A Little Trip Through a Diary / TOMIONE (COMPLETE)

Chapter Four: Integrity and Intellect

'Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery'

_Hermione, Philosopher's Stone_

Charms...

Ginevra, of course, had been treated to Tom sitting right beside her. He proved to be an adept wizard, by far, and he had charmed not only his classmates, but the teacher. Of course, his brilliance was only to be expected, as Lord Voldemort, but it was becoming harder to see the snake-like old man in this handsome, charismatic young man. It seemed only Gryffindor had anything against him, and Hufflepuff when taking sides, for it was Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, and Slytherin and Ravenclaw. 

The professor for Charms was a shrewd man; shrewd and calculating. He didn't bother asking her name, reminding her of Snape with his bitter, cold manner. He simply told them all to practise the non-verbal spells they'd been doing the previous week. It seemed that students were better at non-verbal spells in the '40s than the '90s. Otherwise they wouldn't be doing them a year early. So this was why Tom wanted to be her partner. He wanted to test her. And she'd give him what he had coming to him, if her mood was any indicator.

"Ready, Granger?" Riddle's tone was light, cheerful, but something was swimming in his dark orbs, something she did not like.

"Perfectly," Ginevra answered through clenched teeth, and let fly a series of complex spells. 

He merely stood there, and as she watched, her charms came into contact with a shield so powerful, yet invisible, that she had to fall to the floor to avoid them rebounding and hitting her. 

In fact, they hit this generation's Goyle, the gormless Slytherin, and the fat boy collapsed to the floor, boils already springing up. Ginevra watched as the professor irately waved the snivelling Goyle off to the Hospital Wing in the company of Crabbe and returned to his desk. A hand appeared in her line of vision as she lay uncomfortably on her back, a pale hand, bony and spidery. It sickened her that he already had such a pale pallor without any vestige into Dark magic. Perhaps he had an illness.

"Are you going to take it Granger?" His voice, always exasperated, reached her eyes. "Or are you going to wear my patience down ever thinner?"

Ginevra ignored the hand and pulled herself uncomfortably up, her side feeling bruised from the sudden contact with the floor.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Ginevra said smoothly, brushing down her skirt. 

His gaze was filled with hatred. Whoever had informed her that Riddle was a enigma was definitely right. But he was hiding nothing from her. Maybe he figured he'd met his match and so he wouldn't attempt to deceive her. Like he couldn't deceive Dumbledore. 

"It seems that your fame has preceded you," she added lightly.

"It what way?" Tom snapped. He was clearly worried that his career as a dark lord was accessible knowledge to anyone.

"I'd heard you were a model student," she replied. "I realise that what I heard was true. It would be difficult for me to beat you."

"Impossible, I think, Granger," Tom smirked. "I do not let people simply beat me."

"Maybe you should," Ginevra joked. "Lighten up a bit."

Tom scowled. 

"I think not. Definitely not. Out of the question."

Ginevra blinked. 

"Well, just so that we're clear."

The two didn't speak for the rest of the lesson.