Reckless ~ Tomione

The First Signs

Hermione hated Draco Lucius Malfoy so much at that moment. That wizard was absolutely absurd. 

Thanks to a little 'plan' and tweaking of his, she was meeting Riddle in person. Turned out, the boy had more charisma in him than she had given him credit for. Malfoy had used his charm to persuade Riddle to hold his Knights of Walpurgis meeting a day earlier than the usual Saturday midnight.

The Knights were, she supposed, an earlier version of the Death Eaters. They were composed of many Slytherins, all of pureblood and from wealthy families. 

Malfoy had known that she spent every night, save Saturday, due to the meeting, in the Room of Requirement, looking in different books to find an answer to one of the problems she had. Not one contained a solution. Now, thanks to Draco Malfoy, not only was her nightly routine interrupted, but she had to meet Riddle and act as if she wasn't the least bit intimidated by him. 

Hermione had been scanning the rows of literature, when she heard the door creak open. Her head shot up from the titles, frowning when Malfoy's head peaked in. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked, annoyed. In response, Malfoy opened the door wider, so that Hermione was able to see that he was not alone. 

"Tom Riddle," Hermione greeted evenly, drawing herself to herself to her full height from her crouch. "Abraxas Malfoy, Walburga Black."

The sight of Draco and his grandfather next to each other was alarming for Hermione, though she supposed that if one didn't know that they were related, it looked more normal. However, her attention was on the tall girl that stood by them. She was rather bony, with her nose in the air, but she was very obviously the old woman in the portrait at Grimmauld Place. She looked extremely elegant, probably due to her upbringing. 

Walburga sniffed, glaring down at Hermione. Her abnormally long neck gave her an advantage over Hermione.

Step one: fit in.

If they found out that she was a muggle-born, then there was almost no way she would be able to complete her task. She hadn't even planned anything out, which was very unlike her.

"Hermione, could you leave?" Draco said flatly. Hermione knew it was part of the act he had to maintain, but it still hurt a little that he was able to turn off all emotion so easily, and didn't need anyone else while she relied so heavily on her friends.

"Arcturus," a rich voice said. "I believe Miss Greystone was here first, and we are the intruders. Please do not inconvenience yourself for our sake."

Hermione turned  to look at the speaker, who was none other than Tom Riddle himself. He wore a soft smile on his face, his expression kind. She knew it was an act, after having his manipulation recounted to her from many sources, but damn he was good. She detected zero signs that he was faking it, and to add to that, he was incredibly attractive. The stories she had been told mentioned that, but she never imagined that she, too, would be affected.

"Hermione," Draco said, interrupting her thoughts. He nodded to the door. According to social rules, Hermione knew she should leave, but if she were to stay, it would force Riddle and his group to change their plans, as they would have to allow her to stay. However, the witch had no inclination to get on his bad side yet, since he only spoken out of courtesy.

"Very well, I shall leave." She straightened the strap of her bag on her shoulder, and dipped her head at the group. "Good evening."

"Good evening to you too, Miss Arcturus," Tom Riddle replied in a smooth voice that rivalled that of melted chocolate, the smile still on his face.