Breaking Hermione

Talk To Me

I woke up struggling against something. Or someone.

"Hermione." A voice said clearly. "Stop."

I didn't stop at first, but relented after my wrist started burning with pain. There was something cold over my arms pinning me down. I opened my eyes to the sight of Tom Riddle leaning over me, his hands forcing mine by my side. I froze meeting his gaze, his own eyes flashing a dangerous obsidian. "Calm down." He said softly. "You could hurt yourself." He let go of me and stepped back, watching me with a sharp look.

"What..." I blinked, looking around. I felt extremely tired. I could've slept for years, my eyelids were extremely heavy. I closed my eyes.

"You've been asleep for three days." Tom said conversationally. "You are certainly a different kind of person when you're sleeping. You were becoming quite restless and kept muttering to yourself. It was getting rather annoying."

Even as he spoke I felt an overwhelming wave of fatigue come over me, Tom's voice becoming progressively further away until it was blurring amidst the line dividing reality from a dream. Light splintered into soft shades of ebony, a colour just as dark as Tom's eyes.

And then suddenly, like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice water over me I snapped back into my conscious mind. I blinked repeatedly to see Tom slip his wand back into the sleeve of his cloak.

"You won't be going back to sleep." He reminded me so much of a fallen angel, tall with a terribly startlingly beauty about him. He sat beside me, making sure to not sit close enough to pain my ankle. "I have.... an assignment for you."

I was too tired to reply. It appeared Tom seemed to understand because he continued talking to me without bothering to wait for a response. I had a bad feeling about this. Either way this was going to go on one of two paths. Good or bad.

"I have waited for an an opportunity to teach you things." He explained. I couldn't help but notice the half of his face that wasn't concealed in shadow was watching me very closely. I kept my expression blank but my mind was racing ahead of me at top speed. I connected the dots without wanting to comprehend my newfound understanding.

He wants to train me in the Dark Arts.

Tom paused, a gesture I could only imagine was deliberate after seeing the look on my face.

"I want you to let yourself be led by me." He said lowly. "I have many things to show you." He said the words slowly as if that was going to somehow lessen the weight of his words. Fear trickled down my spine.

"I'm going to need you to elaborate." I choose my words carefully. Whatever Tom was suggesting to me it sounded like a disaster waiting to happen and I knew I wouldn't forgive myself if I let him lead me by the hand into another mess.

"You are an exceptionally bright witch, Hermione." Ah, so was going to flatter me into this, was he?

"I am only as bright as the knowledge I am given." I told him. Tom watched me as I spoke, the edges of his mouth curling into a half smirk.

"Yes. And that's why you would be the perfect choice for what I am needing you to do." He replied smoothly. His tone was light, friendly, we could've been having a discussion about the damned weather.

"What is it you are needing me to do?" I asked somewhat hesitantly. "Murder someone? Destroy something?"

Tom clenched his jaw, my words obviously affecting him. "I want you to challenge the way you think."

"What?"

It was my turn to become taken off guard. "You want me to change the way I think." I repeated. Tom nodded.