Braving the Past

Chapter 18: Keeping Hermione...Company

"Professor, is there a way to take Hermione back to her time?" Tom asked Dumbledore the next day after his Transfiguration class.

"I'm afraid I'm not the person to be asking, Tom," the old wizard replied. "Miss Granger is the only one who knows what a time-turner is and does. Being from her time has allowed more research into such artifacts that we have not yet discovered."

"But what about something else?" Tom pushed. "Is there anything now that could reverse whatever spell she used?"

"I'm not sure what else you expect. We are not terribly advanced these days; there isn't even a Wolfsbane potion yet."

Tom was about to ask more about the Wolfsbane potion, but forced himself to stay on task.

"So there's nothing you can do, then," he said, crestfallen.

Dumbledore bowed his head sadly. "I'm sorry."

Without so much as a goodbye, Tom swept from the room. He was late for his next class, but he didn't care; the teachers all loved him.

Hermione had ignored him in both the classes they had together that day, and it drove Tom mad. Yes, perhaps he hadn't acted the way he should have last night. But how was he supposed to know she would freak out the way she had? She was the one who wouldn't tell him anything, so Tom kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't his fault.

And since when did he feel guilty about anything? Tom had quite literally ruined countless others' lives and didn't feel even the slightest ounce of remorse. He wondered how many times he'd ask himself what made Hermione Granger so different.

All throughout Charms, Tom stared at the piles of books littering the room, his mind running rabid. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't want Hermione to leave. It was selfish, he knew, but if she left, who would that leave for him? She was the only person he ever even slightly cared about; the only one who made him feel human. He couldn't let something like that go.

Even if she wanted to leave, Tom couldn't let her. He would have to find a way to convince her to stay. And if that didn't work, he had to get her time-turner.

But how could he do that without her knowing? The girl wore it everywhere. She may take it off while showering, but since he'd used alohamora to walk in while she had been that first time, she'd been using more complex charms to keep him out.

Not that he'd been trying of course...

Perhaps if he had the help of his knights, he wouldn't have to go to any difficult lengths to keep her in his time.

After several days of planning and ordering his knights not to question him or his motives, Tom finally had them...keeping Hermione company, you could say. Perhaps if she had a more vast variety of friends at her disposal, she would decide she liked being here better than in 1998.

It wasn't difficult to find Hermione studying in the library. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone, but he wouldn't let Boot interfere with his plans.

"What do you want, Riddle?" Hermione asked without looking up. Jonathan Boot looked up from his notes surprised, then proceeded to glare daggers at Tom.

"I merely came to tell your little study buddy that his Gryffindor friend is currently crying over some boy and requested he come straight to her aid."

Boot's eyes narrowed. "Why would any of my friends tell this to you of all people?"

"I happened to walk by and hear her sobbing in the girl's bathroom and offered her my assistance as Head Boy," Tom said smugly. "She's on the second floor, in case you were wondering."