A knock on the door drew Tom awake. He got up and opened the door of the Slytherin Head's room not caring what he looked like. Which unfortunately meant messy hair and bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep.
"Woah. We were looking for Mr. Perfect, have you seen him?"
Tom turned a glare onto Abraxas. "What is he doing here?"
Fleamont slung an arm around Abraxas' shoulder. "Bloody hell, didn't you know that Abraxas does whatever I say?"
Abraxas shoved Fleamont's arm off of him. "I do not." His next words were for Tom. "He said he wanted to check up on you before we left."
Tom shook his head. He had no clue how Hermione put up with these two. Hermione. . .
"Wipe that look off your ugly mug," said Fleamont.
"Have you made your decision on what to do about Hermione?" asked Abraxas, somberly.
Tom sighed heavily out through his nose. It was too early for this. "No."
"You have all of winter break. Make your decision soon while hardly anyone is here. Alone time is just what the two of you need."
Abraxas slugged Fleamont on the arm. "Keep it in your pants. Those bookworms are not like that. Are you?"
Tom threw his hands up in disgust at the two. "She is a spy and untrustworthy. There will not be any of that going on." Tom went to shut the door on them but paused in his actions. He pointed a finger at Abraxas then Fleamont, "get him out of here before someone sees." Tom then slammed the door shut on them.
Sighing out through his mouth, he plopped down onto the bed. As bothersome as the two were, they had a point. He had to figure out what he was going to do with Hermione. The logical choice would be to kill her but knew that he couldn't bring himself to do that. He would also lose Abraxas and Fleamont as friends.
He had to figure out something and soon. Not only did this affect him and how he felt about her but their rift was also causing attention. A week avoiding Hermione caused some unwanted attention. He had to figure something out not only to help himself emotionally but to help keep his and Hermione's secrets.
. . . .
Hermione looked up from her book when the portrait to her private dorm swung open. Tom shuffled in with his suitcase.
"Tom?" His gaze flicked to her but he did not say anything. Instead, he shuffled quietly to his room.
Tom must have decided to move back into their dorm. It was an improvement. Hermione would gladly take it. She returned to her reading, glad that Tom seemed to be willing to listen-but not yet but hopefully in due time. The least she could do would be to try it make it easier for him by letting him take his time and to stay out of his way as much as possible.
. . . .
The clock struck twelve. It was officially Christmas.
Hermione gently tapped on Tom's door. He had finally moved back into his room last week. That did not mean everything went back to normal. The arrogant, insufferable Slytherin had not said a single word to her. She was going to make sure that changed tonight.
The door opened to reveal an annoyed looking Tom. His forest green eyes sent shivers down her spine. "What?" He growled.
Hermione rolled her eyes at his tone. She shoved the wrapped book into his chest. "I got this for you before. . ." Hermione glanced down at the floor, at a loss for words. When she looked back up, Tom was looking at the book as if it were a foreign object. "Just take it."
To her surprise, he did. Not to her surprise, he shut the door in her face. Why must she always fall for the awkward boys?
Hermione shrugged her shoulders, unable to answer herself. Instead, she decided to curl up on the couch with a book and a glass of hot chocolate.
A half-hour later, the door to Tom's room opened. "Thank you," she heard him say. She looked up at him in shock. Tom fidgeted on his feet. "Don't look at me like that," he growled.
Hermione gulped and looked away. This reaction wasn't because he was intimidating or anything, it was because he never looked hotter. He clearly looked nervous though he tried to sound tough and angry. It also helped that she knew he wouldn't try to kill her or anything. He wasn't the same Tom she had first met.
"You're welcome," said Hermione, hoping that she showed no indication that his second comment had gotten to her.
She heard a sigh before Tom shuffled in front of her. He gracefully sat down in the wingback chair. Hermione glanced at him from underneath her lashes.
"I can see you staring."
Hermione felt herself blush. "Sorry", she mumbled. "Did you want something?" she asked a bit loudly.
"I have come to the conclusion that I must do something about you-us. People were growing suspicious as to why I moved out and why we have been avoiding each other. I moved back in for the sole reason to keep their suspicion at bay. I am telling you this so that you know my reasoning. I have also come to an unseemly decision. I would like to hear your side of the story. I am saddened to say that my grandmother came to that conclusion before I did."
Hermione couldn't help it, she snorted. "Why are you being so formal and business-like. I would think it's cold except for the fact that you are even bothering with asking for my side of things."
Tom narrowed his gaze at her. "Would you rather I take away this olive branch and leave?"
Hermione bolted upright and wiped away the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes. "No. No. I'm sorry. I'll take this seriously." Hermione decided to focus on the meaning of his words rather than how he spoke. It seemed as if Tom was willing to give her a chance. Now all she had to do was to give him the same opportunity. "Okay, where would you like me to begin?"
Tom leaned back into the chair with his hands folded together. "The beginning."
Hermione cracked a small, sad smile. "That might take a while. Maybe I should shorten things. How 'bout I just tell you the reason why I came to this time first?" Tom looked as if he was ready to disagree but nodded for her to continue. Hermione cleared her throat. "It was right before Bill's-Ron's older brother-wedding. The three of us-Harry, Ron, and I-all received things from Professor Dumbledore's will. I received two books. Hidden inside of one of them was a Time Turner and two letters; one for me and one for Dumbledore." Hermione licked her now dried lips.
"The letter for me said that I should use the Time Turner when all hope seems lost. That came not long after. Lord Voldemort and his followers attacked Hogwarts. In the process, Harry was ki-" Hermione choked on the words as the terrible memory flooded her. "Harry was kil-" Hermione choked on a sob. She thought she was getting over everything, coming to terms with what had happened. It seemed she was wrong.
Tom moved forward. He paused in the motion, sitting on the edge of the seat. His knuckles jumped and twitched as if they were trying to move of their own free will. Somehow, that small movement helped her.
"When I saw Hagrid carry Harry to the castle, I knew that I had to use the Time Turner. You see, Harry is the only one who can stop Lord Voldemort. I'm not sure how or why but that is what Dumbledore confided in him. So I used the Time Turner and wound up in 1944. I landed in the courtyard with a young version of professor Dumbledore there. I gave him the letter that was addressed to him and that's when Hermione Norris was created."
"You were then given the mission to spy on me?"
Hermione shook her head. "I was only told to go about my business. That things will unfold as they were meant to. So I did just that. I pretended to be an eager student though I will admit that I was eager to see how the professors taught during this time and what the curriculum would be like," Tom chuckled at her words. It was an involuntary sound but it pleased her ears. "Then I started to get to know you. Oh, how I hated you. I wanted to kill you every time I saw you but then I saw that you were nothing like the monster from my time. I eventually learned to separate you from Lord Voldemort."
"Was making me fall for you, your idea or his?" asked Tom harshly.
"Neither. It definitely wasn't planned. Never have I ever imagined falling for Tom Riddle," snorted Hermione. "After everything you did to me, I still saw something in you."
"That's enough for now." Tom got up from his seat and walked to his room. Hermione listened as the door sealed shut.
Hermione wasn't stupid enough to delude herself into thinking that things will ever go back to normal. She knew better than that but at least it was a start.