chapter 10
Tom had his arms crossed, awaiting Hermione to regain her composure. When she made no change in condition, he clicked his tongue against his teeth and combed a hand through his hair. This wouldn't fucking do. He hadn't realised how fragile she was, didn't expect her to crumble from wintry weather. He thought it was just crisp outside but then again he was cold blooded, like his fellow snake companions. He was benumbed to the cold, unlike the young witch who was exhibiting symptoms of hypothermia.
Before Hermione could acknowledge what was happening, she was in Tom's arms, cradled like a wounded animal. She didn't say a word, neither did he. He stalked out of the library, his pace assertive and brisk, focusing on his track ahead, not daring to look at the girl. Hermione heedlessly nestled into Tom's shoulder, seeking the warmth his body radiated. He usually emitted a bleak temperature which could only highlight the state Hermione was in. Tom noted how her limp body was algid, he needed answers, and if that came at the cost of lumbering around this peculiar girl, then so fucking be it. They soon reached the Slytherin common room, where he discarded her on the rug, adjacent to the fireplace.
Hermione instantly relaxed, shuffling slightly to accentuate the heat from the emerald flames. "Now answer me" Tom's apathetic voice cut through the silence. The room was void, empty of human life other than the pair. Tom had ensured nobody would interrupt his interrogation by using the imperturbable charm. How could somebody be so inhospitable and partial at the same time.
Hermione's voice was hoarse as she croaked "Suck my fucking dick Riddle". She did not waver as she stood up, glaring at tom as she closed the distance between them. Although her knees felt like buckling, she rose to her full height, fists clenched at her sides. Tom almost laughed at the spectacle, nobody had ever spoken to him this way. If anybody had mustered the courage to dispute with him at the muggle orphanage where he was raised, it would end with them in the infirmary. That image followed him to Hogwarts. This girl was either naïve or had a death wish, Tom could not decipher which. "I have no need to lie to you Tom, is curiosity a valid motive to murder someone over?"
Tom grimaced at her words. "I did not try to murder you"
"'I did not try to murder you' my arse, I have my own interests in that book. What does it bother you?" Hermione prodded, articulating her words carefully although on the outside it might have seemed like she was spurting out anything that surfaced the forefront of her mind.
"You seem to keep forgetting the duty I have to this school, that book is highly confidential and prohibited to the likes of you. Why were you asking him about me?" Hermione scoffed, wanting to praise him for the efficient liar he was.
"Wouldn't you like to know, cant a girl have a harmless crush? I know your not very familiar with the opposite sex Riddle, but you could've asked nicely rather than kidnap me to some random cliff". Hermione felt sick uttering those words to his face but it had flustered him enough to be able to seize the book from his possession and hurriedly flee to her dorm room, slamming the door behind her, placing a multitude of locking charms and sliding her back down the wood until she sat with her knees raised to her chest. What the fuck had just happened. It was utterly inexplicable if anyone had asked. She fell asleep that night, huddled in a mess upon the floor next to her door.
Hermione refused to concede to the events of last night, classing it as some bad bad dream until her potions partner turned up to lessons 20 minutes late and littered in bruises and cuts. As he staggered into the room and lurched at the desk table, he chuckled to himself. Hermione felt an immense amount of dread and guilt at the state of Notts image. She knew it was her fault, the visage of lies to cover her self had resulted in this boy being brutally beaten. "What happened? are you okay?" Hermione attempted to touch his face but was swatted away by his hand.
"Leave it, I'm fine" Although his words came out harsh, he softened the blow with a quaint smile that only lifted one side of his mouth. They spent the remainder of the lesson in silence, Hermione counted every minute until she was excused, shoving her books into her satchel and rushed to see her enemy.
Frenzied, She headed straight for his room, skipping steps to reach him as fast as possible. She raised her palms and banged against the door. "Let me fucking in Riddle" she pleaded, seething with anger and not making the effort to hide it. After a minute or so waiting and continuously banging, the door swung open, revealing a man wrapped clad in only a towel. He rummaged through his hair with a smaller towel in an attempt to dry it. Hermione did not stare at the spectacle, instead storming in uninvited.
"This is a bit forward Her-" Tom rasped.
Hermione would not allow him to talk. "How fucking could you?”
Tom smirked in response "Nobody knows about my father Miss Granger”
Hermione scoffed in disgust "so you knew he was innocent and still tortured him? how deranged could you possibly be"
"Well, you didn’t let us finish our conversation last night. I hope you’re now aware that you won’t speak of the matter.”
"So torturing him was some fucked up warning for me to not share how foul and crazed you are?”
Tom maintained his calm composure, pulling a white shirt from his closet and threading his arms into the holes. “Class it more as a lesson”
”then your supposed to punish me! not him. I thought he was your friend?"
”How selfless of you but I’d say he was more of a disciple”
Hermione only just took in the room and his undressed state. Almost identical to her own yet completely sucked of life, as if a dementor was its occupant. Tom was probably worse. His room smelt of parchment and dark musk, smoke still spilling from its ashtray. An array of books sat next to the armchair in front of the fireplace. Her eyes betrayed her by dragging themselves up the slither of chest that was still revealed, ogling his sculpted torso. She cut her eyes back up to his face. "why the fuck are you showering now? Its 11am, I thought you would pride yourself in punctuality"
"I had to wash off the blood" Tom chuckled, eager to irk Hermione, content when she grimaced.
“You’re disgusting”
”I know your little story was a lie last night. Now tell me what your agenda is. Our needs could align” He continued dressing, paying no heed to Hermione whilst he buttoned up the cotton.
“Oh Tom, you shouldn’t think so lowly of yourself. I’m sure some insane girl would take you”.
He ignored her childish digs. “Why did you take the book?”
”Just some light reading.”
“Last chance Miss Granger” Tom wrapped the tie around his neck and Hermione imagined how satisfying it would be for him to be strangled by it right now.
Hermione considered her options, thinking of all possible outcomes each different answer could have before deciding. “Okay. Well what do you know about splitting your soul?”
Riddle’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know what you mean?”
”I thought you were prized the smartest wizard in our year?”
”The school” Tom corrected her.
“Well then, surely you must know something. It’s a particular interest of mine, I thought you might be of assistance? but I guess I was wrong” Hermione sighed, awaiting his response.
“I might know" Tom adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves.
"ominous"
"The more I decipher about you, the more questions I have".
"Ask away". If Hermione could gain Tom's trust, she assumed it would make her life easier. Being allies wouldn't prove to be too hard, she wasn't the same golden girl anymore. Tom vacated the room into the door on the right hand side of his fireplace, Hermione took that opportunity to subtly look around his room for any remnants of a locket but it was spotless. Clearly not the type to leave things around. When he returned he was fully dressed and in pristine condition, hair styled and motioned to the arm chair, before sitting down himself.
"Where did you come from originally?"
"beaxbuton"
"why did you leave?"
"The curriculum was entirely sexist and did not accommodate my passions". Tom chuckled, her pretence was working.
"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you've come to the wrong place. Hogwarts doesn't exactly welcome teaching on the topic of 'soul splitting' either"
"Next question Riddle" Hermione adjusted into her seat, arms and legs crossed to resemble her impatience.
"Why do you know about my heritage?"
"I like to know who I'm acquainted with?"
"That degree of research seems extensive. Nobody else has concluded to any validating findings on my past."
"I'm not nobody and I have all the time in the world Riddle"
"So it seems, I conducted some research myself and couldn't find a single thing about you. In fact, Hermione Granger you don't even exist" Tom rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, hands clasped in front of his face.
"Are you admitting to being insufficient Tom?"
"How did you find my father?"
"Well unlike your pure blooded associates, I don't have a superiority mindset which led me to look at muggle records. Thomas Riddle senior, resides with his parents, your grandparents, at the Riddle estate. Very wealthy." Hermione watched Tom's hands tighten out of anger, she was hitting a nerve. She hadn't realised the effect her knowledge would have later.
"What interests you about soul splitting?" Tom asked.
"immortality" Toms throat bobbed, staring attentively at Hermione. This couldn't be a fucking coincidence, yet there was no possible solution for her knowing. He hadn't told anybody the extent of his plans, left no fucking clues other than that book and since he had watched her the previous night withdraw that book, he knew she hadn't had the time to piece the puzzle of his name together. Hermione continued "Have you never wondered about the power that comes with immortality? Escaping death? As a little girl, my favourite story was 'the tale of the three brothers'. I was fascinated by the cape, I even put it on my list every Christmas, but then I thought...I don't want to disappear from the world, constantly living in the shadows. Hiding. No, I want to roam freely. Tormenting death with my youth and freedom. That's when I came across the book on horcruxes. Does that answer all your questions?"
Hermione did not take her eyes off of tom as he contemplated her words, hoping her sadistic scenario was enough for him to believe. Opening herself up to him, a vulnerable and inhumane side, even if it was fake, could tempt Tom into trusting her. Pushing him to reveal his own agenda.
"It seems you have it all sorted, you don't need my assistance?" Of course it wasn't that fucking easy. Tom would not reveal his motives so easily.
"Maybe" Hermione leaned forward in her seat, maintaining eye contact with Tom. "but then I thought. What would happen if you embedded your soul into multiple objects, say five. Just to be on the safe side?". Tom's eyes flashed with curiosity, clearly uncomfortable with how niche yet unoriginal to him this idea was. Hermione remembered Harry mentioning how he pried a masked memory off of Professor Slughorn last year, this exact question. It hadn't made much sense to her at the time, when she planned on doing some extra reading, things went tits up like it always seemed to, due to Ron's brush with death after drinking Slughorn's mead. Hermione was completely unaware, prior to today, that the name for splitting souls into objects, was in fact 'Horcuxes'.
"And? What did you find?" Bingo. Tom Riddle, had bitten her bait.
"Nothing, that's what I was asking you." Hermione replied, extremely calm and humble.
"I don't deal in dark magic"
"I thought we agreed not to lie Tom. That stunt you pulled yesterday definitely tiptoed on dark, I never spotted a spell on voids in the spec"
"Gods, you really are a fucking nerd. What do you want from me?"
"I've only just become acquainted with Professor Slughorn but I heard that he could know more about dark artifacts. What do you say, you go ask him for me. I fear he'll shut up like a clam around me. He would trust a star student such as yourself, he'd never expect you to use the information" Hermione prodded carefully. She knew he would do it. Does do it even. His own self conflicting interest in the topic would influence him.
"You expect me to do your bidding" He scoffed in pure amazement at the boldness of the girl sat far too comfortably in his chair. "I don't know what you take me for Miss Granger, but you should revise your view."
"Okay. Forget I ever mentioned this". She knew he couldn't report her to any teachers, it would just draw attention to his own plan. He would have to keep her/his secret. She made an attempt to stand and leave.
"And what would I get in return?" She halted.
"Immortality of course?"
"Why would you assume I want that?" Tom pressed, eager to hear Hermione's reasoning.
"Because we're the same. Both tainted by this world." She departed Tom's room, rather hopeful for the first time. Some actual progress. She had laid the foundations of her plan, all she needed was for tom to step in. A genuine smile coated Hermione's features, breakthrough.
Tom sat at his chair, pondering their whole conversation. Had this girl come from the heavens, made just for him? No, more like the pits of hell.