"Well, that was uneventful," said Hermione as they entered their private dorm. She was referring to their rounds around the seventh floor. One of their Head duties involved patrolling the school with the prefects for any students out past curfew.
"Yes. I was looking forward to abducting some house points, particularly Gryffindor," this earned him a snort from Hermione, "and Hufflepuff."
Tom faked a yawn. "Good night, Hermione." He went into his room and shut the door. He actually wasn't tired but he needed to buy some time until the meeting later on in the night. He pulled out his homework and sat down at the desk to work on it.
After a while, Tom pulled out his pocket watch to see that it was time for him to leave. He shut his text book and got up.
He was dismayed to find Hermione still up. She was sitting in their small common room working on homework. She looked up when she heard his door open.
"I thought you were asleep," said Hermione almost accusingly.
Tom sighed. He didn't want to lie to her nor did he want to have the argument over his followers again. Hermione had somehow figured out all of his secrets and was not all that happy with them. Again, Tom found himself asking why he cared so much about the little witch's opinion.
Tom settled with a half truth. "I am meeting a friend."
"You don't have any friends," accused Hermione. "You don't have to lie to me. I know you're meeting your followers," her tone bordered on disgust.
"What are you going to do about it," Tom quirked his eyebrow challengingly.
Hermione sighed in defeat. "Nothing this time. Just promise not to hurt any of them. And. . .look out for Abraxas."
"I promise." Damn, why did he just promise something like that? He was a man who kept his word and that meant he could no longer set the cruciatus curse on Snyde. He would just have to find other means to make the fifth year's life a living hell.
Hermione turned her attention away from him and back to the book in front of her. Tom pulled his eyes away from Hermione and left. He made his way to the Room of Requirement and paced three times. A door appeared and Tom entered.
The room was decorated as a simple common room. A fireplace crackled in the front of the room. His followers were already there waiting for him. Bollocks! The little witch caused him to be late. Tom hated being late unless it was on purpose.
All of his followers looked toward him with shock evident on their faces except for Abraxas. The white-haired boy just smirked before offering Tom a polite bow.
"Let's get down to business," said Tom in a commanding voice. "I would like to welcome our newest member, Abraxas Malfoy." Tom folded his hands behind his back to assume a more commanding pose. The next he would say will most likely cause most of his followers distress and anger. "The main point I would like to get across during this meeting is a new policy. We will no longer see muggle-borns as our enemy." Many of his followers grumbled at that, well, all of them except for Abraxas. Tom sent his followers a glare that shut them up pretty quickly. Normally he would have just cruciated them all but he remembered the promise he made to Hermione not even an hour ago.
"I have come to the realization that some show potential and could help our cause, not hinder it," continued Tom. "Also, with the recent downfall of Grindelwald, who was a muggle and muggleborn hater, I have come to another realization that we must do things differently than him. His short sighted views and untamed hatred caused him to not see the bigger picture. We will not become like him. We will succeed where he failed. We will let the wizarding world know of our power and determination and we will do it as a whole, not a divided community."
His followers clapped at the end of his speech. They may not like his new view on muggle-borns but they were too terrified and awed by him to speak against him.
"That is all for this meeting. Get back to your dorm. Oh, and make sure to increase your grades. It does not look good to have some with poor markings, especially when we want the elder generation to recognize us."
. . . . .
Hermione woke up early the next day. The plan was to grab a quick breakfast then find somewhere to hide out till classes started. It was unfortunate that she had a free block during first period, and so did Tom.
She got dressed quickly and cracked open her door and peered out. The small common room that she shared with Tom was clear. Yep, she was avoiding Tom, again. This time it was because she was mad at him for still trying to become Lord Voldemort.
She slung her bag over her shoulders and crept quietly out of the dorm. With it being so early, the hallways were mostly empty. The Great Hall was pretty much the same. Only a few scarce bodies were awake and spread out. Fleamont Potter was one of them.
"You're never this early," joked Hermione when she reached Fleamont.
He smiled at her, bits of toast showing in his teeth. "First day of practice," said Fleamont after he gulped down his food. "Wanted to get a practice in this morning before tryouts at the end of this week." Hermione had to admit that Fleamont was dedicated to quidditch. "You should join us, maybe play chaser?"
Hermione was about to turn down his offer when she realized that he was offering exactly what she wanted, a place to hide from Tom. "Sure, though I'm not any good." She smiled weakly. "I couldn't beat Tom once."
Fleamont's smile grew and his brown eyes twinkled. "No one has beaten Riddle. That's why we make sure to have the best seeker."
"You shouldn't let all the praise go to your head," joked Hermione.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Fleamont then took a bite of his apple. "We'll head to the pitch after you finish eating."
After Hermione ate, she walked with Fleamont out to the pitch. Why did she ever agree to do this?
Hermione was leaning against the changing rooms waiting for everyone. "Ugh! I forgot my broom!" How was she supposed to play quidditch without a broom?
She heard someone chuckle but paid no mind. She figured it was Fleamont.
"Here, borrow mine."
Puzzled, Hermione looked up to find Tom holding his broom out to her. "Tom!" What was he doing here?
"Are you gonna take it?" He started to pull the broom away, "If you don't need it-"
"No!" Hermione grabbed the broom from him and she swore he smiled. "Thank you, but what are you doing here?"
Tom quirked an eyebrow and he wore an amused expression. "Practice. Wanted to get some in before the Gryffindors showed up."
Now that Tom said that, she noticed that his hair was slick back with sweat instead of gel. His outfit was also askew and there was a smudge of dirt on his face. He never looked more handso-nope, she would not finish that sentence.
A smirk appeared on his perfectly peached li-nope, she wouldn't finish that sentence either. "Just don't damage it," said Tom in a sarcastic, grating tone.
Fleamont walked out of the changing room followed by the others to find Hermione glaring at Tom. "You ready?" asked Fleamont.
"Yeah, but I don't have an outfit."
"You can always borrow mine." Hermione's face heated up with Tom's words and most of the people there were staring with their mouths agape. "I have a spare," chuckled Tom after Hermione tried and failed to formulate a response.
"Keep it. I'll just change into my spare set of robes," said Hermione as she pushed her way past Tom. She could never have imagined that the young Dark Lord would be able to joke, let alone as much as Tom frequently did.
. . . .
Hermione's feet touched the ground and she unmounted her broom-well Tom's broom.
"That was brilliant. Tom told me you were good but not this good."
"Tom?" asked Hermione.
"He wrote to me," chuckled Fleamont. He held out his hand to her. "Congratulations, you made the team."
"What?" Did she just hear him correctly? Team?
Fleamont's smile broadened at her flabbergasted state. "This was your tryout and you made it! You're now the new Gryffindor chaser!"
"What?" Hermione realized that she was starting to sound like a broken record. She only asked that many 'what's' when she was questioning one of Harry or Ron's plans. And she really couldn't do quidditch. She didn't have the time, not with studies, homework, studying, and Head Girl activities.
"I don't have the time."
Fleamont waved away her excuse. "If Riddle can do it, then so can you. He does everything you do and still has time to be captain of the Slytherin quidditch team."
He had a point. Tom did all of that plus led a group of rowdy Slytherins in secret. She sighed in defeat, "fine."
Fleamont slung an arm over her shoulder. "I knew you would do it."
She couldn't believe she was just conned. She was so going to get Fleamont for this. And Tom for even suggesting it to Fleamont.