Breaking Hermione

Rebellion

Hermione P.O.V

When I finally summoned the strength to walk out of the bathroom and back to the Slytherin Common Room I had reached a conclusion. I wasn't going to let Tom win. And I wasn't going to let Daniel die.

Of course, he was already dead. But I had the Time Turner, therefore I had the power to go back in time and reverse the events which would lead to it. I had no choice. I wasn't a murderer. If I had to go back in time just to prove my morals I would do it. Because it didn't matter about what mistakes I made. It mattered if I didn't try to remedy them. And perhaps it was against the nature of time travel to do this, but Dumbledore had let me save Buckbeak. Dumbledore trusted me to save lives of the innocent with the Time Turner before, and having his faith in me was all that I needed to have confidence in my choice.

I walked back to the Slytherin Common Room trying not to think about the fact the body of Daniel Dolohov was probably buried somewhere. I had no idea what Tom had done with him, but my guess was it was more or less obliterated by magical means.

With each step I took, I started to reflect on who I was, and who I wanted to be. This time, I would make Tom realise he had messed with the wrong girl. I had light in my life, something he didn't have. I had the advantage, and as long as I remembered what I had which he didn't have.

But that didn't stop the fear suddenly crashing over me as I opened the door to the Slytherin Common Room to find Tom Riddle standing directly behind it.

"You took your time." He said by way of greeting.

I walked forward quickly, wanting to suddenly put as much distance between the pair of us. I couldn't let him get to me. He was so good at getting under my skin and making me question myself. I had to stay strong. There was too much at stake right now.

"I have found something that might help you." Tom followed me, finally stopping once I turned around.

"Great." I said. "What did you find, then?"

Tom held out his hand. Something glittered in his palm, a tiny vial. "This," He said, "Is for you."

"That doesn't necessarily answer my question." I said irritably. "I'm not taking another potion if I don't know what's inside it."

"Oh would you look at that," Tom said drily, "You finally making sense." He held the tiny bottle in the air. "What's this? This is a potion specifically to eliminate regret."

"I'm not taking it." I said instantly. "Besides. If you were really serious about me becoming like you, I would have thought you'd want me to be painfully aware of my actions. After all, isn't that how you live?"

Tom froze, the potion bottle still in his hand. And without any warning whatsoever he simply opened his palm causing it to fall to the ground.

Smash!

"What the fuck." I leapt back. I didn't know how I'd expect him to act but that sure as hell wasn't it.

"That was your last chance to help yourself." Tom said. "It's gone forever now."

There was no mistaking it, I had angered him. And....I didn't give a damn. I would go back in time and reverse Daniel's death, and my own feelings of worthlessness that my action had given me. No one, not even Tom could take that away from me. Especially not a stupid potion. Even if it masked the regret, it wouldn't stop the pain. This was just another stupid trick.

"Clean it up." Tom said. "It was yours, after all."

I raised an eyebrow. "No it wasn't. It was yours, which I didn't accept. I'm not touching it." I walked away, half expecting to be cursed to death. I reached the stairs to find Tom still standing in the place where I'd left him. The second I got up the stairs I started running like a mad woman. When I reached the door to my dorm I slammed it shut behind me. This was it. I was going to go back in time and sort this shit out once and for all.