Breaking Hermione

Low Life

Tom waited for my reaction. After about three minutes of trying very hard to maintain my composture it appeared he lost his.

"Well?" He said quietly. "Have I finally managed to crawl back into your good graces?" I looked at him to find him already staring at me, his eyes locked on mine.

"I don't know what you wrote about me." I said, choosing my words very carefully. "But even if I did, it doesn't matter. Because I don't like you. Repeatedly hurting someone and apologising each time afterwards just goes to show that you have absolutely no emotional tact whatsoever."

"I am sure, if you bothered to read what I had written, your thoughts would change." Tom said easily. "Aren't you at least curious about what I had to write about you?"

He withdrew a leather bound diary from his cloak, a very old book secured by a golden lock. It didn't matter what time I was in, seeing Tom with any sort of diary was enough to send a thrill of fear through me.

"Take it." He held it out to me like an offering, yet I made no attempt to take it from him.

"Keep your damn book." I snapped. "You're not listening to me."

"Oh, but I am." Tom said, smiling widely. "Have you stopped to consider what I think about this? I'm saying that you are wrong. You think that I am detrimental to your emotions, yet have you considered that all the while you deny mine?"

"You have no emotion." I said coldly. "So what was there to deny in the first place? Now, if you know what's good for you, you'd leave me alone."

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"You should know by now that I don't want what is good for me." He told me, and there was no remorse or hesitancy in his tone. Even his demeanor was relaxed, the darkness emanating from him had more than a home within him. It was as if it seeped from his every pore. "I wrote what I love about you." He said, a little offhandedly as though even showing his feelings was difficult.

"How nice." I said, tone dripping indifference. "That still doesn't change my mind. You can desire whatever you like - Just as long as it isn't me."

"I don't desire you. I need you. Soon you'll see things my way, and we will finally be together. As we are meant to be. All you need to do is say the words."

Now it was my turn to laugh.

"If you think that I'm ever-" 

But I was cut off mid sentence.

"Excuse me. Are you Tom Riddle?"

We both turned to see a pretty Gryffindor girl standing a mere foot apart from us looking at Tom with a strange look of admiration and disconcertment.

"Yes." Tom answered bluntly. "What have you come to tell me?"

Tom Riddle was not the type of man you interrupt, it didn't matter who you were.

"There's a fight in the Slytherin common room." The girl looked as if she felt bad for telling Tom, and I really couldn't blame her.

Shock. Anger.

The emotions flickered across Tom's face so quickly I was afraid if I blinked I would miss something.

"Who is fighting?"

"I don't know. I just was told to tell you."

"By who?"

"Xavier Malfoy."

"Very well." Tom said, with a distinct air of finality. "You may go."

The girl ran off, the sound of her receding footfalls echoing in the long hall.