Disclaim.

-December 24, 1943-

Everyone that was going home for the holiday's left three days ago. Hermione couldn't be happier. She could finally work in peace, for the most part. Sure she still had to avoid Tom a little bit in order to do so, but it was worth it.

She spent her days in the library, her dorm, with her brother, or the Great Hall. She visited Dumbledore once a day to check in with him. He was, after all, her 'uncle' in this time as well. 'Some things never change,' she thought as she made her way from the library to his office for her daily visit.

She knocked on his door, and he told her to enter. "Ah, Mya. I was just about to come find you. Something has come up."

"What do you mean, Albus?" She had never had to deal with something like this. He was always there, or she had a few days notice if he was going to go away.

"I have to leave tomorrow for something important. You'll find out in due time just what it is I need to do, but I will not be back until just before the holiday is over. Do you think you can handle that?" he asked her while looking over his half-mooned spectacles.

"I should be able to do so, sir. Please do not get harmed. Well, depending on the level of dangerousness you may get hurt. Don't get too severely injured then." She was rambling, and both knew it. Mirth danced in his eyes as she talked. He knew he'd be okay. She was proof of that.

"You must go now, Miss. Marsella. I believe you have much to do for yourself, do you not?"

"Indeed I do. And I must tell Mason as well, sir."

"And here; this may be helpful to you, no?" as he pulled a sack from his drawer that jingled slightly at the movement.

She thanked him as she took the sack and left the room in a daze.

Hermione knew it was dangerous, but she left the grounds anyways. She needed a few things from Hogsmeade, and it could not wait. Christmas was tomorrow. Harry was with her, so she didn't have to worry on her way into Hogsmeade. They split up, saying that they would meet up at the Three Broomsticks in a few hours time.

As she made her way through the streets, she spotted one of the people she was getting something for, but she had to avoid him. He couldn't know that she was getting him something. It would ruin the surprise.

She ducked into the bookshop quickly. She had seen something a few weeks ago on another trip into the village and she was hoping it would still be here. Much to her relief, it was. She picked the book up, then one for herself, and then headed for the checkout.

Once she purchased Everything You Could Ever Need to Know about Snakes for Tom and All Details about Potions and Poisons for herself, she made her way out into the winter air. She didn't notice someone trying to get her attention until she smacked into that person. When she looked up, she was looking into dark blue eyes that she knew all too well for her liking.

"You finally notice me, Marsella. Sure took you long enough," Tom stated as he righted her. "What are you doing here anyways?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she told him trying desperately to keep her calm.

"Just needed to get out of the castle. I've answered your almost question, now you answer my question: What are you doing here?" his inquired raising an eyebrow.

"I was shopping, if you couldn't tell. I have permission to be here. Now I must be going. I still have a few things to purchase," she told him in an eerily calm voice as she went to go past him. She still had to buy dress robes for the ball being held next month, and potions ingredients for her own stocks. Plus she was hoping to find something else for Tom. She wanted him to have a good Christmas. 'It is the little things after all.'

He kept in step with her as he asked, "May I help you with your shopping then, and maybe you could join me for a Butterbeer afterward?"

"No, Riddle. I need to do this on my own, if you don't mind. Some of my purchases will not be suitable for your eyes to see."

"And why not?" He wanted to know what this witch was buying. It might help him figure her out. He also hoped that she wasn't buying something for only her precious Mason to see. He wouldn't be able to stand that. And he was her brother anyways. It would be so wrong.

"You'll see in due time. Now I must be going, if you'll excuse me," she once again tried to get past him. He caught her arm.

"Would you at least join me for a Butterbeer after you're done?" he whispered in her ear. She shivered, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or his breath tickling her ear. He was hoping for the latter, but he still hadn't figured out as to why.

"If that's the price for you to let me shop in peace, than yes. I should be done in about an hour, maybe a little more. Don't wait too long, Riddle. Your patience may wear thin." She pulled out of his grasp and headed down the street. She needed to get on with her purchases. She also needed to calm herself. 'Why does he have this effect on me?'

The stop at the local potion was a quick trip. Now she had to go to the dressmakers, then the jewelers. She wanted something simple to go with the dress. But she needed to find that dress first.

Hermione didn't know that Tom had been following her. He kept a safe distance from her, as he did not want her to get annoyed with him. Though he thought that she looked better when angry. Passionate, and fire danced in her eyes, and- 'Stop it, Tom. This doesn't help anything.'

He waited until she was in the next shop she was stopping in to catch up to her. What he didn't expect was that she would be in a dress robes shop.

She went through the dresses carefully, picking out only those that she felt would work best for herself. There were several sets of robes piled in her arms before she went into the dressing rooms to see how they fit.

When she came out to look in the mirror, Tom's heart stopped. She looked wonderful in the red dress robes. The under dress itself was tight in the bodice with a scoop neck. The robe that went over it was shorter than the dress and covered her shoulders. The dress had a fine gold trim. She looked like a member of Gryffindor House instead of a Slytherin, but it fit her so well. Tom could not take his eyes off of her. He watched her expression in the mirror. She seemed to be thinking about the dress. Then her face scrunched up a bit, and he knew she was thinking about how it looked like something a Gryffindor would wear. There was sadness in her eyes though.

She went back to the changing room to try on a different dress.

The next one she chose to try on was a deep purple dress. The bodice in this one was tight as well, but it had a square neckline. The skirt was a bit smaller than the red dress, but it was still a loose skirt. The robe was simple from where Tom stood, but if he could have looked closer, he would have noticed that it had black embroidery over the edges. But he could not possibly see that from where he stood. He thought that the red ones looked better on her then this one.

She seemed to have to same thought because she took one look at the dress and a look of distaste washed over her face. She went to change into a different dress as fast as she could.

A rich blue and white one on next. The dress fit her well: tight blue bodice with white flowing sleeves and a slight V-neck and a white skirt with blue lace covering it. The robes were the same shade of blue starting at the bottom, but as you worked your way up the robe, it got lighter until you reached the hood, which was white. The whole thing together was a balanced combination. She smiled. Tom could tell she really liked that dress.

She went back to the room. She seemed to be picking the dresses out at random, but when she came out he knew she wasn't.

The plain leaf green dress stopped about an inch after hitting the ground, which the others had just barely hit the floor, and the dress was covered by a darker green robe. The sleeves of the dress were tight and stopped just after her elbows and the bodice didn't look as tight as the others, but still tight enough. The neckline wasn't too defined the way she stood, but he could tell that it was high. He thought that the dress would work well for her, but he still liked some of the others much more. She seemed to be looking at it heavily, like she couldn't decide whether or not she liked it. She took off the robe to get a better look at the dress, but didn't seem to like it all that much. Tom didn't know why she didn't like it, but he did. The cut suited her. Finally she decided to try on the last dress.

When she came out, and took a look in the mirror her face lit up. It was like she found almost exactly what she was looking for. The black dress was cut much like the green one. The sleeves were a little looser and they stopped half way between her elbow and her wrist. The neckline was a scoop-V-neck combination and started just before it would have dropped off of her shoulders. It started like a scoop neck, and dipped a bit lower than the others that had a similar neckline, but at the middle it dipped slightly. Green trimmed the edge of the sleeves, the collar and the bottom of the dress.

Tom couldn't take his eyes off of her again. Of course he never really did the whole time while seeing her anyways. What was getting into him?

She hadn't found that one dress that she liked, but Hermione had found things she liked about each dress. Well, almost every one of them.

"Sir?" she asked the tailor.

"Yes, madam?" he answered wondering what she was going to ask him.

"Could you make me a custom dress that takes certain pieces of each dress that I liked?"

"What do you have in mind, miss?"

"Well, I like the sleeves and the lace of the blue number, and the trim of both the red and black pieces. And I liked the length of the green one. Could you make the dress fall about an inch past my feet, and have a full A-line skirt?"

"Yes, I think I could do that," he said thoughtfully. He took out a piece of parchment and started having her requests draw themselves out.

"And for the bodice could you make it tight with a V-neck, but still give me the ability to breathe? Oh! And I almost forgot to ask about having trim on the sleeves and collar of the dress. How ridiculous of me!" she exclaimed.

"No, no. I think you mentioned that, but I think I can figure something out. Now, Miss, what colours do you want this little number to be?"

"Black and red, please. Black sleeves with deep red trim, matching red bodice and skirt with black lace over the skirt. And could you have the robe be black with red trim, and just a little shorter than the dress itself. I don't want both on the ground." She paused for a moment while he thought about this. "Oh, and could you have it ready by the middle of next month?"

"I could, but it would cost you."

"As it should. We'll figure out the price then. Here's one hundred galleons in advance," she told him as she pulled the money out of her purse. "Now, can you have a sketch fully done by the end of this week?"

"Thank you for the payment, and yes I would think so. I might have it done by the end of the day even. Come check in here to find out," he told her kindly.

"Thank you. Good day, sir."

"Good day, miss."

Tom hurried away from the window as she left the counter of the dress robe shop. He walked up the street, then turned back to see which direction she went. She wasn't coming his way. He turned back around and entered the shop she had just come out of.

"Merry Christmas!" Tom called through the shop.

"Ah, Mr. Riddle!" the man behind the counter exclaimed. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"Mr. Luchendo," Tom greeted. "How have you been?"

"I'm good, Tom, but you still haven't answered my question," the old tailor said with a twinkle in his eye. He knew Tom was outside his shop. He had seen the boy looking in the window at the young woman who had just left the shop.

"I need dress robes for a ball next month," Tom told him easily.

"Anything in mind?"

"Just my usual black and white attire, if you don't mind, of course."

Mr. Luchendo smiled. "Of course I don't mind. Now, tell me about that young woman whom was just in here. You were watching her. You can't hide anything from me, Tom, and you know it."

Tom blushed slightly, but covered it up quickly with his mask of calm. "She's the new student at Hogwarts. Her name is Mya Marsella and she's a Slytherin," Tom said easily. She had still kept so much from him that he didn't know much passed that. "And she has a twin brother. He's in Ravenclaw. Not a bad guy, but there's something about those two that doesn't feel right."

"I see," the older man said thoughtfully. "Now, I've never seen you show an interest in someone before. Well, at least not of the female variety anyways," the older man smirked slightly. "Usually the people you seek out are to help you in some way."

"So you think that she's different from the people I usually associate with?"

"Yes, in fact, that is exactly what I am saying," the shopkeeper stated. "And you said she was a Slytherin?" Tom gave a curt nod. "The red and gold dress she chose was an odd colour combination for one who comes from the house of green and silver, don't you think?"

"I found it odd too, but it suited her. Now, I must be going I have a few things I have to take care of before I meet her for a Butterbeer," Tom said ending the conversation about Hermione easily. "I will be back sometime before the holiday is over for my fitting." He told the happy middle-aged man as he made his way out of the shop.

While Tom was talking to the marry dress robe shopkeeper, Hermione went to the jewelers. She wanted to find something simple for the ball.

As she opened the door, which jingled a bit to alert that there was a new customers, she spotted a piece immediately that she knew would go so well with her dress: a simple brooch. Garnet and onyx lain in pewter. She knew it would go perfectly with what she had in mind.

"How much is this piece?" Mya asked an elderly woman behind the counter.

"Why, dear, that is one hundred and fifty galleons. Are you looking for something in particular?" the woman asked.

"Well, yes and no. I just needed something to go with a dress I'm having made for a ball. This would be perfect," Mya said with longing in her eyes. She looked at the woman, "I was also going to find a piece for a friend of mine. Do you have silver snakes, preferably a pin?" Mya asked hoping she would have something similar to what she was looking for.

"I think I might. Wait just a moment, please, dear," the saleswoman said.

"Please call me Mya," the younger girl stated.

"Very well, and you shall call me Jane then," the elderly woman told Hermione with a smile on her face as she turned to her back store room to get the piece she had a feeling was right up Hermione's alley. While she was gone, Hermione looked at the rings and bracelets in the cases at the front of the shop. She saw a silver chain that looked just right for her brother. She decided to look at it then.

When Jane came back in, Hermione gasped. It was exactly what she was looking for.

"I'll take it, please," she insisted. "Oh! And could I look at that bracelet? I think that it might be the perfect thing for my brother." Jane pulled the bracelet from the case and handed it to Hermione. "By any chance do you have pieces that would match that broach?"

"I think I do, but I'd have to look in the back again," Jane told her.

"Could I come back after Christmas to have a look then?" Dumbledore had given her enough money to get the things she needed and desired. She nodded and asked, "Could you do a small inscription on the links?"

"Yes, that I could manage. What do you want it to say?" Jane asked Hermione.

"No matter what happens to us, we are forever," Hermione told the jeweler, who nodded. Giving Hermione the final price, both women were pleased. Hermione gave a hundred galleons, thanked the woman behind the counter, and left the store.

She stopped off in Honeydukes for the perfect gift for her 'uncle' before she made her way to the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Tom and Harry. Once she had all of her purchases, she shrunk them and put them into her sack. She had to hide all of her gifts from Tom. She didn't need him being suspicious of what she bought. She stepped into the warmth of her meeting place with Tom and spotted him immediately. Harry spotted his sister, but was worried as to why she was going over to Tom.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long, Riddle. I told you your patience would wear thin," she said to him as she sat across from her fellow Slytherin.

"I've only been here a few minutes, Marsella. Now, may I know what your purchases were, considering you have only a small sack with you?" he asked keeping the curiosity out of his voice, but Hermione was not fooled.

"We are magical, Riddle. I can put all of my things into this small sack," Hermione said rolling her eyes. That was not wise. In fact, it made Tom seethe that she seemed to not respect him at all.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, Marsella," he told her, all calm leaving his voice as he looked at her with stern eyes.

"I wasn't making fun of you, or calling you an idiot. I was simply pointing out a basic fact. You blow things way too out of proportion, you know that, Riddle?" she finished as she tilted her head to one side.

"You treat me like I am beneath you."

"Mya, are you ready?" Harry said to his sister. She didn't seem to hear him.

"No I don't. You are an equal. Don't forget that. Equal, Tom," she whispered the last piece, but he still heard her. So did her brother.

His face softened slightly, but only for a moment. It was back to its hard mask before Hermione could tell if it was her eyes playing tricks on her. "There is no such thing as 'equal' in a wizarding society, Marsella. In the eyes of many, muggle-borns, mudbloods if you will, and half-breeds are beneath most of us. If you were a mudblood, you would be picked on by the Slytherins, and be the social outcast in the House," Tom explained logically. Hermione couldn't take it.

"Riddle, you will shut your mouth if you know what's good for you. You don't know how those kids feel, so shut your trap," she told him, her voice keeping an eerily calm tone it as she looked at him like she wanted to kill him. She said nothing more as she picked up her sack of gifts and made her way out of the drink shop. She wanted to check in with the dress robe maker about her piece. Harry followed her out.

"Are you brain missing, dear sister? What was that?" Harry said in a hushed whisper.

"Not now, Mason. I'll talk to you about it later, ok?" she said to him sadly.

"Fine." He always did have a soft spot for her.

"Please go back to the shop and get a couple of butter beers to take back with us. I have to check on something. I'll be back in a few minutes," she said as she kissed his cheek, squeezed his hand and left toward the dress robe shop.

"Is my sketch done by chance, Sir?" Mya asked as she entered the shop. Her demeanor changed a great deal as she greeted the shopkeeper.

"Yes, my dear it is. Now I will need your name so that I can keep track of everything. And please do call me Mr. Luchendo."

"Okay, Mr. Luchendo. My name is Mya Marsella."

"Thank you, Miss. Marsella. Now if you could turn slowly in a circle so that my wand can get all of your measurements," Mr. Luchendo asked her as he lifted his wand and started to mutter an incantation. She spun slowly as she was told to do. When she was done, she left the shop. Catching up with Harry at the Three Broomsticks, she headed back to Hogwarts. It had been a long day.

When she entered the Slytherin common room, Tom was waiting for her. "Why do you care so much about mudbloods, Marsella? You're a Slytherin," he asked her from his seat on a black leather couch in front of the fire. Tom had to know why the subject was such sore spot for her. It wouldn't do well for a Slytherin to be so accepting, at least in Tom's eyes.

"Because," she said with tears forming in her eyes, "for my first three and a half years of wizard schooling I thought I was a muggle-born," she whispered into the common room, thankful that it was Christmas vacation for there were no other Slytherins at Hogwarts for the holiday. She was sort of surprised she was telling him this though.

Tom stood shocked looking at the girl in front of him. "How?" he inquired. "Why?" disdain barely concealed in his voice.

She played with the strap of her drawstring bag, but never looked away from Tom. "I found out about a month into my fourth year that both of my parents did in fact go to the school I attended at the time," she answered making sure to keep the details about school out what she said. "It hurt that they kept that from me, but I guess I can understand it. I'm still not sure because I haven't been able to ask them, and I never will, but I think that it had something to do with V-" she clamped her hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide as she realized what she was about to reveal to him. She turned away from Tom, and put her other hand over her heart to try to stop its rapid beating. She screamed silently into the hand covering her mouth.

Tom shifted closer to Hermione from his seat on the couch. "Mya?" he whispered, cautiously as she flinched slightly. He never used her first name. "What's the matter?" he asked, hoping she'd tell him.

"Nothing, Riddle," she replied harshly. "I'm going to bed," and she went to the right to go to her dorm.

He stood up quickly and grabbed her arm. "Don't tell me 'nothing', Mya," she flinched again and hoped he didn't feel the slight motion. "Something's wrong. Why can't you tell me?" He wanted to know her so badly. He still hadn't figured out why. The only thing he seemed to know about this girl was that he wanted her, and wanted her to want him as well.

"Because I'm not allowed!" she yelled at him as she pulled her arm from his grasp and turned to face him.

"And why not?" he roared as he grabbed her waist this time. Now he was pissed. No one ever yelled at him. They usually feared him too much.

Hermione looked at him intently. "Let go of me, Tom," she told him dangerously. He let his arm drop from her waist, mostly from shock. She squared her shoulders. She was still standing up to him. She looked him in the eye, and then turned quickly on her heel and ran down the stairs.

Hermione left the common room and Tom behind as she ran to her room, tears streaming down her face. She refused to let the future Dark Lord see her cry.

-December 25, 1943-

The next morning Hermione wanted to get away from all of what she was dealing with, at least for a little while, even if it was Christmas. She just needed time to herself, for herself. So, she decided to dance. Let her heart sing and feel like her body was on fire from just dancing so much. But she didn't want to strain anything.

Sitting on the floor, she put her legs into a straddle position, and leaned to her left. Then she sat up, turned her torso to the side and bent over the left leg, repeating the process with the right leg. She didn't hear the door knock over the tune she was humming to herself, and so she continued stretching as if no one had entered.

Tom wasn't sure why, but he had to make sure she was okay. It was eight in the morning and he had charmed the stairs so that he could get down them without being harmed. He figured she'd still be asleep. How very wrong he was. Seeing her stretching made him hard just from the sight. He groaned softly, which Hermione heard.

"Oh, Tom, I didn't hear you," she put a hand over her heart, which was beating very fast, and sat up. Not knowing what she was doing to him, she continued her stretching as she asked, "So, what do you want? And how did you get down here?" she asked rapidly.

"I came to check on you," he said as calmly as he could, avoiding the second question. She got up and he let out a slow breath of relief, but that relief was short lived as she turned so that her back faced him and did a backbend, which had her looking at him upside down.

"I don't need to be checked on, Riddle. I can take care of myself," she said as she let herself drop onto the floor and rolled over. As she pulled herself up, she realized that he was in front of her, which was a surprise.

"Do you know what you do to me?" he asked her, completely forgetting why he came to her room in the first place. She shook her head. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He dipped his head, and she couldn't push him away. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't do it.

"Mya! You in there?" Harry yelled as he made his presence known and entered her room. She had told him how to charm the stairs so that he could wake her in the case of an emergency. So much for her being able to dance this morning.

Tom dipped his head into her neck and sighed. Hermione looked at her brother with a look of fear on her face. But it wasn't fear of Tom. No. It was fear of her brother, who looked like he was about to kill the other young man. He was clearly not happy about Tom and his sister being wrapped up in each other.

"Ha-Mason! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, nearly letting his real name slip out fully, but Tom didn't notice the near mistake. He was focused on how her body felt against his and how he wanted to explore this more. 'Preferably without Mason around,' he thought.

"I came to talk to you, Mya. You seemed a bit off yesterday," her brother explained as he glared at Tom, who still had his arms around his sister's waist.

"Oh," Hermione looked downcast. She pulled herself out of Tom's arms. "Could you guys go upstairs? It is Christmas after all. I'll be up in a minute," she looked at both of them with an expression that said she was not to be messed with. Both boys nodded and made to leave the room. "Oh, and, Mason, we'll talk later," she said before he left the room completely.

Hermione grabbed her gifts for the boys. She only grabbed the book for Tom though. She didn't want her brother to worry, or well, get more upset than he already was. And she was mad at him for being so overprotective anyways. 'Plus, he'll just flip out more that I got Tom too much. Stupid brother type boys.'

As she made her way up the stairs, she heard them fighting. "…but, Riddle, you need to stay away from my sister," Harry said deadly calm.

"For a Ravenclaw, you sure are Slytherin like. So why do I need to stay away from your sister, Marsella? She didn't seem to mind me holding her." Tom smirked, as they walked in circles around each other wands in hand.

"Why you…" Harry yelled as he lunged at Tom completely forgetting about his wand. Collar in his left hand, Harry had his right hand in a fist ready to punch the guy that would cause so much pain. Of course Tom didn't know that. With any luck they could change things a little.

"Mason James." Two words. That was all it took for her brother to stop himself from hitting Tom. Knowing someone's name is a wonderful thing, even if it was only a pretense to be cautious.

He mumbled a 'sorry' and sat on the couch. Hermione sat next to him, presents in her lap, and Tom took a seat in a green armchair.

"Here," she said putting one of the books on the coffee table in front of them. "This is for you, Tom. You deserve a good Christmas," she said simply as she turned to her brother. "And this is for you," she whispered. Harry opened the book, and looked at it curiously. "I'll explain that a little bit later as well." Hermione looked at Tom. He pulled the paper off of his package. It was a book he had been eyeing. He looked at her wondering how she knew that he'd wanted that book. There was another one he wanted, but that could wait.

"I bought a book for myself as well. All Details about Potions and Poisons. I couldn't resist. It was new material." Her eyes twinkled as she looked him in the eye. His were twinkling in a different sense. Hers were out of mirth; his were out of something she couldn't quite place. She turned to her brother and smiled a secret kind of smile. "So…Mason, whatcha get me?" Hermione asked acting like a five year old tilting her head toward her brother and looking at him with an air of innocence. He just chuckled and gave her a package that wasn't too small, but not very big either. She opened it and she cried, but she laughed as well. Sitting on top of black felt was a set of small silver hoops accompanied by a charm bracelet with a small lion with a snake wrapped, in a resting way, around its body.

"I know how much you like that look, and I thought of you when I saw it. And you can add charms to it if you really want to. I thought it suited you well, Mya. It's simple, but not too much so," Harry said as he watched her face. She picked up the bracelet with her left hand and held it out and put her right arm out so that he could put it on her. She hugged him once the clasp was locked and then she turned to Tom.

"What's the matter, Tom?" Hermione asked. He looked at the bracelet on her wrist, and then looked down in shame.

"Nothing," he mumbled. Never, in all the time she had been here, had Tom mumbled something.

"Oh, come on. We're all in neutral territory here. It's Christmas," Harry tried to reason.

Tom just put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a box, which he tapped with his wand to enlarge. Handing the box to Hermione, he went to his dorm and slammed the door, which was heard in the common room. He didn't want to be humiliated.

Hermione just stared at the box for Merlin only knows how long before Harry nudged her. "Are you going to open it, or are you going to look at it until it opens itself?" he asks her. She pulled the silver ribbon off the box, and then the green paper, slowly. Hesitating before opening the box, Hermione pulled the lid off just as slowly as the wrappings. There was a note sitting on the top, which she took and read. 'Mya, I hope you like your gift. I couldn't really think of what to get you, so I looked through the stores until I found something. I thought of you when I saw it. Well, them. –Tom.' It was short, but to the point. She gasped once she moved the tissue paper and pulled her gift out of the box. There was more than one gift in the box, which she didn't notice until Mason started pulling the other things out as she looked at the woven cloth in her hand. She stood up to open it up properly. It was a blanket throw covered in books and famous phrases. When she looked back at her brother, he was holding what looked like a pile of fluff, but it was just a cashmere sweater. It was light grey in colour with a scooped neckline.

"Mason, I need you to leave now. I have to talk to Tom," Hermione said simply. He understood, kissed her cheek and gathered in a hug before he left the common room. She made her way to Tom's room. She waited until he responded to the knock with an 'Enter'. He was lying on his bed looking at the ceiling as if it held all the answers.

"What do you want, Marsella?" he asked coldly without looking at her. "Come to tell me that my gift isn't worth anything compared to your brother's precious jewelry?"

"Riddle, you don't need jewels to be my friend or shower me with expensive things. I loved the throw you got me. It's beautiful, and the sweater is great. I love the colour and it's so soft. You must have spent a fortune on it," she told him trying to make him see that she really liked her gifts.

"You're just saying that. You're only saying that you like them because you know I spent more money on you than you did on me. I know how much that book cost-" she cut him off.

"I bought you something else. I didn't want to give it to you in front of my brother. He's very…" she paused searching for the word. Tom filled in some words.

"Crazy about you, jealous about others being with you?" he probed.

"No, he's just very protective. He knows what kind of trouble I find myself in a lot of the time, and he's just trying to keep me out of it," she explained as best as she could. She paused again, but not long enough for Tom to say anything. "I'll be right back," was all she said as she left to go get his present. When she came back to his room, she had a small box wrapped simply in silver ribbon. She handed it to him and then stepped back leaning against the door jam. Tom untied the ribbon and opened the box, surprised to see that it was a small snake. He picked it up and realized that it was a pin. He turned it over to unclasp the thin metal and gasped. On the back in small letters just big enough to see was the word 'Nagini.'

"Why did you name the snake this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I hear you call it sometimes when I'm trying to sleep. I've heard it slither. I know that it's your pet snake," she told him, lying easily once again.

"Only those in my close circle know about her." He eyed her.

"Well, you might want to be careful when holding your little meetings, my liege," she teased as she jumped onto a bed that was close to her and laid on her stomach. "You guys wake me up sometimes."

"Why not come and join us then?" he asked her not showing that he was mad that she had just teased him about being the Dark Lord.

"Because I'm not like that," she answered simply.

"Not like what?" he asked eyes narrowing.

"A wizard purest. Some people are born with magical powers and some are not. It's just how it is. Only Merlin really knows why, and he never revealed that bit of knowledge in all the books I have read on him, or by him." She rolled over and sat up. "I'll see you later, Tom. I have to go talk to Mason. He's really mad about this morning. Once that's settled, you and I have to talk," she told him the last part quite sternly. She hopped off the bed and left his room.

"Mason!" Hermione called down the hall. He spun around and waited for her.

"What was this morning all about, Mya?" Harry asked her when she stopped in front of him.

"I think you interrupted, but I really don't know. He came to apologize for what he said to me last night, and then he was in front of me and I couldn't push him away. I don't know why, but I just couldn't. Mase, don't be mad. It won't happen again ok. I'll be really, really careful. I have to be more so from now on," she rambled.

"Yeah. Baby sister, I really wanted to punch him this morning. I don't want to catch you guys like that, or anything like it, ever again."

"Now," Hermione said looking at him with her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is. Anyone but him I could deal with. Just not Riddle."

"Mason, you can't control me." She smiled at him and uncrossed her arms to ruffle his hair. "I'm just going to do whatever I want anyways, so stop trying to protect me. I'm a big witch, remember?"

"I'm not going to bail you out every time, Mya."

"You never do. I get myself in and out of trouble." She smiled at him before running off. "Can't catch me," she yelled at him as she ran up the hall away from him leading him to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Later that day, Hermione found herself curled up in front of the fire of her common room with her new book and throw. Tom came in with a wicked grin on his face and couldn't help but think that maybe she should meet his darling pet. He snuck passed her easily and hissed something toward the boys' dorms before a slithering came down the hall. Hermione heard the sound as it came closer to the common room, but ignored it thinking that Tom had called his little snake.

When Hermione looked up at Tom when he sat down on the couch, she realized that snake was not very small at all. In fact, she was of fair size, and Hermione had to wonder how she was kept hidden in Tom's room. At least seven feet long, the snake wrapped around Tom in what she could describe as comfortably and Hermione couldn't help but be mesmerized by the creature. All black except for one white line that seemed to have no rhyme or reason as to where it went on the snake's body, she looked quite regal. When she reached out her hand, although hesitantly as to not scare it, toward the snake, a tiny pink tongue darted out as if to test the girl. Hermione didn't pull her hand back, so Nagini simply rested back on Tom, moving slightly in what seemed to be an adjustment.

"She's quite beautiful," Hermione whispered as her fingertips came in contact with the cool scales.

"She's also quite young for a snake," Tom replied softly, though not the whisper Hermione used.

"Oh?" Hermione said as she looked up at Tom.

"She's about ten. She'll grow to be longer if I feed her more and live to be older than me more than likely."

"That's kind of sad."

"Well, I don't plan on dying any time soon, so for now, she and I are well enough."

"How do you hide her?"

"I don't. The other members of my dorm know about her and don't mind that she's here."

"I see," Hermione said as she sat back from Tom and Nagini.

Nagini sensed that something was different about this girl that her master was talking to. Usually when he brought a girl around her, she had to hide and watch as the girl tried to do things with her beloved master. This girl seemed to want to keep her distance, but at the same time, not. The snake was intrigued by the fact that she could be out in the open with this one. She would have to talk to him about her later. Much later, when he wouldn't expect it.

-End Exert-

This is a middle exert out of a story I have been working on for far too long, and although it's not so heavily holiday as other things, I think it works out alright. Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone for the contest!