Taming The Serpent [Tom Riddle/Tomione]

O1. Time-Lapse (Series Pt II)

'Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us everyday. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed.'

White.

For a while, Hermione thought she was dead. She had no control of her body, whatsoever. Her brain commanded her legs to move, but they wouldn't obey; neither would her hands. She felt at peace, all the previous pain was gone.

Just white.

Was this what it was like to be dead?

"Hermione."

Her eyes opened and Hermione found herself taking in a long, deep breath. The peaceful white was long gone and replaced by bright green. The bright green she had missed so dearly. "Harry!"

Loving hugs were shared under the cotton-like clouds, surrounded by the never ending blue that painted the sky. The brown haired girl pulled away, staring astonishingly at her best friend's tender features. "How is this possible? Am I dead Harry?" She looked down at her feet, hovering slightly above the clouds. She had never felt so free. "I failed... I'm sorry."

"No, Hermione." His voice was calm, caring. She searched his face for any sign of disappointment, but found none. "You have yet to try again." His smile widened; she had never felt so confused. Was all this really happening?

"Of course it is happening, Mione." She turned around, instantly running toward the source of the voice. She hugged him tight, wishing to never let go again. The red haired pulled away just slightly, smiling adorably at his long time best friend and lover.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" She questioned with a furrowed eyebrow. "Became a skilled legilimens while I was gone?" A small chuckle escaped her rosy lips.

Ronald shook his head. "Not in a million years."

She returned her gaze to a smiling Harry, walking slowly toward him; each step making a small hole in the puffy clouds, only to recover once her foot left. "What's happening, Harry? I-I don't understand..."

"Hermione, listen..." He placed his calloused hands on her shoulders, staring directly into her brown eyes, as if reaching deep down her soul. "We don't have much time."

Ronald joined his friends, placing his right hand on Hermione's low back. "Grindelwald." The red haired whispered. She stared at him confusingly. "Grin--? What? But Dumbledore defeated him. What about him?"

"Mione," said Harry, earning her attention. "Grindelwald rose to power after murdering Dumbledore in 1945. That's next year for you. Voldemort is no longer a threat-"

"He's not a threat?" She gasped. "That means I didn't fail? I changed him? I changed Tom?"

Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter shared an unsure look. "No, Mione." Said the dark haired boy. "Grindelwald killed Riddle."

The blue and white wasn't so peaceful anymore; now none of it made sense. How could Grindelwald have killed Tom if he had made a Horcrux? Possibly more? She was confused beyond repair.

"He found Riddle's horcruxes. Destroyed them and killed Tom." Ron said, once again attending to her doubts.

"When did that happen?"

"1946."

"In what time are we?" She croaked. "Right now, I mean."

"1944."

She gaped at the two boys. "My present time..." She mumbled. "How are you two here?" They did not answer, simply continued to watch her adoringly, not moving. She felt a strong breeze from all angles, waving her curls around her face. The blue was beginning to fade, the clouds, dispersing. It all looked unreal; the amazing scenario of a pleasant dream.

"This is all happening inside my head... You're not real." She concluded.

Harry smiled warmly. "One wise man once told me that, just because it's all happening inside your head, does not mean it's not real."

"You must stop Grindelwald. Only then you'll be able to come back home, Mione." Said Ronald.

A powerful, almost blinding light surged in front of Hermione's face, causing her to groan and narrow her eyes; she wiggled her arms around trying to find her friends. "Harry? Ron?"

"It's time to go." Harry's voice sounded from afar.

"NO, COME BACK." A loud cry came out of her mouth. "I can't do this without you. HARRY. RON."

Warm tears cascaded down her cheeks; the blinding light was getting stronger and stronger. She forced her eyes closed. "Please come back, " She whispered. "I can't do this..."

"Miss Lockhart, can you hear me?"

The numbness of her body and the pleasant painless moment was long gone. Hermione's eyes began to flutter as groans escaped her mouth. Her brown eyes scanned her surroundings, expecting to find tangled trees among the silent, dark night back at the Forbidden Forest. She was surprised, however, when the serene blue eyes that belonged to Madam Fuchsia Matilda, were the only thing in her eyesight.

"Ah, you're awake at last." The woman smiled before walking around the bed and placing a small bouquet of enchanted roses on the side table. Hermione stared at it in awe. They were magnificent: the dark red was vibrant under the moon light, the smell still fresh. Hermione concluded they were still freshly caught. "The handsome boy asked me to hand it to you. A very lucky girl you are. He's quite the charming man."

It didn't take her too long to comprehend Tom Riddle was the charming man the matron was talking about. She wondered why he had done such a beautiful and kind act. How she ended up at the Hospital Wing. Had he taken her? Saved her from the dangers lurking in the forest?

"He always makes sure, to give you new ones."

She furrowed her eyebrows, feeling slightly confused. "For how long have I been here?"

No matter how many times Hermione had found herself in life threatening situations, evil presences, and battles. No matter how many times Hermione had tried to remain calm and focused, because she was simply the 'brain' of the group. Nothing had prepared her for what she was about to hear.

"You arrived here in a terrible, terrible condition. We all feared you wouldn't last a night... Thankfully, the wound had been treated beforehand, though it wasn't enough and you fell into a coma.

"You've been sleeping for almost a year, my dear."