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Hermione P.O.V

I ran up the path back to the School as fast as I could, I could feel a stitch cramping in my side but I couldn't stop. I had to keep running. I sped ahead, my hair coming out of its braid entirely by the time I reached the Great Hall. I bolted through the door and almost collided with someone.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." I didn't even pause to look back at who it was.

"Hermione, stop!" I turned back, Shalini was standing there alone in the Great Hall staring at me like I was a mad person. I froze, momentarily forgetting what I was doing. I hadn't spoken to her in days since i had a go at her the other night.

"What are you doing? Trying to spy on me?" I accused. She ignored me entirely.

"Where the hell are you going?" She demanded. Her dark eyes narrowed.

"What's it to you?" I snapped. I didn't exactly have time to resolve a broken friendship right now, I was in grave danger. This conversation could wait.

"Are you running from Tom? Because that's really not-"

"What?" I said venomously. "That's not really what? You want to go and tell him what I'm doing? Go on, I don't really care anymore. Do whatever you fucking like."

I turned and ran away from her. I raced up staircases until they all seemed to blur. Soon Shalini wasn't the only one staring at me like I was a mad person, the students in the school were staring at me weirdly. What the hell was I doing? Classes were on and I was just out here running around like I was being hounded right now. I was being stupid. It would take Tom no time at all to see that i wasn't with him, but he wasn't running after me right now was he? Fear started to cloud my senses, I had to get away from everyone. I had to go somewhere where I knew I could be safe. I walked past a random hall and saw a Professor Dumbledore through the window teaching.

He isn't able to help you right now, idiot. My mind was buzzing. It was like all of my thoughts were crashing like unrelenting waves in my head, the type of waves that belong in rough seas. I decided that I had to immediately get to a place where I could be alone and calm down and think. The Slytherin common room was a no go. People that were naturally rude and angry made me subconsciously panic.

When would Tom realise that I was gone? How much time did I have left before I'd have to face up to him? He'd be beyond pissed that I'd run off. To Tom, defiance was one of the greatest forms of disrespect. I was an idiot for chancing my own life and running away like I had. What was I thinking? Tom was a maniac. He didn't exactly have a great understanding of right and wrong, either.

I realised then that I couldn't hide from him. It was stupid. I'd have to go to the Slytherin Common Room eventually, I couldn't run away from my reality forever. The Time Turner was beating against my chest, unlike my own heart beat it was steady and reassuring. It was my only connection to the past. I took a deep breath and started walking back down to the Great Hall.

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Tom Riddle P.O.V

I knew what Hermione was going to do before she did it. I knew she was going to defy me, and run away back to the school. It wouldn't have made sense after everything I'd done to trouble her, that she'd want to be in my presence for even a single moment. I wanted to test her, to see what she'd decide. Unfortunately for her she'd decided to run. She'd made the wrong choice.

"Tom, would you like a refreshment, dear?" It was Madam Rosmerta the landlady who owned the 3 Broomsticks.

"No, thank you." I answered politely. "I appreciate the offer, though." The woman blushed scarlet, walking away from my table with her head low. I swear everytime I came to this damn shop that blonde bimbo always tried to chat me up. Women I thought irritably.

I sat alone, staring out the window deep in thought. If I didn't have to babysit all of these pathetic Prefects I'd feel better. My usual hangout was the Hog's Head. At least people left me alone. It was an underrated place really, the atmosphere was perfect to study and have a drink in without stupid people annoying the fuck out of me. I considered Hermione, that girl was driving me insane. I couldn't believe she ran off. Did she have any idea of the danger she was putting herself in? It wasn't just me that was getting fed up with her antics. The boys in our House were getting annoyed at her as well. She was throwing me out of line and the impact was causing me to vent my frustrations out at others. She clearly wasn't aware of that.

I stood, walking toward the door. I wanted to sort this shit out as soon as possible. I reached out and just as I had locked my hand around the door handle I heard a ridiculously girly voice call my name.

"Leaving already Tom?" Madam Rosmerta was suddenly at my side staring up at me, wearing a shade of lipstick she I could've sworn she wasn't wearing before.

"Yes," I said coldly. "Get all the Prefects and tell them we are going back to the school." I turned to her, holding her eyes captive by my intense gaze. "Can you do that for me?"

"Y-yes." She tripped over her words as I flashed her a disarming smile. "I'll do it now..."

"Perfect." I turned and walked out onto the small cobblestone street. It was getting cold. The sooner I got back to the castle the better. It didn't take me long to go back, I knew all the shortcuts out of this demented town. I ended up back in the castle through a shortcut beneath the Hogs Head emerging out into the desolate hall outside the Slytherin Common Room. I adjusted my tie. Now it was time to sort out a problem. Hermione.

Hermione P.O.V

I wandered down to the Great Hall feeling my heart beating manically inside my chest. My stomach was in knots and I felt like I was going to be sick. What was Tom going to do to me? I didn't want to think about it, because I would only worry more. I kept walking, the students around me became a blur as I kept my focus ahead of me. The Prefects should be back soon. I waited in the Great Hall alone, waiting. And then suddenly they entered through the main door, talking amongst themselves and laughing. Where was Tom? He wasn't with them. Not a good sign.

I watched as they all walked in and out of the Great Hall, feeling worse by the second.

"Hey, Hermione." The Ravenclaw Prefect who I still didn't know the name of came up to me, a worried look on her face. "What happened to you? Have you seen Tom?"

"No." I licked my dry lips. "I haven't seen him. When did he leave you guys?"

"About 10 minutes ago. Madam Rosmerta told us all to hurry up and get back to the School. No one knows where he is."

"Oh." I said. "Great."

"Hey, don't worry. He probably won't be as angry as you think." The girl said unhelpfully. "You know what they say right? We always tend to over dramatise bad situations, and make them seem more terrible in our heads. And then when the situation actually happens we realise it wasn't as bad as we thought."

I stared at her, wondering if she was joking or not. Her face was dead serious.

"I don't know. I guess..." I said, starting to get annoyed. "I think in this situation I'm not over dramatising anything."

"That's right." Tom Riddle said from behind me, "You are correct, Hermione. Quite rare for you to show a sign of intelligence, you pathetic little fool. Did you really think you could run away from me? Tsk tsk tsk." He clicked his tongue. "What a bad little troublemaker you turned out to be. And you" He looked daggers at the Ravenclaw Prefect, "are an imbecile. You nearly made me laugh with that stupid little speech. It's apparent that clearly you do not know of me at all."

My mind was frozen. I couldn't speak, I couldn't say anything. I couldn't hear clearly as Tom told her to leave, and couldn't protest as she ran away. She didn't even have any courage to stay behind with me. So much for looking out for me. Tears sparked in my eyes, I blinked them back. Did she end up telling Tom I had run away too? I watched helplessly as she took off out of the Great Hall away from the both of us leaving me in Tom's clutches.

"Now." Tom said lightly, jabbing me in the chest with his wand. "You are going to find out what happens to problematic little troublemakers who think they can disrespect me and get away with it."

He reached out a hand and gripped my arm. I couldn't even move let alone think, and before I knew it, several Slytherin boys surrounded me seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Tall and just as menacing as Tom, they circled us. Tom shoved me forward.

"Walk." He ordered.

I stumbled forward, the guys around me all driving me ahead, occasionally shoving me if I slowed my pace. I tried to catch their eye but none of them looked at me. I didn't recognise any of them, they all looked unfamiliar and emotionless. We walked up and out of the Great Hall, past several teachers and several groups of students, Tom following along behind us without a word. The teachers didn't seem to notice anything strange and the students merely looked at me and looked away again, as if they would get the same treatment as me if Tom saw them.

I was smaller than all of the guys, their height easily shrouded me from view. We kept walking. I had no idea where we were going, but as we got to a familiar hall I began to get an inkling of what could potentially happen and I began to panic.

"Hold her." Tom ordered. Two Slytherins held my arms in a vice, I struggled against them but I couldn't get away. No one was in the hall. I didn't know why, it wasn't as if this Hall was out of bounds. And then I saw it. Slytherins standing guard on each side of the hall, preventing anyone from walking in and seeing us.

"Scared?" One of the Slytherins said in my ear. "You should be. We're about to fuck you up."

My blood ran cold, and through my scattered vision I could see Tom walking to the front of us toward the wall, running a pale long fingered hand against it lightly. He avoided my eyes, his head bowed in deep thought as he paced the entrance to the Room Of Requirement several times.

I tried to scream for help but Tom turned and slashed his wand through the air silencing me at once. I couldn't even cry, I could only stand there held captive at these psychos mercy.

"Shut the fuck up you whining little bitch." One of the boys growled in my ear.

"She won't be running her mouth after we're through with her." Another one said from behind me. "We're going to be putting that mouth to a a different use."

I could only stand there numbly as the guys all told me explicit things they were going to do to me. I was having trouble breathing. I blacked out and then woke up on the floor.

"Didn't I say she was a weak little thing?" I could hear Tom saying from above me. He kicked me in the ribs. "Wake the fuck up." I could feel his arms around me lifting me off the ground. Two guys behind me grabbed me and held me still as Tom gripped my face in one cold hand.

"Look at me." He said coldly. My eyes locked with his. I couldn't see any emotion in them at all, only darkness and hate.

"You're going to be conscious for this. I won't have you passing out. This is your lesson after all."

He let go of my face, I could still feel where his nails had dug in. I watched defeated and lightheaded as he walked over toward the wall.

"Excellent." Tom said quietly from in front of us. "The perfect room for it, too. This should be fun."

In front of us, a beaten down looking door emerged in the wall. It looked extremely weathered, like a piece of shipwreck found on a beach. Whatever was inside it I had no idea, but I wasn't getting good vibes.

"She looks adorable when she's scared." Tom glanced at me with a malicious smirk on his face, his boys snickering from all sides. He opened the door revealing a large, empty room with no windows and a bed.

"You can't escape me now, it's just us."

He snaked his arm around my waist speaking down to me in low tone. He sounded more dangerous than he had ever sounded before and in that moment I wished I could be in the present more than ever.

"No one is going to rescue you this time. It's just me and you for the next few hours, and then I am going to leave you to the mercy of my friends. I don't think they will be as kind to you as I have been. Have you heard the things they've been saying about you since you've come to this School? Have you heard the filthy things they've said?"

He stepped back, better to see my face. His eyes locked onto mine, dancing with amusement and callous intention. "Probably not. But either way, you're going to find out for yourself. Bring her in." Tom stepped back as the boys shoved me through the door. The last thing I saw was Jade standing guard down the far end of the hall, crying silently.