Chapter Text
“You’re not Harry Potter,” the boy says flatly. He’s probably sixteen – seventeen maybe, and quite dashing and handsome, more so than any other student Hermione has seen here at Hogwarts. Not that looks matter per se. She’s merely… surprised; that’s all.
“No, I’m not. Obviously,” she shoots back, appearing a lot more confident on the outside than she actually feels. “My name is Hermione Granger.”
“I see,” he says and asks with a sneer, “So where is the illustrious Mister Potter?”
“He couldn’t make it,” she replies simply, crossing her arms. And strictly speaking, that’s no lie. Harry wouldn’t have been able to handle this. He always sees the good in people, even when there is none to be found, such as is the case now, and so that’s why she Stupefied him earlier, just as he was on his way down here, to save him from himself.
Tom Riddle - whoever he may be, won’t fool her quite as easily. Of that, she is pretty certain.
“So Potter sent his… girlfriend instead?” comes the mocking question.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” Hermione says indignantly. “I’m just a friend.”
“Are you, now?” Tom laughs. The sound is hollow and full of malice. “Quite a hero, our Potter, isn’t he? Sending a slip of a girl to do his dirty work. Pray tell, are you supposed to save his little ginger-haired princess too?”
Frowning, Hermione glances down at Ginny, who’s lying unconscious on the floor, clearly under the influence of some stunning spell. Well, she thinks, two can play that game, Mister Riddle.
She gives him a venomous glare and she takes him by surprise, be it only for a moment. He manages to dodge her hex at the very last minute. “Nice try,” he says. “I’m almost impressed.”
And then he hits back with a spell of his own. “Goodnight, Granger,” he whispers and it’s the last thing she’s aware of just before her entire world goes black.
He picks up the diary, and when he leaves the Chamber, he takes Hermione with him too.
She’s a little too young to be of any use to him at present, not to mention a little too honest and righteous, but children grow up so quickly and so long as they’re impressionable, their habits and opinions are easily corrected.
He can’t deny that she has guts and potential, and that she would be an asset to his cause.
Overall, she’ll be much more worth his while than that Weasley girl could ever be; little Ginevra, who is far too insecure, angry and predictable, and whose only merit is her connection to Potter.
He’ll let the supposed hero save that one; let the boy enjoy his fleeting fame and bask in the misguided faith people have in him and his powers - while he still can.
Meanwhile, Tom will focus his attention on Granger instead. She has an amazing magical aura around her, particularly for someone who’s clearly a Muggleborn.
But first she has to see the light…
So for the next five years she will sleep, and he’ll make her dream, and when she wakes up, older and wiser and completely enlightened, she will be his.
In every sense of the word.