I walked up the stairs to my dorm, closing the door behind me. Walking over to my bed I sat down feeling more alone than ever before. I reached into my bag and felt around for my study papers. It was nice being the only one in the dorm but my heart was heavy. Shalini wasn't coming back because she was dead. The School believed she was killed in a freak accident. Of course, that wasn't what happened at all. Tom murdered her in vengeance. Jade wasn't coming back either. I didn't know how to feel about any of it, and thinking about it wasn't helping me concentrate. I put my papers aside for a second, conjuring a small candle. I walked over to Shalini's bedside table and lit it, a brilliant flame sparking.

"I'm so sorry, Shalini." I said tearfully. "I didn't mean for this to happen to you at all."

I took a minute to control my breathing. But I couldn't stop the tears. If I didn't come back to the past this wouldn't have happened at all.

As I placed the lit candle carefully down on the table I noticed a note. I looked closer. It had a name on it. My name.

I reached for the parchment slowly.

Dear Hermione, it read.

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. By the time you read this, I would have already left Hogwarts. From what it appears to me, Tom is playing you. He doesn't love you. He is messing with you. And I never wanted to hurt you, and to trouble you as much as I have. Tom told me I had to pretend I was dead and leave Hogwarts for good. I'm sorry once again. I had no choice- Jade would've been killed if I didn't agree with Tom to do these things and to give you that cursed dress. I hope for your sake you can stop him. Jade and I are safe, for now.

I hope that one day beneath different circumstances we will all meet again.

PS: destroy this note as soon as you read it.

Shalini

I pulled my wand out of my sleeve and touched it to the parchment instantly causing the entire thing to spark with flames and burn into nothing. Shalini wasn't dead. She was hiding. And as for Tom...

Tom had no feelings for me. He was using me this entire time. Or was he? He didn't seem like he was lying. But then again he was a psychopath. He wasn't supposed to make it look like he was lying, was he? I closed my eyes for a second. Thinking about it all was making my head hurt.

I extinguished the candle, going to my bed and falling against the soft blankets pulling my notes towards me. From my research there were ways to reverse love spells, and even solidify their negative effects. If Tom knew what I knew....

There was even a spell I could use to weaken the effects of the magic, but it had to be done when the person was asleep.

I tore the parchment toward me. I needed to say this spell as soon as possible. Even if it meant somehow casting Tom into a temporary sleep.

I got off my bed and walked slowly to my bedroom door, opening it ever so slowly. The coast was clear. I heard laughter from down in the Common Room, and then from at the top of the stairs I could see everything clearer.

Tom and Xavier were smoking something. I had no idea what, but it didn't look good, or legal.

A spark of anger flared up inside me. Tom was a Prefect for God's sake. I stormed down the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

Tom was the first one to look at me. His eyes glinted black, his lips curving in a smirk.

"What does it look like?" He placed the mysterious cigarette down on an ashtray beside him and stood. "We're having a bit of fun. Something you obviously don't know about."

Xavier smirked. "She's probably never seen a blunt in her entire life, bro."

"All that smoke is going everywhere." I snapped.

"No it isn't." Xavier snapped.

"Look around." Tom said to me. "Does it look like smoke is going everywhere?"

It was true, they must've cast some type of charm because the smoke was being contained in some giant invisible sphere around them.

"Fine." I obviously wasn't going to be changing anything, then.

"Are you going to join us? Or are you just going to stand there and complain." Tom stared at me, gesturing with one hand to the cosy little get together.

"What is it?" I asked. "What's in that thing?" I knew of recreational drugs but never in my life actually did any.

Tom stepped closer.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked me, tilting his head.

"I was curious." I said.

Tom looked at me in consideration and then picked up the half finished smoking thing and held it out to me.

"Try it." He said.

"No."

"Suit yourself." Tom sat back down on the sofa opposite Xavier and took a drag, smoke blossoming around him, his jaw pronounced as he exhaled. "You're missing out."

I approached them slowly, sitting down on a sofa near them. There was another half finished smoke in the ashtray near Tom. I took it, placing it to my lips. Tom looked over at me, his dark eyes surprised. Even Xavier looked temporarily startled. It couldn't hurt, could it?

I took my wand and touched the smoke which instantly caught alight. I took a deep drag and coughed. What the hell was I doing? The boys laughed. I didn't even know what I was smoking.

A few seconds later, and I didn't care. I felt lighter than a feather, drifting on a cloud beneath the sun.

"Wow." I said, smiling. "This is great."

I sat back on the couch, beaming ear to ear.

"Tom." I said thickly. "You never said about your family." I looked over to see Tom reaching for a glass of Firewhisky.

"What's there to talk about?" There was an edge to his voice, but I didn't care. At least not right now.

"A lot of things." I said cheerily. "You must know a bit about your family, don't you? Who was your mother?"

"I don't want to talk about that." Tom said suddenly, taking another drag.

"Wasn't your mother called Merope?" Xavier said. He was leaning back on a sofa looking really sleepy. "Didn't you come from an Orphanage?"

Tom sighed, putting his glass of Firewhisky down.

"I am not from an Orphanage. I was put there. By my parents." Tom admitted. He leant back on the sofa, closing his eyes and frowning as

though remembering a distant pain.

"Here."

I passed my nearly finished smoke to Tom who took it.

"Help yourselves." Xavier threw a bag of what looked like green tobacco and papers in the centre of the small table in front of us.

"The only thing you should know about my family," Said Tom, starting to roll himself another smoke, "Is that I hate them. And I have nothing to do with them."

"They might love you." I said.

Tom turned and gave me a deathly look. "If they did, it certainly wouldn't change things. If anything, it would make things worse. My mother was a lowlife who gave birth to me and died. She was weak. My father was a swine. I am nothing like my parents."

"I hate my parents too." Xavier said, staring off into the distance. "My father especially. He abuses my mother."

"That's terrible, Xavier. I'm really sorry." I said genuinely. I had no idea that his life was like that.

"Anyone who has to feel connected to their families to find strength is weak." Tom said after a moment of silence. "People should be able to stand alone and find strength in themselves."

"Having family to support you gives you even more strength." I sat forward, clasping my hands together. "I don't think that having family ties makes you weak at all. On my darkest days it really uplifts me."

Tom raised his glass and downed all the contents. "Good for you." He said. "I am happy that you have found strength in your limited understandings. After all, ignorance is bliss, is it not?"

"I don't care if you consider these things ignorant." I said directly, staring at Tom without breaking eye contact. "And one day, I hope you can understand what I am talking about."