As soon as class finished I swung my bag over my shoulder and dashed out the door as if Tom Riddle was chasing me. I hated sharing classes with him. Like me, he usually got through his work faster than the rest of the other students and spent the rest of his remaining time trying to provoke me, talking to students around him about me just loud enough that I would hear it. Almost every day this would happen, as long as the teacher didn't hear him of course. But this time Tom wasn't in my Defence Against the Dark Arts class which surprised me. If he was going to skip any class, it was usually Herbology which, according to a hasty tally scrawled in the back of my textbook, was 5 times in a row.

I didn't get to see Tom again until I walked back into the Slytherin Common Room, not that I cared when I saw him or not. I walked into the room, my eyes adjusting to the dim greenish lighting. It was annoying having a Common Room beneath the Great Lake, I would rather be in the Gryffindor Common Room any day. But when my eyes finally took everything in I was astonished beyond belief. Right there on a couch beside the fire Tom was sitting. And not only that, a girl with blonde hair was sitting on his lap kissing him passionately.

I froze, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. It was like every suppressed emotion I had ever felt in my entire life surged through me like a blinding flash of electricity. I grabbed a vase off a small side table to my left and approached the two of them slowly. I grabbed the flowers in my fist, dropping them on the floor. Of course, both of them didn't see me approaching them, too busy passionately making out, Tom's hands all over her, and hers were all over him. Without thinking, without saying a damn word, I poured the vase of water on the both of them.

It was like it happened in slow motion. There was more water inside the vase than I had expected, it didn't take much for them to both become entirely drenched. The blonde screamed, leaping off Tom at once. "What the hell!" She shrieked, staring straight at me. "Who the fuck are you?" She looked down at herself, what remained of her uniform was soaked.

"That's Hermione." Tom told her, still sitting on the couch and looking completely unbothered. "She's my ex, you'll have to forgive her. She's having trouble moving on from me."

"Oh shut up." I said irritably. "We all know that's the lie of the century."

Tom stood, wringing water out of his shirt. His black hair was wet, he dragged a hand through it and stared at me. But I only had eyes for Tom's new pet.

"Get out of here." I said to her coldly. "Do I have to tell you again? Leave. Now."

"No." Tom said simply. "Claudia, you can stay. I wasn't finished with you yet."

"Can't we take this to your room, baby?" Claudia said as if I wasn't in the room. I fought the urge to be sick.

"You're a Gryffindor." I observed taking in what was left of her robes. "You shouldn't even be in this damn Common Room. Leave before I notify your Head of House."

Tom laughed lightly under his breath, but Claudia looked like she wasn't going to leave without putting up a fight.

"What?" She sneered with the most annoying voice I'd ever heard. "Are you going to make me?"

A wave of anger burst through me.

I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her roughly to the door. The entire time she screamed so loudly I was surprised the giant squid in the Lake didn't go deaf. She was my size yet by the time I had thrown her out I was breathing heavily. I waited with my face to the door for a few moments, wondering if she would dare to enter again. After a moment I relented, turning around.

But Tom Riddle was blocking my path, his eyebrows raised. "What was that? Jealousy?" There was water all over him, on his face, on his cloak. His hair was messy. If I still liked him, I would've found him hotter than ever. Luckily I didn't anymore. I had more important things to do than catch feelings for someone like him.

"It wasn't jealousy. I was merely demonstrating what happens to those who think they can go against school rules." I said walking past him and practically forcing him to step aside. Tom followed closely behind me without speaking a single word. I turned to face him.

"You threw an entire vase of water over the both of us." Tom reminded me. "That doesn't seem like the actions of someone who doesn't care."

"It doesn't matter." I said forcefully, trying to get Claudia's face out of my mind. Was I upset? I had no idea. "You know, every time I think about you all my mind will give me is pain. That's all you represent. Pain, anguish and other terrible things. Sometimes I wonder if you actually do comprehend your reputation."

Tom watched me speak, his dark eyes shining maliciously. "You know, you really are curious Hermione. You play with fire with such ignorance sometimes I wonder if you realise how badly you're going to get burnt."

I shrugged. "I don't care what happens to me now. That's not important to me anymore."

"Is that so?" Tom's black eyes were bright, like two burning embers boring into me. "And what is it that you value that much more than yourself? Love?" He mocked. "Do tell me. I am very much interested to hear this."

"Well." I said after a moment. "I value the things I stand for." I said simply. "That is all."

"I do as well." Tom retaliated. "You are not an enigma, by any means."

"Did I say I was?" I snapped.

"You believe that you are different somehow. You have this underlying arrogance within you that I have seen all too clearly. Have you had a look in the mirror lately? Do you even recognise yourself? Lately you've turned into a completely different person. At least I have not."

I paused. Tom's words had taken me off guard. I had really shed a part of me out here, that much was obvious. But at the same time I really didn't mind. And there was so much more to it than that.

"That's called growth, Tom." I said coldly. "People develop. We create ourselves every day, we tear down ourselves and build ourselves again. If you really havent changed at all, then I feel sorry for you. Now, I'm going to go back to my room. Get out of my way."

"And if I don't?" Tom tilted his head to the side, a mirthless smirk on his face. "What will you do? Curse me?" He held out his wand. "Take it." He said coldly.

Confused, I took his wand from him. I mean, I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to render my arch enemy defenceless and especially not when he wanted me to.

"Now," Tom stood back, opening his arms wide. "Use the Cruciatus Curse on me."

"Excuse me?" I demanded. "Look, I know you're out of your mind and everything, but I'm not going to help you punish yourself."

Tom exhaled. "This is not self punishment. And you're avoiding the task. Can you not listen? I said curse me."

He closed his eyes. I pointed his wand at his chest squarely. I had never used the Cruciatus Curse before in my life, I had only ever learnt the theory. And the worst part was I really wanted to. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting all the built up rage simmer to the surface of my heart until it enshrouded my entire mind. Blood boiling, I concentrated all of my hatred of him until I could feel my wand hand shaking.

"Crucio-"

Suddenly, Tom's eyes flashed open and he slashed the air before him. I doubled over, screaming as blinding pain hit me as the curse rebounded. I fell to my knees. Above me, Tom was holding my wand, his face contorting into an inhuman mask of rage.

"You fool." He laughed. "You really need to take better care of where you keep your wand. I took it from your cloak when you were facing the door."

I grimaced, clutching my chest. I spasmed on the ground, unable to control my limbs the pain was all consuming, blinding.

"Do you want this to stop?" Tom taunted me, kneeling casually beside my shaking form.

"No." I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think. But I didn't want to give in. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me shatter.

It felt like years of agony had passed before Tom lifted the curse.

I closed my eyes, the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse leaving me trembling on the ground. I didn't cry. I had no tears left to spare.

I opened my eyes slowly to see Tom's blurry shadow standing above me.

"Impressive." He said coldly. "You didn't cave in to me. At least not this time. I suppose your little speech about standing up for what you believe in must have really resonated with you."

Tom's face was fading out of my vision fast. "You're weak. You think that defying me will prove anything?" He said, his voice cutting in and out.

"I will prove you wrong. By the end, you will realise that everything you are trying to accomplish against me will all be in vain. All of my enemies have come to understand this. In a matter of time, you will too."

--------------------------------------

I woke up unceremoniously sprawled on top of my bed. Someone had even gone to the extent to place my wand in my limp hand, a mockery of just how powerless I was. Without moving, I clenched my hand around it, raising it slightly and relishing in the jet of red and gold sparks that burst from it at my command. Slowly, painstakingly, I sat up, my feet hanging off the edge of my bed. My shoes were still on.

Gingerly, I stood. I felt like I had fallen off the top of the Astronomy tower, my back hurt from when I was thrashing around on the ground, my arms hurt, my legs hurt. But the pain in my chest was searing. I clutched my stomach, hobbling out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. I couldn't control myself. The second I got there I was immediately sick all over the ground. I cleaned the mess and trudged over to the sink, leaning against it like a lifeline and craning my head up to look at my reflection in the mirror. I looked as absolutely shattered as I felt. My hair was sticking up like a bird's nest, my face was pale and blotchy, my lips were practically white. I coughed, putting a hand to my mouth to see blood.

"Shit."

I clutched my stomach, moving at a snail pace out of the bathroom. I had to see Madam Pomfrey. What had happened to me? Surely this wasn't the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. It was beyond me how Hogwarts couldn't even detect traces of such highly dark magic being used within its walls. Surely it could, but Tom must have altered the magic somehow.

I reached the top of the staircase, clutching the banister for support.

"Ah, Hermione. You've finally awoken." Tom was at the bottom of the stairs, a grin on his face.

He walked up and held out his hand for me to take. When I didn't take it, he took one of my arms and put it around his neck, lifting me against my will down the stairs ignoring my protests and pain.

"It isn't nice is it?" He said pleasantly. "The pain..."

I didn't say anything, my hand found the banister and I clutched it for support.

"Maybe next time you'll see that your actions have consequences." He said seriously.

"You told me to curse you." I pointed out, trying to ignore the way my jaw hurt when I spoke.

"I did." Tom agreed. "However that was a test of your allegiance. You've proven yourself as nothing more than an enemy of mine. I suppose I had been treating you as something like a pet this entire time. But things are different now. I'm going to crush you. Sooner or later, I'm going to bend that defiant mind of yours to my will. And the best part will be that you will get to witness the entire thing first hand."

I let go of the bannister, walking slowly away from him. Every movement was sheer agony. "The pain won't go away until you apologize for what you've done."

I turned to look at him.

"I am sorry." I lied directly to his face.

Tom shook his head. "When you are sincere, and you have truthfully realised your wrongdoings and apologised, then the pain will stop. Now, are you ready to go to breakfast and classes?"

I didn't even think of that.

"No." I heaved. "I won't be able to."

"But if you don't go, the teachers will ask where you are."

"I'll tell them I was sick." I told him.

"If you do that I will tell them that you're lying." Tom grinned.

"What type of curse is this?" I said slowly. "I coughed up blood before."

"What, so you think you alone can withstand the sheer strength of the Cruciatus Curse? Hermione, that is dark magic. You fought it for about 5 minutes, and you think there's going to be no lasting effects?" He laughed at me.

"Am I dying?" I frowned.

"Who cares." Tom said cruelly. "You already play games with your life, why would you suddenly care for self preservation now?"