a hostage, they weren't going to get anything. Her father certainly wasn't going to waste anything on her.

"Shhh." Hermione jolted and stared bewildered at the shape in front of her. The intruder's breath was warm against her freezing skin. She hadn't realized how cold it was. "I'm going to let go of your mouth now. Don't scream."

Once the hand was taken away, Hermione gaped. "Nick?"

"Trust it to you to get in so much trouble," he pulled her to her feet. "Come on, we have to get out of here. It won't be long until Grindelwald notices the wards are down."

"The wards?" Hermione squeaked as Nick pulled on her arm, trying to get her to move. "H-how did you get in here in the first place?"

Nick gestured towards the wall. "I burned a hole in the wall. Look." Indeed he did. There was a perfect circle in the center of the wall, and Hermione could see that they weren't too far off the ground. She allowed herself to be dragged out of the room, before Nick placed his arm around her and apparated them away.

They landed in the middle of an unknown forest. Hermione looked at Nick questioningly, but Nick placed his finger on his lips and pointed to the ground. Hermione looked down and gaped. Tom lay there, clearly have been knocked out. She glanced back up at Nick, bewildered, and Nick grinned sheepishly.

"Your little boyfriend was quite worried about you," Nick said, sitting down. She sat down as well, poking Tom to make sure he was still alive. His skin was still warm, and Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief. "When you disappeared, he went looking for you. He even came to me." Nick laughed, which was quite the opposite of what Hermione was currently feeling. "Imagine my surprise when he turned up on the Weasley household and threatened to murder me if I didn't tell him where you were. Ron wanted to curse him."

"What happened then?" Hermione asked, thinking that there was no possible way that this situation would end up well.

"He apparated us away before Ron could get his parents. I'm going have a lot of explaining to do when I get back." Nick gestured around. "He took us to here. Apparently, we're in Albania."

"Albania?"

"I don't know. That's what Riddle told me. Awfully gloomy place, isn't it?" Nick looked around. "Nevertheless, Riddle blurted out some nonsense, and I somehow got the gist of things. He helped me alter the wards, without his knowledge, of course."

"Then what?"

"Oh, then the questioning began. You have no idea how much questions he has. It was terrible. I thought it would never end. Then he tried to Imperius me," Nick rolled his eyes. "Such a nice and caring boyfriend you have there."

"And then?"

"And then he began attacking me, and I dodged. He's actually quite good with his wand. I got hit with a couple of minor ones." Nick held out his arm and Hermione could see several deep wounds that he had obviously healed hastily.

"Oh," Hermione stared. "I'm sorry. Tom didn't mean it. He wasn't thinking clearly."

"I wasn't blaming him." Nick said, though the look on his face clearly said that he was. "I couldn't tell him about where you were, though. You know why." Hermione nodded. "I was about to pull out my wand, then I was aware that he had my wand, when he just knocked himself out."

"What?" Hermione squeaked, looking down at Tom.

"He ran in to a tree." Nick rolled his eyes. "The mighty Tom Riddle ran in to a tree. I really wish I had a camera. That was priceless. Want me to reenact it?" Nick stood up, but was promptly pulled down by Hermione.

"Stop that," she hissed, and then examined his arm. "Here, Nick. Don't move." She took out her wand. "I'm going to patch this up."

"You don't have to."

"Of course I have to!" Hermione said, scandalized. "You're my best friend, Nick, and you just risked your life to come save you. You know how dangerous it was for you to go back. He hates you enough already." She looked at him, but his expression was unreadable. "How did you know I was there?"

"Lucky guess."

Hermione had a feeling there was something that he wasn't telling her, but she let it go. That was a discussion for another day. She muttered a few spells under her breath, and Nick's skin started to heal. She rubbed her hand over it when she felt another hand on her shoulder.

"There you are." Tom hissed, clearly awake and angry, glowering down at her. His eyes flicked up to Nick. "Porter, get out of here."

"Now, just wait a second." Hermione began bossily, but Tom cut her off.

"You said you would not talk to Porter after hours," Tom said, glaring at Nick. "We had an agreement, Hermione, or did you forget already?"

"After hours?" Hermione screeched at him. "This is not Hogwarts, Tom!"

"It's okay." Nick stood up, his face blank. Hermione looked at him, but she got nothing. "I was just heading off. Thanks for my arm, Hermione."

Hermione whirled back to Tom. "The least you could do is say sorry to him."

"Sorry?" Tom said, the thought clearly having never crossed his mind. "Why would I apologize to Porter?"

"I don't know, maybe for cursing him?"

"He deserved it."

Hermione put everything she had in her glare. "Tom. Marvolo. Riddle." Nick snickered, and both of them turned to glare at him.

"Fine." Tom scowled. "I'm sorry." Then, he added in a quieter voice. "For not hurting you more."

Hermione frowned, but she could've sworn that Nick grinned as he turned around, gave them a small wave, and then apparated away. Hermione shook her head. Boys.

And then it was just she and Tom left in the forest, somewhere in Albania.

Tom grabbed her arm. "Where were you? How could you leave me? How dare you leave me?"

Tom's words sounded like threats, but she was so touched that he cared so much that she decided to let that little fact go. "I didn't leave you on purpose," she explained. "I was kidnapped."

It was technically true. Hermione wondered who it was that took her out of the orphanage. From the looks of things, it was probably One. She was going to have to charm the windows and doors shut from now on.

"Kidnapped?" Tom's anger rose. "How dare they kidnap you!" He grabbed her other arm and inspected her. "Did they hurt you?"

"No." She looked at him and saw him looked back at her intensely. Before she could say anything, he pulled her in and kissed her hard. He released her arms and she wrapped them around his neck, pressing against him until there was nothing left in between them.

When Tom finally broke the kiss, Hermione was breathing hard and she reached the nearest tree to steady herself. Tom was peering at her, having appeared to slightly calm down. His hands were still clenched in fists, though.

"I'm okay, Tom." She told him sincerely. It was the truth; for now, she was okay. She was okay until her father discovered that she had escaped. She was okay until he decided to call her back again. She had no idea how long he had planned to keep her in there.

"How did Porter know you were there?" Tom asked.

"I don't know." Hermione shrugged. "I asked him that too, but he didn't tell me." Hermione glanced at Tom. "I heard that you took down the wards, did you? That's quite difficult."

"Yes, I did." Tom cast her a sideways glance. "How did you know it was difficult? Did you try?"

"Yes." She didn't, in fact. She knew her father's magic well enough to know that there was no way she was going to break down his wards any time soon, but she couldn't say that to him, as it would raise a lot of questions. However, the fact that Tom managed to take it down really said a lot about his abilities, though she never doubted them before. "It didn't work."

A small smile crossed his face. "Just another place where I beat you."

Hermione smacked him gently, but noticed that he winced. She took in the dark bruise beginning to form on his forehead and slightly traced it with her finger. He didn't move, just traced her movement with his eyes.

"Is that where you ran in to a tree?" She asked.

Tom snorted. "That makes it so less flattering."

Hermione blinked at him. "How can I make running in to a tree sound flattering?"

"I don't know. I walked stylishly in to the tree, thinking of my girlfriend, who once again needed me to save her?"

Hermione tried to not let her happiness show as he said the word 'girlfriend' once again. "You keep talking, I'll add another bruise to your face. I think the two I've made so far enhance your handsomeness."

"You think I'm handsome?" Tom asked, his smirk back on as he stood up, offering her a hand to pull her up.

"I never said that." Hermione declined his hand and stood up by herself.

"Sure." He grinned at her, and then a thought seemed to occur to him as his grin slid off his face. Hermione glanced at him questioningly. "What did they do to you, if they didn't harm you? They didn't just lock you up, did they?"

She shouldn't have told him, but Hermione found her mouth opening against her own will. "They were trying to break me down emotionally," Hermione shrugged. "I got over it. Just took two hours of crying to do that."

Hermione found herself being crushed in to his hug. His hands went in her hair and he stroked it softly. Hermione looked up at him, rather shocked, and found him staring intensely down at her. She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it.

"Before you say the worst mood killer of the century," Tom said, stepping back to allow some space between the two of them. His hand still lingered in her hair, though. "You should probably savor that moment. Rest assured, it will never happen again."

Hermione found herself grinning. The sight of Tom hugging was something that she didn't want to see again. Not that she didn't like it, but it was too weird for him, and he was extremely out of character. But then again, he had been extremely out of character ever since the break begun. So had she, for the matter. Must've been the lack of books that caused them to act like this. "Just like you won't run in to a tree again?"

Tom scowled and stepped away, whatever romantic mood that had previously been in the air vanished. However, Hermione didn't mind the playful nature that replaced the romantic nature. She couldn't spend too much time snogging Tom; she wasn't that type of girl, after all. "I told you you'd come up with a mood killer," Tom sighed. "You'll never let that go, will you?"

"Nope."

"Doesn't it count for anything that I was trying to save you from your kidnappers?"

"Nope." The kidnappers are quite interested in you, actually. Hermione looked at him sadly. She couldn't let her father get any of her friends, but most of all, not Tom. Tom was powerful. If he were to be controlled, Hermione didn't think that even Dumbledore could beat him and Grindelwald.

"Come on," Tom held out his hand to her. "Cole is bound to notice that I've broken the window to get out. Jake was the first person who found that you weren't in your room. Cole immediately taped my window shut and locked me in my room, something about promising Dumbledore." Tom rolled his eyes. "As if duct tape could stop me."

"You broke a window?"

"What else was I supposed to do? No wand, remember?" Tom sighed. "Stupid Dumbledore. If he hadn't taken my wand, none of this would've happened."

"How did you move the wards, then?"

"Porter lent me his wand. He finally realized that I am superior to him in every category, and that includes wand work." Tom said. "Shame that I didn't curse him further. He was completely defenseless, after all."

Hermione frowned. "That's not nice."

"I'm not nice." Tom pointed out. "Though I suppose I should be grateful. He did bring you back to me, after all. I'll try to refrain myself from hurting him too much next time."

"He did not bring me back to you," Hermione said. "I am not a possession that you lost."

"Oh, but you are," Tom purred, leaning closer. Hermione pushed him away.

"I don't like it when you're like that."

"Like what? Kissable?"

Hermione laughed, but shook her head. "Like flirty. I told you before, Tom. You can't get whatever you want from me by offering to kiss me. You'll have to try harder than that."

Tom frowned. "I wasn't offering to kiss you. But nice to know that your mind immediately jumped to conclusions."

Hermione swatted at him. "You are insufferable."

Tom smirked. "Do you like me better like this?"

"I suppose." Hermione tapped her foot impatiently. "Now, finish what you started. Kiss me."

"I don't think I will," Tom said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "You're the one who wanted to kiss me. I offered no such thing. So no, I won't kiss you." He mimicked her. "You'll have to try harder than that."

Hermione growled and then pounced on him. Tom sidestepped neatly, a smirk on his face, as he grabbed her hand. His other hand went in to her pocket, retrieved her wand, and then apparated them away.

Hermione forgot to ask why exactly Tom knew this forest in Albania, so far away from his orphanage.


Author's Note: During the Grindelwald scene, I am aware that I use 'them' and 'their' instead of 'him/she' and 'his/her.' I purposely did that so the gender of the person was not revealed, though it did get confusing after awhile.