"I need to get out of here." I said suddenly. I felt terrible, and being trapped in this hidden room with the source of my panic wasn't exactly helping.

Tom, who was now sitting opposite me on one of the comfortable arm rests, leant back, face an indescrutable mask. I knew Tom well enough now to know that his anger was building up inside of him like a dam, fit to burst.

"Then leave." He said coldly.

"But the door-"

"The door is open. Turn around."

I turned, and as I did so an ornate door materialized in the wall.

I wasted no time. I walked towards it quickly, my heart thudding loudly in my ears. It didn't matter about my feelings right now. All I knew was that Tom was dangerous when he was angry, and that was more than enough motivation for me to open the door and slip out of the room.

...into darkness.

There was nothing but darkness.

I froze, uncomprehending and thinking very quickly- the School hall I was expecting to see wasn't there.

I knew that whatever was going on had no one but Tom to blame. Trust him to fuck with me. Instead of turning back, I stepped forward, dragging the door closed behind me and perfecting the vision of blinding darkness.

I drew my wand from my sleeve.

"Lumos."

No light. Nothing.

I tried again.

"Lumos maxima."

Of course the darkness was thick, hanging in the air like a weighted blanket over me obstructing all Magic. What the hell was Tom trying to achieve here?

On the other side of the door, I couldn't hear anything. Tom was silent. I knew he was standing out there on the other side of the darkness waiting for me to come crawling back to him. What did he think I'd do?Scream and cry? I thought through the situation, weighing my options.

I was screwed but I wasn't going to admit that to myself. Or Tom, for that matter.

I felt around blindly. I knew it would be useless attempting to lock the door behind me, because within 3 seconds flat Tom would have it unlocked.

I automatically reached for the necklace Tom had given me, and pulled it off. Instantly, I felt different, I placed it on the ground beside my right foot. On the other side of the door, I heard footsteps approach slowly, as if in response to my action.

As if Tom had felt what I had done.

Quickly I plunged my hand into my beaded bag and grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak. Pointing my wand directly at myself I focused all of my mind power on a concealment charm. I had practised many in the Forest of Dean when I was on the run with Ron and Harry. I had taught myself Magic into the late hours of the morning, feverishly plowing through almost all the contents of every book I picked up every night, only retiring back to sleep when I was satisfied I had leant something new. Knowledge was power, and I knew that I could only fight Tom with my mind this time.

I had no emotion left to spare, I was drained.

I threw the gossamer cloak over myself, wand in my hand and pointing directly ahead toward the door.

I waited. Tom was creeping closer, slow enough to make me almost dizzy with fear. No matter what, he truly was a terrifying man. I could never predict him, which sometimes felt like the worst thing about him. Like walking through an open field filled with mines about to detonate.

Detonate...

I needed a Decoy Detonator. That was it.

I plunged my hand into my beaded bag now panicking because Tom was now outside the door and I had no damn idea what he was going to do to me.

Suddenly, the handle twisted, the door creaked open spilling in blinding light and then-

Tom Riddle stood in the center of the doorway, framed like a shadow in the light from the secret room behind him. I had to blink several times just to see.

Very quietly, concealed perfectly by Harry's invisibility cloak, I bent so I was crouched down on the ground. The room was dark enough, I set the Decoy Detonator on the ground where it scuttled past Tom without him seeing it and out into the room.

For once, I was actually grateful to have Tom's full attention.

I waited. Tom's drawl split the silence.

"It amuses me that you think you can hide, Hermione. The room is sealed off so you can't possibly find any sort of-"

BANG

Tom spun on his heel, reflexes fast as lightning and in the chaos I slipped past him into the now darkened room.

What I didn't consider, however, was the fact I couldn't see. It was like I had pulled the heavy darkness out of the strange outer room outside that mysterious door and had brought it into this space. I walked over to the wall, standing on what I hoped was the furthest place away from Tom.

Tom Riddle had no idea what Decoy Detonators were. He didn't know about Fred and George's shop in Diagon Alley Weazleys' Wizard Wheezes. No one from this time had any idea what this strange yet brilliant little distraction was.

BANG

Another miniature explosion. From right beside me, Tom swore, and I let out a yelp of fear which thankfully wasn't heard over the sound of yet another loud BANG from the Decoy Detonator.

I smiled to myself in the darkness as Tom strode back to the door and opened it.

I'm not behind that door, you imbecile.

I thought smugly to myself. I heard Tom step inside the room I was in sheer moments go, I heard the door close, and then-

I didn't hear anything at all.

Very slowly, the darkness in the room faded away exposing the almost completely destroyed room. Papers on the small table near the wall had been upturned with the impact of the Decoy Detonator and by the looks of things, Tom had given into a burst of anger himself as many other things had been destroyed as well, which I knew couldn't possibly have been done by the Detonator.

On the ground near the couch, a letter had been torn into two clean pieces.

It hadn't been there before... I didn't remember seeing it...

I waited for a second, watching the room for any sign of Tom. In the back of my head, I knew he had left the room. I knew I was trapped.

He had still won.

But at the same time, I felt like I had won as well. I had evaded him. And that was what the entire idea was, even if I was alone in this stupid room at least he wasn't here.

I walked over to the note, picking both pieces of torn paper up and then looking around the room incase Tom had materialised and I wasn't aware.

Nothing.

I slipped the letter beneath the invisibility cloak and stepped backwards until my back hit the wall.

Watching, I waited about three minutes before being one hundred percent sure I was alone.

Hermione,

The note read, I recognised Tom's elegant yet hurried cursive writing instantly.

I wanted to give you this necklace because I-

The line cut off where the paper had been torn.

I drew the other piece of paper out from behind the first.

...realise I do like you and I haven't any other idea how else to reveal how much so.

Tom

I frowned. In my head I could still hear Tom's smooth voice telling me how I had no way of escaping the room and that there was no exit.

He had sounded delighted at the fact I was trapped. How could the same person have written that note?

I looked around the room despairingly. There wasn't even a window, let alone a way to escape. All I could do was sit here, entirely invisible, and wait for Tom to return. I checked my Time-Turner.

However, Tom didn't return.

I looked at my Time-Turner again. An hour had gone past. I was starting to get hungry. It was strange, feeling my stomach rumble. It was such a small issue in comparison to the real problems I had going on, but after another hour I was lying sprawled on one of the rooms few couches scouring my beaded bag for snacks. Nothing.

Note to self. Always take snacks with you in the somewhat rare instance you end up trapped in a random concealed room...

I was just lying on the couch there, minding my own business and pretending to not be panicking and famished when I started drifting to sleep. I fought it at first. I needed to be awake.

I focused my line of vision on the desk over by the far wall. I blinked several times, trying to get stay awake. My eyes became heavier.

It didn't take long before I realised something was wrong.

I lurched to my feet, only making it a couple of feet before crashing down onto the ground, gasping and spluttering.

The door opened, and Tom walked in calm and in confident ease like a lawyer who knew he was going to win a long, arduous court battle.

"I suggest you study up on blood Magic," Tom said quietly. "Did you not consider the consequences of taking off an enchanted necklace?" He reprimanded me coldly. "You should've just left it on. It would've provided more than ample protection... Against others... Even against me. To some degree at least... I guess once again you would rather put your life at risk. Understandable. You do it often enough, it could almost be classed as a hobby."

He knelt on the ground beside me. Behind him, I could see the doorway had already resealed.

"Did you know that right now, I could kill you. If I wanted to, that is. After all, it couldn't be harder than stealing candy from a child, could it? Right now you have barely a fighting chance." Tom said lowly. His dark eyes focused in on mine, his jawline made pronounced by the harsh lighting in the room.

I clutched at my neck. It was like my throat was closing up, it was getting harder to breathe. I saw Tom stand, walk away for a moment and then reappear and say something down to me, and then I felt myself being lifted, and then I didn't feel anything at all.