Reckless ~ Tomione

Preparations

Back in the common room, Hermione was approached by Walburga.

"So, how did you do it?"

Hermione gave her a quizzical look. "Do what?"

"Don't play dumb. Who did you persuade to let you join? You must've paid someone to rig the Goblet."

"I did no such thing," Hermione said as she stood up to leave. "Excuse me."

"Greystone." Stupid voice. Stupid, stupid voice that she had to listen to.

"Riddle," she responded, turning around.

"Tom." Walburga's voice suddenly changed. Instead of sounding like an opera singer with a cold, her voice sounded like the smooth strings of a violin. Granted, the strings were very out of tune, but the effort was there. "Were you looking for us?"

"Of course, Miss Black," Riddle responded in a charming voice. "But I was merely searching for the delightful company of a young lady who would go by the name, 'Walburga Black'."

"Why, I'm flattered," Walburga replied, fluttering her eyelashes. She extended her arm. "Shall we?"

"Of course, but first, I must take care of urgent business with Miss Greystone, here, so if you wouldn't mind waiting for me for a few minutes?"

"Of course not." Hermione rolled her eyes at the exchange between the two, one clearly smitten with the other and the other obviously putting up a show for his own reasons.

"Come, Miss Greystone." Although non-threatening, something in his voice suggested that disobeying wasn't an option. She rolled her eyes again.

He led the way out of the common room and down an unused corridor. Riddle then pulled a door open, holding it as Hermione cautiously walked in, entering afterwards and closing the door behind him. He took out his wand and muttered a spell, waving the wand around the doorknob.

"What's this?" Hermione asked.

"How?" Riddle asked. "Champion to Champion, how did you get chosen?"

"I don't know," she said, emphasising her words. Riddle looked at her boredly, with some disbelief in his expression.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, the only way to have gotten chosen was by having your name selected by the Goblet of Fire, was it not?" Hermione suppressed a grin. She was purposely provoking him now to see how long it would be before he was going to try to torture the information out of her.

"Perhaps, but there are always other methods," Riddle contested. "Magic is always subjective."

"So it seems, but I could not have altered the Goblet. Many people watched as Draco and I dropped our names in," Hermione challenged.

Riddle raised an eyebrow, still appearing innocent. If he was anything like the Lord Voldemort of her time, he would be boiling with the rage of not knowing by now, but this was a different time, and going off on the new girl who possibly held information he needed was not the brightest move. He held no power, except as Head Boy, and he knew she wasn't dumb.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Professor Merrythought. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was on patrol, and getting caught in the halls after curfew would result in punishment.

"Quiet," Tom ordered, grabbing Hermione and holding a hand over her mouth. She tried to squirm; touching the future Voldemort was not in her list of things to do that day, but he held her arm tight.

The footsteps got louder, until they paused outside their door. Professor Merrythought jiggled the doorknob and cast an alohamora, but Tom's spell on the door was effective, and after a few moments, the footsteps receded.

Tom slowly released his hold on Hermione.

"I'll be going now," Hermione stated. She got herself up and brushed off, walking to the door. "Good day."

Riddle silently reversed the spell on the door, allowing her to leave without a word.

"Hermione!" A male voice called from down the hall. "Where have you been? I haven't been able to find you since-"

Draco paused. He looked her up and down. The mussed hair, the crooked robes, the slight redness in her face.

"Actually, I don't think I need to know." He looked slightly ill.

"Trust me, I didn't want to be there," Hermione said gloomily.

"That bad?" Draco raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Now I'm wondering who the poor bloke was."

"What? I-" Hermione cut off as she realised what he was talking about. "Draco, no."

"If you say so," he replied, shrugging. "But who were you with? You didn't get this red on your own."

"I was with Tom Riddle if you must know," she huffed. He wiggled his eyebrows. "Not like that."

Draco shrugged again.

"Whatever you say, love."