Venenum

Azemiops.

"G-good morning." She replied softly. Perhaps, a little embarrassed by her rash attitudes.

"You look fine." Tom continued, walking around her, a few owls that were present, standing at the highest point of the tower, watching the two of them with interest.

Hermione followed every move Tom made with her gaze, the situation is strangely familiar, she can't help but fear he will do something to her as this is the perfect opportunity, but she can't pick up any aggression coming from him, just this way of him that always seems to be peeking out at her.

"I feel good."

She felt it when he stopped behind her, his breath making the hairs on the back of her neck twitch, her eyes widen and her mouth open to exhale a sigh. She was unable to manage to move away, taken aback by his proximity.

His touch travelled down her arm, stopping just short of the sleeve bar of the robe, in his hand was her wand - Harry's wand - being offered to be taken back.

Slowly, she touches the wand, feeling the wood and putting her fingers around it completely. Without reluctance, he lets her have her wand back. Finally having the wand in hand, she feels safer, feels the flow of magic and how the wand responds to that flow. Nothing is different.

Hermione steps back, putting a little space in so she could watch Tom's face. She frowns a little, wary of how this was too easy, but she can tell by Tom's body language that he doesn't look aggressive, if much he was, he was wearing a slightly confused and amused expression at her behaviour.

Is there still something good about him?

Fascinated, she takes a step forward towards him, her left hand raised in the process. He follows the movement of her hand with his gaze, trying to understand what she was doing. Hesitantly, she reached out her fingers and touched his cheek, his gaze dropping to where he felt the touch. Where once he had pushed her away, now he allowed her to touch him. His gaze returned to her face expectantly as he raised one of his eyebrows.

Hermione placed her hand on his cheek, his skin seemed to be a little cooler than hers to the touch, which was a slight indication that something was wrong for more perceptive people, but there was still warmth there offered by the blood circulating in his body.

Hermione could finally conclude that his paleness was indeed a genetic trait that he inherited from his mother and that was aggravated in the future, making him as white as chalk. The slight dark circles under his eyes didn't make him ugly at first, but it indicated something was wrong for more perceptive people. She looked at the green irises in his eyes, such colour did not belong to his mother, that came from his father. Those eyes, one day they will have blood-red sclerae with slit pupils like a cat's. Her fingers stopped near the base of his nose, where she felt his breath come out softly, this trait would become something striking in the future, where it would become reptilian.

Hermione understood that what she was doing was somehow intimate, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. Her mind raced to process all the mental images she had of Tom: As a baby, as a child, as a teenager and as Voldemort. Even knowing everything, it was hard to believe that all those versions were just one young man.

He was a handsome young man, incredibly handsome and even though this is not the first trait she would look for in a person, she had to give in and admit that somehow, he managed to charm.

Hermione awakens from her musings when she feels his hand grip her wrist, stopping her from continuing her curiosity.

"What are you doing?" He asks.

Yeah, what am I doing? Hermione wonders, blinking as if coming to her senses. She takes a step back, but he holds her wrist, not in a way that hurts her, but not allowing her to go that easy. Tom seems to watch her just as intently, allowing his eyes to travel to her ajar lips.