Breaking Hermione

The Dementor's Kiss

"He's seen me." I stumbled away from the window in fear. "I saw him, he was at the bottom of the tower."

Isabella rushed over to the window, staring down to the exact place I had seen Tom Riddle standing staring up at me moments earlier.

"He's gone. I'll bet you anything he's coming for you." She turned, placing a hand over her forehead she began to pace around the Ravenclaw Common Room restlessly. "What the hell did you do for Tom Riddle to be chasing you?"

"Exist, I think." I said bitterly.

Pandora looked at me, her pale eyes were troubled. "Normally he gets like that when someone has pissed him off. I've seen it before. Once a Slytherin girl insulted him, and then she was critically ill in the Hospital Wing the next day. We all thought she was going to die."

"That doesn't really help you know." I snapped. Fear was clouding my mind, I couldn't really think straight and Pandora rattling on about a girl Tom nearly killed wasn't helping at all. I stopped walking around. Damn. I was being an asshole without even really meaning to.

"Look, I'm sorry." I told her with sincerity. "Riddle has been harassing me ever since I came to this school. I'm exhausted, and I'm afraid - and I don't know what to do."

"I'm not blaming you." Pandora said with understanding. "It's not a situation anyone would want to be in."

I smiled half heartedly.

"You could hide in one the dorms momentarily-" Isabella suggested but Pandora cut her off.

"That won't work." She objected. "The dorms know when a student is sneaking in from a different House. There's a repelling jinx of some sort on every dorm in this school."

"Yeah I know that," Isabella snapped, "But our Common Room let her-"

"I know. But that's only the Common Room. Besides, the only thing you need is intelligence to get through that door of ours. That's pretty much the only defence Ravenclaw tower has. To be honest there's nothing actually stopping him from getting to her is there. Isn't he practically a mastermind?"

There was a silence. As much as we hated to admit it, Pandora was right- Tom was just as dangerous as he was a mastermind. He could get in here easily.

I stepped back, my heart was racing. We were wasting time. "Ok look. What I really should be doing is getting out of here." I made for the door but Pandora blocked my path.

"Move," I said angrily. "I've got to go before he-"

"Stop! Someone is already outside!" She said over me. "See?"

I froze. Sure enough, there was no mistaking the musical voice of the enchanted knocker through the door.

"Until I am measured, I am not known.

Yet how you miss me, when I have flown.

What am I?"

"The answer is time." My whole body went cold. I could tell that impatient male voice from anywhere.

"You may go in."

In horror we watched as the large ornate door swung open to reveal the fearful sight of Tom Riddle, his dark eyes positively burning with anger. He stepped inside the Common Room, his tall lean figure obscuring the door which he closed firmly behind him. Seeing us all, he clenched his jaw.

"Get the hell out, Riddle." Isabella protested. "This is the Ravenclaw Common Room! You know you're not supposed to-"

She fell silent at once as Tom Riddle turned to us placing a single finger to his lips. I noticed his dark eyes had turned a shade darker. "Be quiet," His tone was quiet but commanding, Isabella seemed to hear the danger lurking in his voice and became silent at once. "I'm not here for you, I'm here for your disobedient little friend." He approached us with the easy manner of someone who knew he had all the control of the situation. He was so tall, all of us had to look up at him, and he only had eyes for me.