Breaking Hermione

Good For You

The trust of the innocent is the liars most useful tool.

- Stephen King

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If you're reading this, I just want to say you're so fucking amazing thank you for all the support you've given me on this book. I love you guys for real. Have a lovely day/night whenever you are ! X

-Rix

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Hermione P.O.V

"Look at me." Before I could so much as blink Tom Riddle's cold hand was under my chin, forcing me to meet his unfathomable stare.

"What are you thinking?" He demanded.

"Why don't you guess." I retorted. "Since you're going about making all these assumptions about me and what I can and can't do, you might as well."

"Grow up." Toms voice got impossibly lower, chilling me to the bone. "You shouldn't need me to prompt you do want to do these things. You should already have the desire in your heart already."

"But that's the thing," I argued. "To have the want do to those things would mean you'd have to be heartless."

There was a moment where Tom looked too shocked to speak, his face looked surprised and then as sudden as it happened, instantly indifferent again.

"To have a heart is to be weak." He said after a pause.

"That's not really how I see it." I reasoned.

I scooted backwards to put as much distance between me and his intimidating look, but if I thought that was going to help it really didn't. No surprises there.

Out of all the reactions Tom had displayed toward me so far I wasn't expecting him to be amused. And here he was, in my dorm, staring down at me with the most disarming smirk I had ever seen him with yet.

"I've told you that you're going to have to kill so guess what? You're going to have to, and there's no way to escape it this time."

His voice was soft but edged with a distinctive know it all tone. Like he knew me better than I knew myself, and it was starting to piss me off.

"What if I refused?" I snapped.

"If you did," Tom said dangerously. "You wouldn't live to see the next day. This isn't about good versus evil, Hermione. It's about power and those who fear to take possession of it."

He actually reached over and took one of my hands in his own. It took almost all my willpower not to yank it back out of his ice cold grasp.

"You could be extremely powerful." Tom told me. "I myself could train you. There is so much potential in your magical abilities that you are letting go to waste. I don't know if I can just stand back and watch you let it wither away." After what felt like eternity he finally let my hand go.

"Who said I'm letting myself wither away?" I snapped. "It's you that is doing this. Troubling me, driving me insane. Can't you see what it's fucking doing to me?"

I stood up, the burst of adrenaline sparking bringing me to my feet. Tom looked taken aback, but he didn't back down. He stood his ground and I stood mine.

"I'm going fucking insane." I repeated. "You're really upsetting me. And the worst part is that it's like you don't even care."