Breaking Hermione

Bad

Hermione P.O.V

I came to realise that waking up every morning wanting to die was basically the norm now that I was in Slytherin House. Jade and Shalini were down at the other end of the table as far away from me as possible. I didn't blame them, I was rude and the more I thought about it I realised I deserved this. I should've thought before I spoke and offended them. But thinking about it was impossible with the minor distraction of Tom Riddle himself sitting at the table directly opposite me. He had walked down to the Great Hall with me in complete silence, the only kind thing he did was acknowledge my existence by a single filthy look as he sat down to eat.

"Hogwarts food not up to your ridiculous standards?" He looked at my empty plate pointedly. He could've said good morning or literally anything else, but no of course not.

"Hm?"

I took a long pointed drink of pumpkin juice before setting the goblet down firmly on the table.

"Certain things have put me off my appetite." I said coldly. "I'm sure you of all people would understand that."

A few people sitting beside us looked uncomfortable. The thing about talking with Tom was that his behaviour was either completely emotionless and detached or the polar opposite, extremely volatile. I was doing the equivalent of playing with fire. Today, he seemed more mysterious than anything else, playing the part of the brooding bad boy better than ever.

"Certain things." He repeated. His gaze was like an endless black void, I couldn't even tear my eyes away. I could never tell what he was thinking whenever he was looking at me so intensely. Whatever thoughts he was having I was sure they weren't even slightly good.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so pathetic as to avoid breakfast just because I was in a difficult situation." He said arrogantly. "Your body needs strength. The mind needs to be taken care of. Eat."

I thought for a moment about refusing, and then I realised that most of the Slytherin table was staring at me. And then a surge of something went through me. Resistance.

"You're not me," I said stubbornly. "And you will never be."

I hardly dared to breathe. I did it. I was actually standing up to Tom Riddle, a feat much easier said than done. There was something extremely terrifying about him, and the look he gave me right at that exact moment chilled me to my core.

Danger. I had put myself in danger right then and there at the centre of the Slytherin Table at breakfast, and there was absolutely nothing Tom Riddle could do about it. At least not yet, because at that very moment a booming voice sounded from the front of the Great Hall.

"Attention!" Headmaster Dippet announced, standing up to his full height at the staff table. "Today I have a surprise announcement to make."

I looked blearily over at him. Surprises were great at certain moments in life but at this moment I was so exhausted I really didn't want this to happen. I had just kicked the hornets nest by pissing Tom off and breakfast wasn't even finished. Seriously.

"Trips to Hogsmeade Village will be permitted to all Prefects as of today, by way of saying thank you for your hard work during this troubling period of insecurity within the walls of this School. The rest of you who are of age will be able to do so as of next week."

The School exploded in roars of outrage. Shalini and Jade looked pissed off, they weren't Prefects and with a pang I realised neither was I. Great. Hogsmeade would've been a nice distraction from everything.

I glanced at Riddle who appeared smug. He was a Prefect after all, so the offer was exclusive to him.

"Well," I said bitterly. "Looks like your lucky day."