authorsnote: I'm in my tomione era (shameless plug: I just updated one of my other tomione WIP's : Me and the Devil, do check it out).

I hope you enjoy, lots more HP updates and oneshots in 2024 to come

songrecs: don't blame me - taylor swift (tomione/dramione anthem lol)

'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us'

- J.R.R. Tolkien

-x-

Somehow, when night fell, on a Friday night, they were the last two in the Common Room.

There was a party in the Ravenclaw Common Room, and apparently most of Slytherin didn't 'mind' the Ravenclaws, and so they were there, a few had lingered behind, but had left them to it, and now as the sky darkened, and the Black Lake lost all touches of light, it was just the two of them.

Like he'd planned, she didn't know that though.

There was a lot that he was doing, she didn't know.

Snowball had found and quite quickly decapitated a frog, Hermione hoped it just wasn't a student's pet, Tom had simply laughed and then avoided a hiss from her beloved familiar, though Tom didn't seem to mind.

A week of lessons had passed, and though Tom beat her in all of them, she'd quickly established herself behind him, the few comments from annoyed wizards about a witch beating them were paid when she duelled them, though no natural duellist she knew enough to beat some brash Gryffindors and Rosier into a pulp.

Tom had seen it as Rosier lay on the ground writhing, and she'd scolded herself, so much for downplaying her skill, especially when they'd left the lesson, he'd taken her arm and whispered "Next time you duel me"

That made her nervous, and she'd glared at him without any real venom, she'd seen Tom in class, defeating opponents in seconds rather than minutes, in truth she knew her duelling skills weren't up to par, Mulciber and Lestrange looked better than her too.

Still, she'd have to duel him she supposed, and have to put her best foot forward.

Other lessons had passed, teachers raved over her and Tom as study partners, the best in the class seeing them put together for all projects. Hermione knew she should have minded more.

Hermione sat with the Slytherins at dinner, reminding herself she was one of them now, sorted by the hat itself…

'That vindictive streak has grown. Such ambition, a hunger to be the best, to rise to the top. How did I not see it before? Slytherin!'

The words were burned into her brain, not only had she been disrupted in time, but in House too.

Everything had changed, enough to make her dizzy.

And worst of all what had changed, was her mind.

She reminded herself again and again; Tom, no Riddle, was the enemy. What he'd done, what we'd become, what he was already turning into. He was the enemy, she practically chanted it to herself in her mind like a prayer.

And yet…

Here she was, sat opposite him, she on the sofa next to the window where the Giant Squid would sometimes pop up (the other Slytherins were long bored of this, but she'd garnered a laugh from Tom when, upon first seeing its giant eye she'd ran up to look at it, 'like some first year' he'd mocked without malice), he on an armchair, lounging back in it, one foot propped up, jumper off, tie undone, he looked rumpled, and handsome, and a bad idea.

Only, the latter thought was invading her head less and less and was replaced with others.

His intellect, his laugh, his handsomeness, his power, his smirk that sometimes dipped into a smile just for a second when she said something funny or cutting to one of his friends or smart. The way Snowball hated everyone but hated Tom a bit less and had even sat on his lap once, and he'd accepted it, the way he pushed her in class and didn't patronise her.

The way she was desperately lonely, and realising he wasn't Lord Voldemort, yet, and maybe she could stop that ever happening.

Maybe stopping Lord Voldemort didn't mean killing him, maybe it meant never allowing him to exist by ensuring Tom didn't become him.

Or was she just trying to cope with the fact that he'd made her blush once over dinner and twice in class, that he'd insisted she get a familiar, and that he sat now, relaxed like he looked with no one else, not even Betty Bulstrode who was equally terrified and attracted to him, pureblood, who he'd ignored every time for Hermione.

"Is there any particular reason you're staring at me?" His voice made her jump in her seat, and she both glared at him and blushed scarlet that she'd bene caught mooning at him like some fourth year, whilst really trying to figure out her feelings about him, but she could hardly tell him that could she?

"I was not" She snapped, but his smirk told her he didn't buy it, and why would he? She was obvious.

She'd never be some smooth snooty pureblood she was pretending to be; the hat might have sorted her into Slytherin, but she knew she had Gryffindor in her heart; brash, direct, brave yes but also foolish at times, she was the very opposite of Tom, cool, collected, smirking.

And yet that was what she was attracted to, and trying to deny, perhaps Slytherin had a place in her heart too.

"You were" He mocked, but it was more like teasing, light, and she did crack a smile before her eyes widened as he stood up and then sat himself down gracefully next to her. Yes, they sat next to each other in lessons but that was separate chairs, not with his knee brushing hers almost, he didn't usually have his shirt sleeves rolled up in lessons, or her with her shoes kicked off and feet tucked under her.

It was too casual, too comfortable, and yet she didn't move, she didn't want to.

"Besides, don't worry I observe you on occasion" He said sounding nonchalant, and she was torn between feeling flattered and almost giggly, and panic that she might have given away her biggest secret.

Because no matter how comfortable she felt with Tom, no matter if her plans changed from murder to … turning him? She could never ever tell him the truth; it was far too risky. She could never tell him.

"You do?" She asked trying to sound casual herself, even though she felt anything but, "Why would you do that?"

"Because you're interesting of course" He said as though it were obvious, and she knew her cheeks were pink. She was running through in her head anything she could have done to give herself away but she knew unless he'd been in her single girls dormitory she was safe.

Safe from spilling time travel secrets, but not safe from wondering, with her heart fluttering and eyes wide as she met Toms … not safe from feeling flattered and appreciated and watched.

Her brown eyes met his, also brown, though hers ran more gold, his deep, she was sure she could get lost in those eyes, and hoped she hadn't shouted that thought at him.

"Am I now?" She said, thoughts of time travel, mind reading, fear of both flying from her head, as Tom Riddle leaned in, and she blinked almost stupidly, but did not pull away.

Were they flirting?

"Don't fish for compliments" He rolled his eyes but his grin was for her only, not a smirk but a grin filled with mischief, and that gave her hope, perhaps he could be changed, he was still a boy, as she was a girl, perhaps nothing was set in stone, perhaps she and he could change things.

Perhaps she wouldn't have to murder the only boy she thought might ever have understood her, even if only a little in the short time she'd known him.

Was she in over her head?

Without question.

"I was merely asking a question" She insisted, pretending to be snooty but her giggle ruined it, and his laugh warmed her.

"You know you're interesting" Another roll of his eyes, another flutter of her heart, "But I would like to know how much" He said intently, and she didn't doubt his sincerity. Tom didn't seem to lie to her, and that she liked.

"Is there a scale?" She teased, and he scoffed but again there was that grin.

"Perhaps we should get to know each other better" He said with a shrug, he seemed so unbothered, smooth and cool as would have been said in her time, but she could sense something real beneath the surface. Was there something real there that if he didn't' snuff it out he could be saved?

Saved? Now where had her mind gone, she tried to remind herself he'd likely still done terrible things, that just because he wasn't Lord Voldemort didn't mean he wasn't Tom Riddle but he was grinning at her again, and Hermione realised Tom was one of the few people she'd ever met who could make her cease rational thought.

"Should we?" She stuttered before trying and struggling to regain her composure, but try she did, "Like what?"

She did feel a thud of nerves, was it wise to let him in to see any of her life? Her secret was hidden away, she'd never tell him but could she let him in just a little?

She wanted to, that she couldn't deny.

And wouldn't it be important to ensuring he didn't become Lord Voldemort? Wouldn't getting to know him help her if this was her mission?

Was it?

"Well we can start surface level" He said with a shrug but didn't offer anything further.

"What like our favourite subject?" She asked, not mocking, showing a streak of her naivety, and Tom grinned but shrugged.

"I would say yes, but I already know yours" He said, so sure of himself she glared at him.

"You do not" She said with a glare, "I've never told you"

"You don't need to have" He said, "It's Arithmancy"

She gasped a little then, "How did you know that?"

"I told you, I observe"

That he did.

Why Hermione said what she did next, she wasn't sure, perhaps it was her infernal need to always win or be right, or perhaps she wanted to see if she could shock Tom Riddle. But speak and foolish she did.

"Well I know that yours is Defence, but really only the Dark Arts bit" She said back with a superior look and Tom laughed, she couldn't help but feel smug he only really did that sincerely with her, sat on the sofa, back against it, leg resting on his knee, as she turned to him, legs crossed and tucked in, sitting opposite, seemingly comfortable and content.

"That's an easy one" Tom said, and his grin turned wicked, "Maybe we should guess on each other's traits, favourites and such, instead of stating it, that sounds more fun"

"Ooh that does" Hermione said with a flash in her gaze, it sounded like a quiz, which she unashamedly loved, she didn't take a second to analyse any ulterior motives, not as Tom smiled lazily at her, reminding her of a cat himself (like Snowball, who'd jumped into Toms vacant armchair and was now curled up happily, the decapitated frog at the chairs feet).

"Okay" Tom said, and there was a sinister twinkle in his gaze, "What's my favourite colour?"

"Green obviously" She said with a little scoff, "What's mine?"

"Red" He said with what she knew was a fake sneer, "You're practically a Gryffindor bleeding heart"

She shoved him playfully then and he laughed, before nodding at her, it was her turn.

"Favourite magical creature?" She said, thinking that was quite a good one.

"Kneazles" He said with a roll of his eyes, "Do give me a more difficult one next time, what's mine?"

"Basilisks of course" She threw back and she caught a glint of surprise in his eyes then before he recovered, perhaps she shouldn't have revealed that, for how could she? But she was too caught up in the game, the need to be the best, foolish.

Almost like Tom knew she would. Silly.

"Favourite spell?"

"Probably crucio knowing you" She'd mocked, he'd laughed.

"Definitely something tame like expelliarmus" He'd teased, she'd grinned.

"Favourite way to travel?"

"Apparation?"

"Floo powder"

Silly things back and forth, he got every one right, but so did she.

They both seemed a little surprised at that.

"Deepest fear?" His eyes flashed then and hers widened, now they were getting serious, she should have backed off, should have, especially as at this one, Tom had dropped his leg, and leaned in, as had she, all caught up, and now they were just inches apart. Inches.

"Being irrelevant" She said, dropping her voice to a whisper, the common room seemed smaller somehow, quieter, even though it had stayed just the same, though the tension in the air could surely be sliced through with a hex.

Inches.

"Being a failure" He dropped his tone too, and they both knew they were right again, right and inches away from one another.

"You won't ever be irrelevant" She whispered, silly, foolish, and yet she was rewarded, and perhaps Tom was being a touch foolish too.

"And you won't ever be a failure" He said, "I won't let you"

"And you'll be around forever to stop me failing, will you?" She said, but she wasn't joking, in that serious whisper as she could swear Toms nose brushed hers.

"Of course" He didn't grin or smirk or mock, his gaze was sincere. Inches.

And then the inches were gone, as he leaned in…

And so did she.

one lonnnnnnnng scene but needed, they grow closer

and don't forget tom knows exactly what he is doing, but did he show a moment of unplanned weakness? we shall see...

a trip to the forest is coming soon, but first a kiss and slytherin shenanigans and ... jealousy?

do tune in