- Remembering that English is not my mother tongue, but I worked hard, so I hope the text is readable to you. Let me know if the text is good. Or if I need to fix something

Chapter 5. Naja Oxiana - Act like a guy.

The Clock Tower Courtyard area was apparently empty on that sunny afternoon. Most of the students were studying for the OWL's inside their Common Room, but Tom Riddle was standing there and listening to the love confession of a Hufflepuff girl. She had her hair in caramel tones, freckles on her nose and cheeks and hazel eyes.

She wasn't ugly, and she was brave enough , Tom had to admit.

Most people didn't have the determination to come face to face with a love letter, but here was this girl, handing him a letter, while timidly talking about her feelings.

What a romantic place, Tom thought with disdain and irony. Just near the old fountain on a sunny day.

The girl lowered her eyes, not having enough courage to look at him, running her tongue over her lips and stammering. Probably the girl's heart was beating extremely fast.

Now that the girl wasn't looking, Tom let the 'good guy' mask fall, revealing the look he gave to her, which conveyed anger and disgust. It was then that he had heard a sigh. The girl in front of him didn't notice that, she was very focused on talking about her feelings and too nervous to be attuned to the environment around her, but Tom listened. He looked up from the girl and saw her ... Hermione Granger.

She was standing there, a few feet from where Tom and the Hufflepuff girl were. Granger had a frightened look, her mouth a little open, holding a book tightly against her chest, her hair around her - loose and unmanageable.

He blinked and she turned around quickly, almost running, very frightened. It was then that Tom knew, she saw; She watched as he took off his mask and revealed the true emotions he had. She saw it and got scared. She knows.

She avoided him for the rest of the day and Tom knew he had to get close to her to know how much she saw or how much she knows.

It's really funny how fate plays in his favor. At night, while doing a patrol as Prefect, he saw her leaving the library with some books and parchments, she was still on time, but it was perfect for him to have her alone.

"Miss Granger."

She startled and slowly looked over her shoulder through a few strands of her uncontrollable hair, hugging the books against her chest.

"Mr. Riddle," She greeted him.

"Let me help you." Tom steps forward and she backs away.

"No need." She refuses quickly.

"Please, I insist. Let me escort you to Gryffindor Tower. "

Granger actually seemed reluctant to let him accompany her, but in the end, she relented. He wanted to walk more slowly so he could have time to inquire her, but she accelerated her steps, always looking forward.

"We haven't talked much since you arrived, Miss Granger. I must say that I expected you to be in Slytherin, but I hope the Gryffindors are receiving you well." He tried to talk to her, but all he received was silence. "You were a Hatstall, which is very interesting. You're the first student I know to be a Hatstall."

" Hm." That was the only answer she gave.

"By the way, what you did at the Dueling Club was impressive. I admit that Dolohov was a little angry, but it's all his fault. He was not ready for you." Tom bites his lower lip. "But I think teachers do it on purpose, you know? Put the Houses to fight against each other. I think they like to feed the rivalry between the Houses, as for example: Gryffindor against Slytherin. You against Dolohov. It's bullshit, isn't it? "

" Certainly," she answers.

She really difficult my side, Tom thinks.

"You seem to be a very studious person, I realize. But don't you worry about stress? Because I do. Sometimes we take so much responsibility that we get stressed, don't we? It happens to me sometimes; for example, today. I was so tired, but I still wanted to pay attention to the lady who was talking to me. "

Okay, he had thrown the words, waiting for her answer. He smiled internally.

He noticed as she began to breathe more quickly and as she began to paler, he stopped her, holding her by the arm.

"Miss Granger, are you okay?" He asked with false concern.

Her eyes grew larger as she saw how close he was to her. At first, he really thought it was a waste of time, but when she got really pale and started to sweat cold, he understood that she would faint right there. Tom released the books he carried and placed a hand on the back of her neck, her expression becoming a mixture of anger and dread, but that was not what caught his attention, it was how his magic reacted to her.

A kind of charge of energy passed between them and Tom took his hand from her skin quickly. Something seemed to warm the palm of Tom's hand and he closed it and opened his hand a few times. Tom's magic reacted invitingly and he tilted his head, moving closer to her.

She put herself against the wall.

"Interesting, Miss Granger," he murmured softly, much more interested in the reason why this had happened.

"Mr. Riddle, I believe your behavior is not acceptable." She stammered, referred to his closeness.

The two of them stared at each other as they heard footsteps. Slughorn was just a few feet away, a silly grin on his face and cheeks and the tip of his nose slightly rosy. He turned and walked away, giggling like a fool, without giving Hermione and Tom the chance to explain themselves.

Oh, shit, Tom thought.

Time enough for Hermione to collect her things that had fallen and run away from Tom.

Tom returned to the dungeons after the patrol, his thoughts with the sensations and images of Hermione Granger. The noise of the Bloody Baron's chains made the dungeons darker than they really were and it was true that the students had a pre-concept of dungeons and Slytherins, almost always avoiding walking around these areas, which in the end, gave freedom to the Slytherins.

Tom murmured the password, the wall moved and opened space for him to pass. His followers were gathered in the Common Room, Mulciber was trying to heal Dolohov who was still injured after the night in the Room of Requirement.

"You're a horrible mediwizard," Dolohov complained.

"I wouldn't need to heal you if you were not an idiot." Mulciber countered Dolohov's comment.

Angrily, Dolohov tried to grab the collar of Mulciber's shirt, but the movement was very quick and caused more discomfort.

"Granger will pay me." Dolohov threatened.

"You're mad about because you lost to Granger. Pathetic, Dolohov. She's a girl." Lestrange looked down at Dolohov, a petulant smile on his face.

"Are you all dumb?" It was Malfoy's turn to speak. "She's different."

"I admit she's a strange girl. Have you seen how she behaves?" Avery said.

"That's not what I'm referring to." Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Dolohov lost not only because he is an idiot. The girl came from the war, that's what was said. "

"In any case, what Granger did will not go unpunished," Dolohov argued.

Tom listened to the conversation of his Housemates in silence.

"I like her," Alphard said out of nowhere.

As Alphard commented, everyone turned his head toward him, including Tom.

"Alphard, are you serious?" Nott asked, there was a tone of laughter in his voice as if he didn't believe what he was hearing.

Alphard shrugged.

"So many girls out there and you like Granger?" Rosier raised an eyebrow.

"What? She's still a girl. She's different, she doesn't wear make-up, she has wild hair and freckles on her cheeks and nose, apparently, she has a nice body and she's smart." Alphard shrugged again. "Have I told you that she beat Dolohov in a duel?" Everyone laughed at Alphard's comment, except for Tom. "It's something new. It's refreshing. Even if to kill time."

That night, Hermione's thoughts were turbulent.

The locket reacted to Tom Riddle, she thought. Obviously he would react to him, it is likely to be a Time-Turner that Salazar Slytherin himself created. But why would Voldemort have ordered one of his followers to put Time-Turner in a mudblood? Something that can be a family heirloom? It doesn't make sense, unless he wanted to make sure his younger version knew the future and changed what he might call "a mistake."

"Oh, no." she murmured, hugging the pillow.

When Riddle touched her, the cord holding the locket warmed in her neck. It wasn't bad and it wasn't good. It was kind of a reflex of magic.

o0o

Tom was lying face down on his poster-bed, the green curtains surrounding the bed was closed, giving him privacy. Tom's raven hair was clinging to his forehead because of the sweat, he was frowning and his lips were tight. Tom was dreaming. The eyes were moving behind the eyelids.

You're special, Tom. You're different.

Tom had awakened, his green eyes were frightened, and his breath was racing. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Suddenly the room had gotten too hot for him, must be courtesy of early summer. Quickly, he started unbuttoning his pajama shirt and threw his clothes on the foot of the bed. He is usually organized with the few things he owns, but this time he doesn't give a shit.

He had a strange preference for dreaming when he was asleep, but for some reason, the dream without images he had just had disturbed him. The female voice that had spoken to him was still tormenting his senses.

My mom? He wondered, questioning the identity of the voice.

His feelings about his mother are complicated, partly he doesn't care about her and considers her weak for giving up magic because of a Muggle, there is a trace of rancor in what he feels for her. He had not been enough to make her want to live.

On the other hand, he admires what she gave him without thinking. She gave him the purest magical blood that has ever existed. And even though he is disregarded by who she was, he doesn't accept anyone speaking shit about his mother or his family - The Gaunts.

From what he has researched, he understands how disgusting and humiliating the Gaunt family was, but if all he planned was going to work, Tom wants to put an end to what's left of the Riddles and Gaunts on his summer vacation.

In the morning, everyone was getting ready to go to Hogsmeade, the last weekend before the OWL's. Virginia Flint was surrounding Tom, hoping he would invite her to go along with him and the others to Hogsmeade when she didn't receive an invitation from Tom, she went to Lestrange. Of course, Lestrange with a smile said that they might meet while they were there, but that he first wanted to have fun with his friends.

Rosier coughed to hide his laughter, and Mulciber bit his lower lip. If wore skirts, Lestrange would take it. But what the girl Flint did not know is that he'd said the same thing to three different girls. Avery raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Lestrange shrugged, after Virginia Flint left. "It wasn't me who called her to go to Hogsmeade, she came to me because she wanted to."

"You're terrible." Nott shook his head, smiling at Lestrange's attitude.

So they left their Common Room and went to Hogsmeade.

o0o

Currently, Hermione was in the Hog's Head Inn, drinking the second glass of Firewhisky, some bags of the Honeydukes store were next to her.

The Hog's Head Inn was, fortunately, empty except for her. The emptiness of the room seemed to match the way she felt and the glass of Firewhisky. She didn't think she was getting into any kind of depression, though she often got sad about her situation, she couldn't say that she was the happiest girl ever. When she entered through the pub door, she raised an eyebrow to the pool table that was there in the corner and dusty. This wasn't something she remembered that had in the Hog's Head Inn in her time, but it's possible that Aberforth threw the table away after realizing the little use.. After all, what wizard would play with something so Muggle? She asked to herself with irony...

Hermione sighed and drank the rest of the liquid from her glass. She had seen Alphard and the rest of Riddle's gang earlier, when she had left Honeydukes, Tom and the others had not noticed her presence - which she had been grateful for - but Alphard noticed. They nodded each other from a distance and went their own way. She, alone and he with Tom and the others.

Alphard had asked her once about her behavior when he was with his friends, Hermione had just said:

"I find them a bit intimidating. Don't get me wrong, Alphard, but sometimes I'm afraid of them. I respect you wanting to walk with them, but I will not."

He respected this and made no further comments.

Hermione was about to leave, when the Hog's Head Inn door was opened, laughter and conversation, Tom and his followers. Hermione froze in her seat, the conversation and playfulness stopped for a moment when they noticed her presence.

"Miss Granger," Tom said, his footsteps were heard as he approached where Hermione was. She was still on her back, staring at the bottom of the glass she was holding. She heard more footsteps and felt as they spread through the surroundings of the Hog's Head Inn.

She glanced over her shoulder, analyzing them. Avery and Dolohov were near the door, Nott and Mulciber near the tables and the windows on the left, Black and Rosier were near the pool table, Tom was right near her left side, Abraxas was on her right side.

Shit , they surrounded her. Hermione glanced at Alphard. It was him. He saw where I was going and brought them here. Even though I was afraid of them. Alphard betrayed her.

So, this the good uncle of Sirius? He's a son of a ...

"Well, gentlemen, I was just leaving," she says, picking up Honeydukes' bags.

"Oh no, Miss Granger. Please accompany me in a drink." Tom took her arm gently, but didn't let her escape.

He was silent for a moment, she looked around and sighed in defeat.

"A glass. After all, a girl shouldn't be long in coming back to a safe place when it's night, right?" She said the last words with irony.

Riddle released her arm as she turned. She had not settled, still standing. As soon as he entered, he realized. Granger was wearing strange clothes. A pair of strange blue pants, very tight on her legs, defining her thighs and calves. Her hair was in a clumsy bun, she wore a dark blue summer sweater and strange boots, much like the men wore in the Muggle War.

But she smelled good. The perfume - if she was wearing one - was soft and delicate, however, irresistible.

Tom looked at Granger's hand, noticing the chocolate bags she carried.

"Chocolates, Miss Granger?"

She looked down at the bags.

"Yes, it's irresistible."

"A girl, after all." Abraxas commented and Lestrange laughed.

"What do you mean?" She glared at Malfoy.

"Don' t mind with them. I also like chocolates," Tom said.

Hermione moved in her bags and pulled out a bar of chocolate and handed it to Riddle. Who knows, he'll leave me alone.

Tom raised an eyebrow, but picked up the bar anyway.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. On the night before -" Tom cannot finish his sentence, because the two cups were placed respectively in front of each. Tom took his glass and brought it to his lips, but didn't even drink. He was very impressed with how quickly Granger took the glass and drank the liquid in a few seconds in a single gulp.

Tom had a strange expression, Abraxas was astonished.

She drank like a boy. Like a man, Tom thought. Weren't the women supposed to drink gently?

After finishing, Hermione wiped her lips against her hand. Alphard laughed after a time when they all stared at Granger.

"Hermione, you're awesome." Alphard clapped a hand and she glanced at him.

Hermione? Tom was surprised that Alphard had called her by her first name.

"Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I'm going" She hurried. "Thanks for the drink, Riddle."

"Hermione," Alphard called out. "Play with me." He pointed to the pool table.

"What is this?" Malfoy asked.

"It's a pool table," Alphard explained.

"And what this thing do?" It was Rosier who spoke.

Oh, they don't know. They live so much in their pure-blooded world that they don't know what it is.

"She doesn't do anything," Hermione explained to Rosier, Tom looked at her.

"It's a Muggle game," Alphard continued. "So, let's play, Hermione?"

Son of a...! He doubts my blood status. He's manipulating me, Hermione realized.

"How do you know this game, Alphard?" Nott asked.

"Is that serious?" Alphard slapped Nott's head. "There are those who say that those who don't know about things don't know how to defend themselves."

"And how does playing a Muggle game make you smarter, Alphard?" Avery asked.

"It's a way of saying, Avery. However, Muggles do some cool things. "Alphard shrugs.

"A Muggle lover, that's what we have here." Lestrange rolled his eyes.

Hermione was trying to escape as fast as she could to get out of that place. She didn't like the direction this conversation was going and didn't like the look Dolohov was giving her.

"So, Hermione, let's play?" He asked again.

"I don't know how to play," she lied.

"It's very simple, put all the balls in the holes and don't let the white ball go together." He looked at her. "If you want I can teach you"

Alphard summarized very badly how the game worked, he also had no idea how the game worked, but that's fine. She was silent.

"Come on, Miss Granger, play with Alphard. Help the heart of this poor boy who loves you." Lestrange spoke indelicately, laughing, and slapping Alphard on the shoulder. With his comment, the boys made a noise. "Everyone knows he likes you."

Hermione, like the others, approached the table. Tom was still close to her, looking with interest as to where this was going. He watched as her gaze darkened and how she snorted at Lestrange's comment.

"Of course." She picked up a pool cue, holding it with her right hand, while the fingers of her left hand dragged through the pool table slowly.

"Everyone knows you love me, isn't it Alphard?" She said, walking patiently around the table, past Tom - who followed her with his eyes - Abraxas, Rosier, and Avery. "Yes, everyone knows," she murmured scornfully, heading toward Alphard. "You're really very loyal." She was face to face with Alphard, Lestrange made a funny face.

Hermione stared at Alphard for a moment before leaning against the pool table with her pool cue stick. Tom looked at how her pants seemed to tighten even more in the right places when she made that move. In one play, Hermione managed to score, but she didn't want to stay there any longer.

"I'm sorry, Alphard, I really don't know how to play this game."

She was not really referring to playing pool, but to that kind of manipulation game that Alphard was getting her into.

Angrily, she picks up the chocolates, walking through Dolohov, but before she can make the move to open the door, something catches her attention through the window. She retraced a few steps, narrowing her eyes and looking at the men in black, Hermione lets the chocolate bags fall, Tom goes to her side and looks in the same direction as she looks, he also narrows his eyes.

Hermione knows when problems will come. She is aware of when there are people who want to do something wrong and are looking for something and right now, these five men who are wanting to enter the pub are reminding her very well of the Death Eaters.

Tom and Hemione exchanged glances.

"Problems." The two murmur together.

In a quick move she turns around, Aberforth is coming down the stairs, she looks around and goes to a window leading back to the pub, without a second thought, she opens and walks out the window.

Tom and the others observe Hermione's movements. Tom also doesn't think twice, he also does the same thing as her. If there's anything he cherishes, it's survival.

When they see their leader coming out of the pub, everyone else walks through the window as well.

Tom is waiting for them and watching Hermione walk away with quick steps. She is walking towards the fork of the road that crosses the Forbidden Forest.

"What's going on?" Malfoy asks.

Before anyone can respond, an explosion of magic occurs, everyone bows down by a simple act of reflex.

"Aberforth ..." Hermione murmured, her eyes wide. There was a fight going on inside the pub.

But none of them has much to think about, because three of the five men who entered the pub are out there looking at them. Hermione knows better than to stay, she runs towards the path that crosses the Forbidden Forest.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Avery shouts.

For some reason, they begin to follow Granger or maybe it was because of her she was going to the only place that seemed to be an escape.

Tom is good at everything he does. So if he's running, he's fast. The boys soon seem to have an advantage over Granger, running faster. Alphard, Rosier, Dolohov, and Tom are leading the race, but the most impressive thing for them is that they begin to notice a girl with unruly hair - now loose - reaching them.

She succeeds in passing through Rosier and Alphard, strives to reach Dolohov and is now side by side with Tom. Turning aside from the obstacles and now Tom understands why she wears those masculine-style boots.

Mulciber is falling behind and the pursuers are casting spells on their backs. Hermione stops and with a quick movement, turns around and cast a spell.

"Reducto!" She shouted, her spell saving Mulciber from being caught and seemed to throw the enemies away.

She was breathing quickly when she stopped running. They were all breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

"Who are they ?!" Lestrange demanded.

"I don't know, I don't care." Hermione started walking. Lie, Hermione cared a lot about who those people were and why they seemed to have a specific target.

"Come back here, girl." Dolohov took Hermione's arm.

"Let me go," Hermione ordered.

"Dolohov, release her now," Tom ordered darkly. His temper was changing and all his followers noticed.

They began to walk in silence, heading toward Hogwarts. Could anything be worse than walking alone through the Forbidden Forest with Voldemort and the Death Eaters? Hermione would pay to see.

As they walked, the smell of gasoline became more and more stronger. They were in the field of plants that seemed to release pus.

"It's Bubotuber," Nott explained.

Tom was silent, walking beside Hermione. They hear a grunt from Rosier as he inadvertently stepped on a small Bubotuber and squeezed it, causing the plant to explode pus and dirty his clothes.

Tom smell the burn. Turning slowly, he watches Fiendfyre is coming toward them. The fire element spell seems to intensify in the middle of the gasoline smell that the plants release. A wall of fire separated Tom and Hermione from the others. A kind of fire that no Aquamenti would erase. Both turned to face their enemy.

Tom finally pulled out his wand, holding it firmly in his hand, he gazed darkly from under his lashes, letting his magic come alive and run free. The great amount of power left Hermione shocked. Part of the fire surrounded Tom, working with his magic, shielding him.

But man didn't mind with Tom and turned the tip of his wand toward Hermione, casting a spell in her direction. Hermione raised a shield that protected her and Tom and Tom took the opportunity to attack, using Bombarda. Although his patience was diminishing, he didn't want to use the most dangerous spells in Granger's presence.

As he attacked, making the man pay attention to him, Hermione looked around.

"Carpe Retractum!" A rope of light came from the tip of Hermione's wand and she used it to pull a Bubotuber into the man as if it were a sling. The plant hit the target and exploded pus, running with acid from the eye and on the skin. Hermione took Tom's arm and started to run.

Groaning, Tom let himself be taken by Hermione. He didn't like to leave an unfinished fight, it gave him the same feeling of an itch he couldn't scratch. However, he was almost casting a death spell to end it all at once. They were making a steep descent, when Hermione slipped, rolling down the hill. Tom tried to catch her, but she carried him along in her fall.

Tom hits the ground, he grunted in pain from the blow he had hit his head, but what he feels is the weight of Granger's body against his. She is on top of him, one leg on each side and face to face with him. Her eyes are open savagely, her full hair becomes a sort of curtain around them. She is looking directly into his eyes and her breath is very close.

He tried to move her body, but she put her hand in his mouth, making a sign of silence, throwing a Delusion spell over them.

Tom glanced over her shoulder, watching his attacker search for them. She cast a great Delusion spell, he thought.

They were silent and watched the man Apparate. After a moment, Hermione undoes the Delusion spell and moves away from Tom.

Before he can comment, she is already walking. Tom watched her, noticing her pink cheeks.

They were after something. No, they were after someone ... Granger? She knows something, she did something and Dumbledore protects her.

Tom's mind begins to think of theories.

Didn't take too long before they meet the others again. They were gathered, staring at something, when Tom and Hermione are close enough, she makes a shocked noise at what she sees.

"Did you kill a unicorn?" She asked with dread and anger.

"What? Damn! Of course not!" Rosier cursed.

"Manners, Rosier. Have manners." Lestrange yawned.

Suddenly they seemed very calm, as if that run, the fight and almost being hit by a Fiendfyre was just fun.

"It was already dead when we arrived," Malfoy explained.

Nott bent down and conjured a knife and began to cut the hair from the unicorn's tail, then try to cut the horn.

"What are you doing, Nott?" Avery asked.

"You don't have many opportunities like that. Do you know the various potions I can do with unicorn hair and the horn?" He spoke excitedly.

Tom raised one eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you ...?" Hermione muttered.

They turned their heads toward her.

"Oh, Miss Granger, I hope you understand that this is simply academic. My student side can't resist." Nott continued with a smile.

She retreated a few steps, colliding with her back with Dolohov.

"Miss Granger, don't you think I forgot our duel, did you?"

Hermione turned quickly, trying to escape Dolohov's grip.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed and with a non-verbal spell, she made Dolohov's tie tighten more and more against his neck.

At first, Dolohov continued with his grip on Hermione's arm, but he was forced to release as his tie began to tighten around his neck. He gasped and got to his knees, breathing with difficulty. Hermione held on to the spell, her magic spinning around her, moving her hair like the wind.

Tom looked at her a little fascinated by what he was seeing.

"Hermione," Alphard called out. "Hermione, enough! You're going to kill him! "

She left Dolohov and turned his wand toward them.

"He wanted to hurt me!" She told Alphard. "He has the right to do what he wants with me, but I can't return the favor? I saved your ass! "She's hysterical.

Alphard hands raised and approached Hermione.

"It's okay, Hermione. I would never let the Dolohov hurt you." He slowly placed a hand on Hermione's arm that was holding the wand. "Come on, Hermione, let's go back to Hogwarts. It was a very stressful day, wasn't it? "

Avery approached Tom and whispered in his ear. Hermione didn't like it at all.

Hermione moved closer to Alphard, using him as a shield.

"Congratulations, Dolohov. You got one more night with Tom in the Room of Requirement." Mulciber whispered to Dolohov, who was trying to get up, " You lost to Granger again. "

Hermione can't hear because she was already walking with Alphard to Hogwarts, a helpless girl in the midst of snakes.

Everyone was on their way to Hogwarts, Tom approached Hermione almost as they were about to cross the gates of the castle.

"Miss Granger ..." Tom put a hand on the back of Hermione's neck, his hand began to warm, his magic reacting and that strange electric current passed through them, but this time he did not shrink, he looked directly into Hermione's eyes.

Hermione didn't look away, looking into Tom's green eyes.

He looked and looked, but nothing happened. He collided with the mental barrier in her mind. Occlumency. The initial smile that he had, was undone when he realized that he wouldn't be able to take anything from her. She pushed him and entered the gates of Hogwarts, now being in the protection of the castle.

"Try to Obliviate me." She narrowed her eyes.

Before he could move toward her, Professor Galatea ran toward them.

"Are you all right? All the students and teachers were worried about you. You were the only ones who had not returned." Galatea looked at the condition of their clothes. "You were on the attack. There was an attack from Grindelwald in Hogsmeade and in France at the same time. "

" We're fine, Professor. We made our way through the Forbidden Forest to Hogwarts. "

" Great Merlin! "

"We're fine, Professor Merrythought. I just want to go back to my dorm. "Hermione turned her back.

"Miss Granger, allow me to accompany you. It's been a rough night and be all by yourself, it must be stressful for you," Tom said, taking a step toward Hermione. "It's my duty as Prefect."

"No need, Mr. Riddle. I think you've noticed that I know how to take care of myself. "

She turned and started walking toward Gryffindor Tower, a smile appearing on her face. It was only the first clash, but Hermione was glad she was victorious.

Tom's hand clenched into a fist. All this time he underestimated her.

o0o

Her friends were very worried. They asked why she had not gone with them. They asked her how she was and if she was not hurt in any way.

Hermione thanked them for their concern, but she said she was fine. What worried Hermione was the fact that she had a Grindelwald attack on Hogsmeade. She didn't remember. If this was an inopportune event, it meant that her and Harry's presence were changing the time.

The next day she ran away from Riddle and her gang as the devil flees from the cross, as the Muggles would say. But she felt his looks on her, which is why she preferred to be in public and in the company of Ectur and Bilius. But it was when she was alone in the library that Alphard approached her.

"Is everything okay?" He had sat in front of her.

She didn't have the patience for him.

"How did you find out?" She asked, getting right to the point. She looked up from the parchment she was writing, looking at Alphard.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Granger is not a very wizard name, is it?" He whispered.

"And why did you want to throw me at the wolves?" She whispered angrily.

"I just wanted to confirm. Don't get angry, but it was the old man with half-moon glasses who told me. "

" Dumbledore? "She asked.

"Is there another Transfiguration teacher who has this description?" Alphard was leaning against the table. "The old man asked me to protect you."

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"You and not Ectur or Bilius?"

"Because I'm in Slytherin," Alphard explained. "If others know your blood status, they will want to kill you."

"And what do you gain by helping me?"

"I am a mistake that the Hat refuses to admit. It was for me to be in Gryffindor, but for fear of my parents, I asked him to stay in the Slytherin House. "Alphard shrugged.

"Insightful, but not very reliable," she murmured.

"It's understandable, after last night. But remember, I play on your side only with different colors." He winked at her. "Shh .. your secret is with me."

He stood up and left.

At night, Hermione was in the Astronomy Tower, which was empty this time. She was reading Secrets of the Darkest Art, but when she started yawning more than three times, she knew she had to go to sleep.

She hugged the book against her chest and went down the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower, when she turned her back, she heard the voice.

"Miss Granger, will you please give me the pleasure of a conversation?"

Tom stood there in his Slytherin robe, his hands behind him, holding his wand. He had a raised eyebrow and green eyes, a wicked grin on his face.

-Naja Oxiana is the most poisonous naja species of the naja type. Naja is the sixth most poisonous snake in the world