Chapter 2 - Confusion

Tom Riddle was perplexed, a random woman he had never met before had tried to kill him, with the Killing Curse no less, upon hearing his name. He was aware he had a reputation but he was fairly confident that was an over-reaction.

Once he had stupefied her, he moved her to the couch in the living room and kept her wand on him. He needed to assess how much of a threat she was.

"Legilimens" he whispered.

Nothing, a blank black void. No walls to tear apart, no superficial thoughts, and the more he tried to find something the more his head hurt so he withdrew.

He considered his options for a while, observing Hermione, and making a mental list of what he knew about her. She was an Unspeakable, she knew of him enough to want to kill him but not enough to recognise him, their ages couldn't be that far apart so he was sure she hadn't gone to Hogwarts. However, her accent was definitely British and she did not comport herself the way a home-schooled pureblood would. Dumstrang maybe? She did use un Unforgivable quickly.

He had to keep her here for a while, the possibilities of how she got here were quite endless but if the Ministry or another Unspeakable still hadn't come to knock on his door, he had to assume they weren't aware of her location. She had been able to pass through the wards while holding some sorts of golden disk, but it vanished as soon as she arrived so he carefully changed his wards to make sure she couldn't leave.

He needed answers, if he couldn't get inside her head, he would drag the answers from her. He went to his potion lab to pick up a vial of verisaterum. He made sure she was seated upright, conjured a few ropes to make sure she wouldn't try to physically attack him, poured down a few drops of verisaterum down her tongue and revived her.

She opened her eyes quickly, looking around assessing for unseen threats when she saw him again and tensed immediately. Intriguing reaction.

"What is your full name?"

"Verisaterum? You'll have to try harder or simply trust what I say, did you try legilimensy already?" At this, he pursed his lips in a small frown, "Yes that seems in character."

"You reacted rather violently to my name but did not recognise me when you arrived, why is that?"

"Your reputation precedes you Tom."

"How are you immune to verasiterum? And your mind isn't the mind of an occlumens, what is it?"

"I'm an Unspeakable, how do you think we can keep our secrets?" Hermione deadpanned.

He hummed at that, it made sense. "Right, you arrived quite early this morning but I do have to get to work, so I'll untie you but you can't leave the property, I'll thank you to not destroy the Manor."

"Borgin and Burkes?" He simply looked at her blankly, "I always wondered why you went to work there, seems to be a very menial job but if you want to find Founders' treasures I guess it's a good place to start..."

"You think I work there because I want to?" Tom cut her off.

"Don't you?" She replied, frowning.

"Look Miss Hermione, I don't know how it works where you come from, but without the backing of a last name you usually don't go very far career-wise in Wizarding Britain, this job is better than most but no, it's not I want to do with my life."

She paused at this, she had never considered it, he was an Orphan with a Muggle last name, she wasn't sure if he could even prove to be related to the Gaunts, either way without the last name or family backing, he was much like she was. Or used to be? Time-travel was confusing. Maybe she could bond with the psychopathic mass-murderer on the whole prejudice issue she thought a bit hysterically so she decided to thrown him a bone.

"Why didn't you try the Department of Mysteries? I hear you're smart, it worked for me."

He smirked at this question, "I tried. Didn't pass the psych eval." and left the manor without looking back.

Hermione spent the next few hours walking around the Manor as he called it, wondering where she was. She had assumed he lived at Mafloy Manor or another similar pureblood home. However, if he really couldn't get a better job than salesman in Knockturn Alley she had to assume he wasn't that close to his future followers at this time. She remembers Harry telling her Tom Riddle had disappeared for years before coming back with the Voldemort name, she knew Voldemort got started in the early seventies so it was at least 20 years away from her new present.

The Manor looked Muggle though and that intrigued her, she didn't recognise her surrounding outside, and although the home was Muggle she could find some Magical trinkets and objects around, a few rooms were warded but eventually she was able to find and access the library. It was mainly Muggle books but the Magical collection was sizable as well. She went to look through the stacks, trying to find answers, anything and she stopped in front a of portrait, a Muggle portrait.

The couple looked to be in their fifties at least, they looked noble, almost regal, but the name plate is what caught her off-guard, it read "Thomas and Mary Riddle, 1941". With a gasp, Hermione realised she was standing in Riddle Manor, the home of his father, the portrait was of his grand-parents.

Did he even clean up the blood of his patricide before moving in she wondered. Grossed out, she left the library to continue her exploring, but she found nothing of significance where she had access. She wondered if his horcruxes would be in his study?

She needed a plan, she still had her bag but no wand, and maybe staying close to him could be the better plan? She found some parchment, ink and a quill in the living room and sat down to write down what she knew of this time:

- Dumbledore has defeated Grindelwald 4 years ago

- Dumbledore is still Deputy Headmaster, and Transfiguration Professor, doesn't become Headmaster until 1955, potential ally?

- Tom Riddle/Voldemort has already made at least 2 horcruxes from Myrtle's murder and the murders of his father and grand-parents, the diary and the ring?

- The artefact doesn't allow a time loop, changes are possible, kill Tom?

- Potential allies: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Moody, Charlus Potter?

- Emigration? France?

Hermione put down the quill and stared at the wall lost in her thoughts, she had never been close to anyone from the Order alive at this time. She had heard of many of them but she did not know how to approach them. Even if she did, what would she say? Despite the fact it was an accident, being a time-traveller was still illegal and she was likely to be thrown in a cell in the Department of Mysteries.

She still had her war bag, Tom had likely tried to take it but only her could touch or summon it, she had money, enough to last a lifetime if she were careful, her Muggle papers wouldn't work though and she had no desire to go back to the Muggle world, especially so close to the end of World War II. She had money, a few possessions, no name that would help her though.

Maybe she could disappear in another country? The US? No, probably still reeling from Grindelwald. France? She did speak French but she didn't really know anything about the French magical communities.

Running away wasn't an option, she had spent years feeling sorry for herself and frustrated. She could start over, this was an opportunity, wasn't it? She could change things, save many lives. Could she kill Tom? The Killing Curse this morning had surprised even herself, she wasn't sure it would have worked if she was honest with herself. Besides, he was already a murderer but he wasn't Voldemort was he? He didn't seem to have Death Eaters yet, or any type of pureblood support.

Hermione eventually fell asleep on the couch, wondering what to do, and not having thought to wandlessly ward her parchment.

Tom Riddle was tired, this morning sudden guest had played on his mind his whole work day, which was often tedious at best. He was glad to be going home, but wondered what said guest had been up to.

He found her asleep on the couch, and saw the parchment on the coffee table in front of her. He read it before waking her, some of it made sense but what intrigued him the most was the mention of a time loop, so the question wasn't where she came from, but when then.

He sat down on the coffee table, in front of her and woke her up, forgoing the ropes for now, she had added a question mark to killing him on her list so he felt he wasn't in immediate danger.

When she finally opened her eyes, he immediately asked "So when are you from Miss Hermione?"

Her eyes widened comically, and she glanced back at the parchment on the table, she pinched her nose, clearly disappointed in herself.

"Why would I answer that? You already can't read my mind or force the truth."

He hummed, "Yes yes, but I could torture you though."

Hermione started laughing at that, she rolled up her left sleeve, where the "MUDBLOOD" scar was visible, red and inflamed as if it happened yesterday "Someone already tried, I didn't cave. She threw Crucios at me freely and carved me up and I didn't cave. You won't find the truth that way."

Tom was speechless, he hadn't expected that, he had felt a dim aura of danger around her but didn't expect her to have been tortured or to react that way "Is the someone dead?" he asked eventually, wondering why he felt murderous at the idea of someone carving her up.

Hermione looked at him directly, lifted an eye-brown and said "Not born yet, don't worry I'll be sure to let you know when your number one follower is born so you can start the training early."

"Why would I ever want someone who does that?" he replied, genuinely curious and a bit aghast at the image she seemed to have built of him.

"Power? Greed? I don't really care to understand how your mind works Tom. The bitch did that to me in your name, she fancied herself in love with you I think but you can't love and she was quite insane so who knows."

"What do you mean I can't love? That's a big assumption, I know the psychiatrist said I had sociopathic tendencies when the orphanage forced me to see someone, but still, I do have feelings sometimes.

Also, can we get back to your list, if you won't tell me the when, can you at least tell me why you seem to think I have made two Horcruxes? Or what Voldemort means?"

"Haven't you?" she said quickly, brows furrowed.

"Horcruxes? No, I did find the text on how to make them but I wasn't willing to make that kind of sacrifice for what seemed like a flawed plan for immortality. Besides, two? I did have a conversation with Slughorn about the possibilities of more than one before I decided against it and he was pretty adamant more than one was a terrible idea."

Hermione's mind was whirling.

"What about Myrtle then? Didn't you kill her to make your first Horcrux?"

"Warren?" At her nod, he continued "I didn't kill her as you wrote on your list. She simply went somewhere she wasn't supposed to at the wrong time, it was an accident."

Hermione paused to think at that, an accident? She wished she had seen the memories instead of the account Harry have given her. "You opened the Chamber of Secrets, and what? You were having a chat with your pet Basilik when she came into the Chamber and dropped dead? Why frame Hagrid for it then?"

He surveyed her quietly, "You do know a lot, and to answer your sarcastic question, yes she did go down the Chamber when I was there with the Basilik, I hadn't thought to close the entrance, no one went in that bathroom usually but she did and looked at the Basilik's eyes before I could stop her. It was an accident."

"Sure, let's say I believe you, what about Hagrid?"

"You're right, I did frame him when Dumbledore started talking about closing down Hogwarts. I had to act, so I framed the buffoon who did bring dangerous creatures in the castle without thoughts to how it could harm others." He paused, gathering his thoughts for a while, Hermione looked gobsmacked. "I won't deny I'm a selfish bastard, but I wasn't about to inculpate myself, Dumbledore hated me too much already, accident or not I would have been expelled. I was forced to go back to the Orphanage every year, I would have been forced there again if Hogwarts shut down, I couldn't let that happen."

"I get it." Hermione murmured, surprised at herself that she did understand, and she did believe him.