They weren't friends, Hermione often reminded herself. I just want to learn magic and he can teach it to me. That's all. That's the bounds of our relationship.
It was reassuring to think that way for her. After all, her curiosity for her newly manifesting powers under Tom's watchful tuition was a source of pride for Hermione. But she also felt uncomfortable interacting with Tom. He was detached from everyone because he thought himself (and herself) superior to everyone else by virtue of their magic and looked down and acted coldly towards everyone else.
He had a streak of cruelty, that he enjoyed. He took particular pleasure in having power over others, which was one of the reasons he was so eager to show her magic. A prime example of his inconsiderate carelessness (to put it kindly) showcased itself when he first taught her how he could control animals.
He had taught her to contact, to feel the minds of other animals using her own mind. This took the utmost of concentration. Then he had tried to teach her to dominate them, to subvert and deceive them.
Hermione just couldn't do it. She simply didn't have the heart to do it as there was no way either she or Tom could know if it caused lasting harm to innocent creatures. Tom had compared it to the animal circus, but it wasn't like she approved of that either.
It had seemed so easy and natural when she had watched him do it the first time, but when she realised the potential costs and implications, it horrified her.
Trapped inside the mind of a squirrel, Hermione became terrified and she nearly lost herself before she managed to extricate herself. She hated learning it and on such occasions, Tom could become very spiteful and resentful towards her.
"Do they struggle?" Hermione asked, "Do they ever fight back or it is always easy for you?"
"If you do it quick enough, there won't be intense pain," Tom had replied mockingly. "Not long-lasting at any rate. Do it quickly, don't make it a prolonged struggle between yourself and the animal. Remember, you have magic and the animal can't resist that."
And then he smiled grimly. "Of course, it does depend on what you want them to do. If I tell them to commit suicide-"
"What?"
"It was just an experiment. I only did it once. It worked, of course but it was a lot more difficult…"
Hermione was sick to her stomach.
"I get lost inside their minds, I can't focus or even remember what I'm supposed to do."
He pursed his lips in a way of distaste and then just gave her an indulgent, patronising smile. "Ah, yes I understand now what you are doing wrong, I think."
"Many people, muggles, think of the mind as something that can be read like a book. You are not trying to contact the animal through your mind. In fact, trying to understand them on their terms is an obstacle. Ignore it. Remember, you are the human. You are the one with magic; you have superiority. Crush their minds quickly and mould them to your will."
Hermione had marched up to him, her eyes blazing as she completely lost her temper.
"I don't want you to hurt animals anymore and I certainly will not be learning such a cruel trick," she said jabbing her finger against his chest. "And if you do anything so cruel to animals again, I'm going to tell on you! There are laws against harming them deliberately!"
He waited patiently for her tirade to end before replying.
"Are you finished? Tom asked his eyes darkening. "Muggles might think of animals as equal to themselves, and they may be right in some ways in that regard so I can understand why they'd think that way. But you and I are different."
Gesturing to the squirrel, still innocently looking for an acorn, his eyes met Hermione's fiercely and she could see their hidden dark depths. It was like falling down a pit. "Try it again."
It was that voice. It was commanding, unsettling, like thunder, an odd ringing in her head.
"Try it again," Tom said this time in a softer tone.
Hermione shook her head and snapped instantly from her trance and couldn't believe she had nearly lost her thoughts in the middle of an argument. "I won't!"
"Well, you passed the test."
"What?" she asked furiously.
"Wait, you tried to possess me just now, didn't you?" Hermione recoiled as she could hardly believe it. "You think so little of me… How could you?" she said in a hurt tone. "I'm not some animal for you to play with!"
"I did it to show you the difference," Tom said smugly. "I knew I couldn't succeed because of who you are. This is the exact reason why witches and wizards are just superior."
"I can possess animals; I can even do it against intelligent adult muggles that you worship, but not against you. At least, I don't think I can. It's nowhere near as easy at least."
Hermione was lost for words. He had a way of speaking, of persuading using so much charm in his voice, but underneath she knew he had a soul as black as the devil himself. She always reminded herself to remember this important fact.
As for superiority, Hermione was rapidly developing the same outlook, but it was not because of their magic.
It was just a fact that she and Tom were by far the most intelligent in their classroom. No one else came close. In fact, if Hermione was being honest with herself, and she was loathed to admit it, Tom was most definitely smarter than her.
Hermione spent hours studying everyday and poured over her studies obsessively and Tom… Tom didn't even need to try. He never put in any effort yet he always kept pace with Hermione in terms of academic progress and frequently surpassed her with uncommon insights.
This naturally made them both outcasts at school, in addition to their magic of course. And this was why Hermione felt it increasingly difficult to avoid Tom in the aftermath of that incident. Having someone to talk to as equals was just far too intoxicating and she couldn't go back to those days when she had no one at school. But because of who he was, Hermione was steadfast in her refusal to truly accept Tom as a friend.
What happened the following day didn't change her opinion in the slightest.
Tom had arranged for a demonstration. Evidently, he had been waiting for an opportunity for weeks. It all started when Bruce, the biggest bully in their class began teasing her as he approached Tom.
"Why are you talking to Hermione of all people," he snorted. "Oh, Miss I know the answer to every question you ask Mrs. Schiller and I'm better than everyone else."
"I spent four hours doing homework last night and I can memorise that poem we were assigned to read because I read it fifty times."
Tom thought nothing of this sad creature. Compared with the cretins from his former orphanage, this one merely hid his softness under a hard shell. But he would serve a purpose rather nicely.
"Take that back now," he said softly.
"What did you say-"
"I said take that back now!" Tom raised his voice. Then he began to shake dramatically in anger.
"Is she your girlfriend," the boy taunted back. "Are you kidding me? She's ugly as a rock." And then he showcased his front teeth prominently while he mimed at a beaver chewing a block of wood.
Bruce suddenly stopped as he felt his shirt collar constrict. In front of him, Tom Riddle was shaking like a madman and suddenly he was choking. His school shirt was shrinking rapidly and he couldn't breathe. He made guttural noises and collapsed on his knees.
"Tom, stop it. I'm begging you now, you're going to kill him," Hermione cried frantically. "You have to stop now, calm down."
Then Bruce couldn't feel the ground.
He was floating as his body inflated outward, even as his clothes were shrinking to the point where they were tearing. But he could breathe again as his collar loosened.
Tom felt a heady surge of power rush through his senses as he humiliated the muggle boy. But it was quite unnecessary, not to mention dangerous so he refused to let it go too far.
He was genuinely puzzled why she would defend her tormentor. This in actuality was what made him angry, but he knew better than to show it.
He had thought she'd be different from the rest because of magic. But he was forced to acknowledge that personality-wise there didn't seem to be any differences between muggles and magical people. She was just like the others with their odd moral scruples. It disappointed him.
In any case, his demonstration had succeeded. Presumably, the Ministry had secretly caused the entire class to forget about the incident and Tom was not in trouble as they didn't think he had done it deliberately.
But he was very angry at her. He had gone to such lengths to open her eyes, to deliver solid proof that the magical world was real and this was how he was treated in return?
It was necessary to punish her. "I won't teach you any more magic," he said after their latest row. He couldn't believe she was protecting her dim-witted tormentor. Tom refused to listen to her painstaking distinction between mean words and violence. He knew very well that if bullies weren't put quickly in their place, their numbers merely multiplied.
He watched in satisfaction as her eyes panicked at what he had said. If there was one thing, Hermione Granger was greedy for, it was knowledge. Knowledge of course was a form of power therefore she was actually more similar to him than she knew.
"I just don't feel like it. I've taught you things, but you refuse to use and apply it to help yourself," he said. "You're wasting your potential." Hermione had refused to defend herself even though he had taught her how. Yet she had also quite publicly rejected his protection. It felt like she lacked sufficient loyalty to him.
It would be temporary, of course, but a break would do them both good. He needed time to think on matters and sort out how he felt exactly towards Hermione.