Tom entered the Three Broomsticks with the subtle swagger of someone who had single handedly earnt Slytherin House the House Cup. Barely had the old door opened before him when Madam Rosmerta appeared as suddenly as though conjured out of thin air.

"Tom, my dear. Do come in, it's absolutely freezing outside!"

"Madam Rosmerta," Tom greeted quietly, inclining his head. "How have you been?"

"Not too bad, business isn't doing too good as of late but that's a discussion for another time. Now, give me your coat and find a seat." She gestured broadly to the room as everyone entered, talking and laughing amongst themselves.

Merlin I thought bitterly. People are actually enjoying themselves.

"We shouldn't have come." Claudia remarked, her characteristically rude manner still apparently well in tact, "Just look at the state of the place! It's not very well kept, is it? Who owns the Three Broomsticks anyway?"

"That would be me." Madam Rosmerta fixed Claudia with a look which I could only describe as one to have made both Mrs Weasley and Severus Snape proud.

"If the Three Broomsticks isn't suited to your taste you are more than welcome to walk straight back out of that door and back to Hogwarts." She said smartly.

Claudia fell silent at once.

"We have booked the entire pub." Tom shrugged off his black coat, casting a bemused look over the place. "Who are those people?"

I looked over to see a table of wizards in black cloaks in the far left corner.

"Not part of the congregation, of course." Madam Rosmerta explained. "They're Aurors."

"And they couldn't have gone to the Hogs Head for a few hours?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid not." Madam Rosmerta seemed apologetic even though she had absolutely no need to be.

"The Ministry is cracking down on security around Hogmeade. There has been Aurors coming and going all week."

"Ah, so that's what the Ministry is up to nowadays." Tom said lightly. "Absolutely nothing."

"Well," Madam Rosmerta began sternly, "I wouldn't consider it as nothing-"

But before she could finish Tom was already walking towards a table on the far side of the room. Claudia and I followed, not that I wanted to but out of sheer desire to not lose my life.

"Ladies," Tom said, staring at me directly. "Drinks?"

"Yes." I said mechanically.

"Yes, what." Tom leant over the table, his eyebrows raised. "What drink?"

"She's going to have Firewhisky." Claudia reached over and snatched up Tom's hand in her own before turning to me with a death glare.

"Aren't you, Hermione?"

"I-"

"Let Hermione speak for herself." Tom shook her off, now staring once again directly at me. "Well? Spit it out."

I forced a smile.

"Butterbeer." I said robotically. There was no way I was drinking anything stronger, but the urge to was certainly there.

"Then Butterbeer it is." Tom stood, leaving to place the order. I shot Claudia a sideways glance to find her already staring at me.

"Your hair." She said, in a voice far too sweet to be taken kindly. "It's a bit crazy, isn't it? Didn't you have it in a braid before?"

"I did." I said, forcing myself to be civil. "It's quite a lot like me. Untamed."

"Untamed indeed." Claudia laughed, a really high pitched grating noise which made me want to throttle her.

"Funny that you should mention my hair." I said irritably. "How should my appearance matter, exactly?" I said.

"What?" Claudia said, sounding as surprised as if I'd just asked her if Tom was a wizard. "Appearance is everything." Claudia swung her long braid out, almost whacking me in the face if I hadnt ducked. "The way I see it, if you're going to be seen with Tom Riddle at least look the part of someone worth his time."

She looked at me with a smug look which made me suddenly remember with a surge of dislike why we never got along in the first place.

"Do you remember the other day that Tom was speaking to the Merperson by the Lake?" I asked.

Claudia frowned. "Yes, but what does that have to do with this?"

"Well, she was apparently worth his time. Would you say that she looked the part?"

"That's not what I mean!" Claudia said heatedly. "I'm talking about dates. Merlin, I have no idea what Tom even sees in you!"

"That's understandable." I laughed. "And besides, I wouldn't expect you to, anyway."

"And what's that supposed to m-"

"Firewhisky." Tom approached, placing the two goblets down before Claudia and myself. "And Butterbeer."

"What are you going to drink?" I asked.

Tom produced a black flask. "Goblin made rum."

"Goblins don't make drinks." I pointed out. "Let alone rum."

Tom paused as if deliberating on his next response. "Let's put it this way. What I'm drinking is a damn lot stronger than rum."

"Is it bleach?" I asked hopefully.

"If I can have your attention, please!" Madam Rosmerta announced, walking over to our table and turning to face the assembly, "For those of you who don't already know me, I am Madam Rosmerta and I am the owner of The Three Broomsticks. I have today as you already know, offered my entire pub to use for your Hogwarts School lunch. I do hope you enjoy yourselves. Any troubles at all, you just let me know."

Help, I'm trapped at a table with a lunatic rapist and his annoying side bitch! I felt like yelling.

Not that Madam Rosmerta would actually listen, she was just another woman wooed by the charms of Tom. He was a conversationalist, a truly profound one at that, never short of a single word to say and not only well aware of his effect over people but never hesitant to apply it to use.

I found him to be as emotionally developed as a blunted sword. Irritating. The type of guy who would be in a relationship to a woman and not hesitate to play another, just because he was too heartless to even pay mind to the damage he could inflict by his actions.

By the time Madam Rosmerta had finished her welcoming speech, we were told we could mingle with other tables. Of course, with one rather paralysing look from Tom I instantly knew that I was exempt, and had to stay put.

"Claudia, you may leave." Tom dismissed her with a careless wave of his hand.

"Excuse me? I'm not leaving." Claudia said stubbornly. I repressed the urge to put my head in my hands. Clingy girls pissed me off, and Claudia was no exception. Perhaps I had become so used to my way of life that I was highly self sufficient and didn't see any reason to be at the beck and call of any man. Either way, Tom eventually persuaded her to leave. And I swear, with just the two of us sitting there the tension at the table was thick. The last words I had said out loud to him were whether or not he was drinking bleach. And oddly enough, he didn't look too impressed.

"How is it." He said after a pause, "That Claudia is willing to do anything for me, but you'd rather just sit there and find ways to piss me off."

I reached for my goblet of Butterbeer with a smirk. "How about we put it this way." I took a quick swig before placing the goblet down before me.

Now it was my turn to lean in. "Picture this. A man likes a woman, but he is already in a relationship to another so he uses her "affections" for him to stroke his own ego. And so he uses her, yet maintains himself. Smart, really. And she's aware."

"Meaning?" Tom raised an eyebrow, appearing nonplussed.

"It's not a parable, Tom. It's how you see the situation. You think, despite my varying attempts of communicating my hatred of you, that perhaps I am in love with you, and you're out here charming Claudia and somehow taking me along for a ride I never signed up for. So can you see now why I might be acting a bit pissed off, and even rude on occasions? You have spent the past few months abusing me, and now we're going out to fucking lunch together? If we are going to be enemies, then let it be. I really couldn't care less. I would rather that than to entertain your idea of my worthlessness and be added like a mere accessory to your life while you pretend to the world that you're not plotting to destroy me."

"You think I am using you to emasculate myself? Do you really think I need some sort of identity crutch? I haven't brought you here today as a lover. I have already told you. I wanted to keep an eye on you."

I could've rolled my eyes. "What type of enemy do you want around so much? We have already established your deep rooted fear of human emotion, I get it. But it doesn't explain everything. For example, I notice you staring at me a lot, too."

"I don't stare at you." Tom snapped.

"You do. I see you do it a lot. Does this give you some sort of thrill, finding excuses to keep me around while we are supposed to hate each other? Because I never want you anywhere near me anymore. This is ending. Whatever the fuck this is. This... this damn mind game. I'm not going to humour you anymore. Fuck the cost. If you want some picture perfect blonde by your side, by all means. But my type of woman you're not even aware of. You don't know what type of damn hell I even went through before I met you, Tom. I've seen things that would make you insane." I stood, I could feel the fury blazing like fire behind my eyes as I relived the nightmare the future Tom paved out before me and my friends from my real time.

I looked up. Now, all the attention in the room was on me. If I had to kill Tom, I wasn't going to be paraded around like some sort of show pony beforehand. I had work to do. Lots of it.

"And you know what?" I added for good measure, "I hate you. I hate you for everything you have done. For taking advantage of me. You might be everything in your own eyes, but you're nothing to me."

Yanking my hair out of its undone braid completely, I stormed out of the door.