Falling apart. [Tomione]

2.

In the common room, lots of boys and girls from the seventh year were sitting around the fire, talking about the new lessons and what they did during the holidays.
Hermione was just reading a book, not really caring about what they were saying. Same for Riddle.
It was like they were doing a challenge, who went in the most expensive place wins.
If these were the best Slytherin's conversations, it would be a long year.
"I wouldn't hope for a better house."
A girl said.
"Yeah, Slytherin is the best. The reason why here there are just pure bloods."
Hermione glanced at Tom, he was still reading but she knew he was listening.
She understood him a little, being around people with pure blood and being the only one who hadn't.
"I'm a muggle born."
Her voice filled the room.
Silence.
Even Riddle stopped to read to look at her.
No one dared to say a thing. Someone looked at Tom, hoping he would says something rude against her.
Nothing.
"Well, there's a first time for everyone, I suppose."
Abraxas talked.
Really? Malfoy?
The member of one of the most powerful pureblood families in the wizard world didn't say anything against her.
"Yeah."
Someone mumbled.
She smiled at him, mentally thanking him. He did the same.
He was so different from Lucius and Draco.
Tom was still looking at her.
Curious.
She had the courage to admit in front lots of Slytherin her true blood status, without a hesitation. Lucky for her, Abraxas said something or she wouldn't have had a good year in the house.
In few minutes, everyone went to sleep, except for Abraxas, Hermione and Tom.
"Can I ask what you two are reading since we arrived here, mmh... Two hours ago?"
The blonde boy asked.
"Hogwarts: a history."
They both said in unison without removing their eyes from the books.
Malfoy blinked, while both looked at each other.
"Weirdos."
Abraxas said, making her giggle.
"Said the one who has white hair, and you're just seventeen."
"Hey! They're blond!"
"Yeah yeah, right."
"You two know that I'm the head boy and if you don't shut up I'm gonna send you to your beds? Plus, it's midnight, you should already be in your beds by your own."
Tom said, still reading the book.
"Remind me why you become the head boy."
Abraxas had a bored face.
"'Cause I've the highest marks of the entire school and everyone loves me."
Hermione bursted to laugh.
"Everyone loves you, okay!"
She made the blond one laugh too.
"God, I like you so much."
Malfoy said, still laughing, looking at Riddle's face.
"At least, my old school didn't send me away to another one."
Tom smirked.
"At least, I can laugh or properly smile."
"Oooh!"
Abraxas said still laughing.
Yes, she was joking on the future Dark Lord, no, she wasn't afraid. He was seventeen, he couldn't be as strong as he was in the future. He was stronger than the other students, for sure, but so was she.
"Shut up Malfoy! And you, if you'd like to enjoy your year here, I suggest to close your mouth while you're still in time."
Rude.
"C'mon Tom, Don't be so pissed just because she didn't fall at your feet."
"And why should I?"
"Mr. Riddle, here, is very popular among girls in the school. Me too but, not like him. You don't like him?"
He asked in front of him without any problems.
"I've seen better, but hey! Point of views." She stands up. "Well, I go to sleep, I'm a bit tired. Goodnight Abraxas... Riddle. See you two tomorrow."
"Goodnight!"
The blonde one said.
Both boys remained: in silence until she entered in the girl's dormitory.
Abraxas looked at him, very worried for the girl, but he knew Tom. Like he said, she was different from the others and maybe he would find her interesting and he wouldn't hurt her.
"I'm gonna kill her."
Yeah, right. The last famous words.

Hermione sighed watching the dawn from the window.
She couldn't sleep. She wasn't use to the peaceful and the calm. She used to stay awake during the night, in case of attack, breathing the anxious air around. In this time, even if there was a war in the muggle's world and Grindelwald was trying to conquer the wizard's world, she felt safer. The dark wasn't a bad place anymore.
She looked at the other beds around hers where her roommates were sleeping. They didn't dare to talk to her since she said she was a muggle born. It was like a big déjàvu, a new school where she didn't know anyone, all the girls that didn't talk to her without any good reason and two boys who became friends with her, well, at least Abraxas. Not Riddle.
Never Riddle.
She wass use to it anyway.
She dressed up, not able to fall asleep again, and went in the common room, reading a book while waiting for the lessons to start.
Hermione looked around. Funny how it was the same Hogwarts but it wasn't too. She could smell something different in the air, something new to her.
The front door opened and reveled Riddle and Malfoy in top tanks and shorts, sweating.
"Good morning, darling. How come you up this early?"
"Good morning Abraxas... Riddle... I couldn't sleep. What about you two?"
The blond one sat near her, while Tom in an armchair in front of them.
"We went for a run."
Riddle liked sports? Really?
She always thought of him as a boy with no friends, always inside a library, studying everything about dark arts.
Well, she always thought he wasn't handsome or that he didn't have girls around him.
Now that his arms and legs were uncover, she noticed some muscles.
"Ready for your first day of lessons?"
"Can't wait for it."
She smiled widely.
Tom was looking at her, she could sense it.
"What about you,Tom? Ready for your last first day of school."
He looked away.
"Mh."
"Well, this was.... Exhaustive. Thank you for sharing your thought with us."
Abraxas giggled.
"You still don't understand, Granger, that I don't care talking to you."
She put her hands up, in front of her, then looked at Malfoy.
"Wow, you choose a really good friend."
He laughed.
"I know, right? The best and the funniest in the world."
He ignored them and stood up.
"I'll go to prepare myself for today."
"I'm coming too."
The blond one said.
"You don't come, Granger?"
Riddle said smirking.
It could be a nice thing to ask, in a sort way, if it wasn't that she was already ready.
"Fuck off, Riddle."

The day went good. Hermione studied everything last year, in the Hogwarts of her time. Her Hogwarts.
And she was pretty sure, now, Riddle understood from the first lesson that she wasn't like the other girls in the school. She was like him.
She liked to learn for the pleasure to learn and find something new.
In a potion she tried to find thousand of new possibility to use it.
Like him.
And Slughorn noticed it too, complimenting her from time to time and, so, receiving a lot of curious look from everyone.
No one dared to talk to her, after all, she was a mudblood. No one except for Malfoy and Riddle. The last people she would expect to do it.
She sighed, not even bothering to listen Slughorn's speech. He was so happy, every potion he explained it was the greatest potion ever in his mind. Sure, magic was wonderful but in everything there are good and bad things, nothing is perfect.
She missed Snape, he hated teaching potions but, he was realistic.
"Granger.... Granger?"
The voice of Malfoy woke her from her thought.
"What?"
"The lesson is over, let's go."
"Oh...yeah, I was just thinking about a potion."
"Isn't that fantastic? Thinking about a new potion while listening to a potion's lesson? You, ma' lady, have potential!"
The voice of Slughorn filled the room.
She went out of the room with Abraxas.
"So... A new potion, uh?"
She giggled.
"Yeah, obviously."
He kept looking at her waiting. What? She didn't know exactly. It was strange thinking that a Malfoy was somehow.. Kind? Caring for her thoughts?
It was definitely new to her.
"I was just thinking at my old school, my potion's teacher."
"What about him?"
"Nothing in particular, just... He was so different from Slughorn. Maybe a little rude, but he knew exactly what he was doing."
"Yeah, Slughorn can be... Weird, sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
She asked giggling.
"Okay, everytime he opens his mouth."
They both laughed while they arrived to the the Slytherin's table.
"Where were you two?"
Tom asked with a suspicious look.
"Jealous Tom?"
Abraxas asked smirking. Tom snorted a little.
Hermione hided her smile from his eyes. She didn't know that Riddle and Malfoy were so close. She always thought they were all his servants, seeing Lucius Malfoy around him. It was strange to her thinking about a Voldemort with a friend, a real friend who didn't fear him.
'He is the exception.'
She thought, looking at the faces of the others slytherins while they met his eyes, and the curiosity to know the why was killing her.