Harry Potter 1. The Bracelet

**Disclaimer: **The characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Warnings: **story contains; coarse language, violence (torture and murder), blood and gore, explicit lemons (Sorry. I don't have an account yet.) This is going to be a very DARK fic. It's really not suited for those who are gentle at heart and for minors. So be warned.

**Author's note: **This is my first time writing a TR-HG story. However, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed with the entire plot. I have great and very dark plans for this story..*insert evil laughter*. Just a heads up though. It's been a while since I've written any stories on this site. My writing 'skills' are a way bit rusty. Well, if you notice grammar error and mistakes please don't hesitate to point it out to me. Thank you…and please no flaming. but I accept constructive criticism.

This story is set one year after the final battle, where Hermione Granger attended her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is somewhat a Time-travel fic..but with a different twist to it.

**Wanted Beta Reader** for this category. For those who are interested, please PM me! Thank you!

**Summary:** A pair of cursed bracelets brought them together. Two people from different time-lines and from totally opposite sides, bound together by fate and mortality. Their hatred for each other can neither tear their souls apart nor can they resist the lust which drives them to the brink of destruction.

* * *

_**Year 1945**_

_**Borgin and Burke's**_

Tom Marvolo Riddle was exasperated to say the least. Today was a very busy day for him since he had to charm and bargain with fifteen customers for the past eight hours. Most of them were men, and they weren't as easily fooled as those women who came to the shop. One of them ended up asking for Tom's manager. The customer was being unreasonable with the price that Tom had provided. The tall foreigner was so insulted by the amount that Tom was force to call his manager.

It didn't end well for Tom, as Caractacus Burke scolded him in front of the customer, whom had looked unconcern with Tom's predicament. It was utterly humiliating and extremely vexing for him. He had considered murdering both the customer and the old man, when he remembered the Aurors who came to the shop last month.

A month ago, Tom had killed his father and his grandparents. Even though the Aurors already had his uncle, Morfin Gaunt, under custody; they had still deemed it necessary to ask Tom about the murder of the Riddle Family. It had been quite a surprise to Tom, that the Aurors had known his relationship to the family. Everyone at his school knew that he was an orphan. Tom had made sure that no one knew about his connections to the Riddle family, but it seems that someone had prior knowledge about it all along.

He was certain it was the old fool, Albus Dumbledore.

He had nearly panicked when the Aurors had started interrogating him. He had also been furious because he suspected that it was Dumbledore, who had sent them there.

Tom had calmly told them of his alibi. He had been with his 'friends' when the Riddle Family was murdered. Then, he had acted distraught by the news to convince the Aurors. They seemed to have accepted his alibi since they never returned after that, to Tom's relief.

Thus, Tom deliberately kept a low profile, mostly from the ever-nosy and suspicious Dumbledore. For that reason alone, he couldn't jeopardize his cover even if he wanted to. Not at the moment anyway. Tom would just have to wait for the right time to strike someone down. Right now, he was still at a sensitive part of his plans. He really didn't want to ruin it. Even when it was against his pride.

"Tom, apologize to Mr. Volkovich." Caractacus Burke stated; his small, watery eyes darted towards the customer in fear before swiveling back to him. "You should know better than to treat the customers with disrespect."

Tom Riddle inwardly seethed; his eyes glinted dangerously as he noted the censure in the simpleton's voice.

"Of course, Mr. Burke. " Tom plastered a genial smile, but it didn't reach his eyes; which by now, turned into a murderous gleam as he fixed his murky, blue eyes at both Mr. Burke and the frowning customer. "I sincerely apologize for having offended you, Mr. Volkovich. It was hardly my intention at all. I always treat my customers with the highest regards and sensitivity. I really do apologize if I acted any different towards you."

Tom's smile was still in place when Mr. Burke turned to the customer.

"You see? Tom is a good boy." The frightened shopkeeper squeaked. His eyes were bright and round with fear as he looked at the mysterious man.

Tom bristled. It was so like Mr. Burke to call him a 'boy'. If only the old coot knew what Tom had done a month ago...

He was sure the stupid man would never call him a boy after that.

"Hmn..." The man in red robes murmured, and was staring at Tom with an inscrutable expression. Not entirely agreeing or disagreeing to what Caractacus Burke was rambling about.

"He is new here." Mr. Burked explained, trying his best to placate the foreign customer. "He really doesn't mean to offend you Mr. Volkovich. Tom here doesn't-"

The blonde-haired Bulgarian finally turned his attention to the small, and lesser man. Mr. Burke immediately cowered as the full-blast of Mr. Volkovich's glare was upon him.

"I don't want to hear any explanation Caractacus. I had wasted valuable time arguing with the boy for a better price of my bracelet." Mr. Volkovich shot Tom a fierce look, to which Tom countered with a contrite gaze. "I want this inconvenience, that the boy had brought, well-compensated. I'm selling this bracelet for 100 galleons—" Mr. Burke sputtered at the amount but Mr. Volkovich continued. "—and also in exchange for the orb that I asked last month."

"But—but—The bracelet you're selling is not even worth that amount!" The small man protested.

The Half-Bulgarian snarled.

"This bracelet is the rarest object that you can ever find Caractacus! Better than all the things that you're selling here combine!"

Tom snorted in derision. He had seen the bracelet and couldn't help but disagree. The bracelet was not beautiful. It was in fact, downright ghastly. Tom could hardly decipher the small engravings and the elaborate design that wove around the bracelet. Molds, rusts and some disgusting looking slime had accumulated on the small jewelry. Tom suspected that no one had worn nor touched the bracelet for centuries. Who would want to buy such a repulsive artifact?

The Blonde man must have heard him snort because the Bulgarian was suddenly throwing daggers at him. Tom instantly schooled his features into an expressionless mask when he met the other man's, unwavering glare.

The room temperature seemed to plummet down as his adversary rounded on him. Tom felt the dark and menacing aura coming from the other man, but he wasn't intimidated or scared in the least. In fact, he was becoming excited; his body was coiled in preparation for a fight. He could feel his heart rate increased in anticipation.

There was a strained silence when neither of them dared move or even said anything. Even Mr. Burke became silent, his eyes shot from Tom to the stranger, in rapt attention.

"Do you have something to say boy?"

Tom watched as the other man' icy, gray eyes seemed to narrow into slits as the Bulgarian questioned him. Nothing about this arrogant Bulgarian fazed him.

"No, Sir." Tom responded pleasantly, but at the same time he was mentally plotting different ways to disposed Volkovich's body once their conversation was over. "I have nothing to say."

"I see." The Bulgarian murmured.

Tom raised a brow when the Blonde man suddenly looked at him in a contemplative manner.

"You don't believe that this bracelet is highly valuable, do you?"

Tom didn't respond and became guarded when he saw an odd expression flashed in the man's eyes.

"Come here boy."

All of a sudden, he heard alarm bells going off in his mind. Adrenaline instantly rushed in his veins as he instinctively reached for his wand. He was about to cast a curse on the Bulgarian when Mr. Burke interrupted.

"Now, now Mr. Volkovich..I think the boy doesn't-"

"Silence!" with the wave of his wand, the Bulgarian instantly cast the silencing charm at the smaller wizard. "I don't need to hear any of your nonsense!"

He then turned his gray, glacial eyes back to Tom, whom had drawn out a wand. The blonde man merely arched a pale brow when he finally noticed the wand pointed at him.

"I don't take kindly to a customer who assaults my manager, Mr. Volkovich." Tom said calmly, his eyes never leaving the other man. "—most certainly not inside the premises."

In spite of his justified reason for having to draw out a wand at a customer; it wasn't only the reason that Tom had to resort to such drastic measure. He already felt threatened by the other man's presence. He honestly couldn't care less what happen to Caractacus Burke.

"Are you scared boy?" Volkovich mocked while he pointed his wand at Tom.

"No." He coolly responded. "But you should be…"

Tom's eyes became tinted red. The blood-lust inside him curdled in response to his rage. "_The arrogance of the man! How dare he speak to me like this!" _He thought furiously_. _He was ready to tear Volkovich from limb to limb with a set of dark curses, but his thoughts came to a screeching halt when the man in question unexpectedly chuckled, startling Tom.

"We'll see about that."

Those words thundered ominously, but that didn't warn Tom for what happened next. In a short fraction of a second, everything became a blur to him. He hadn't even blinked before he felt something heavy and cold wrapped around his wrist. He couldn't even remember crumbling to the floor while his body started twitching and jerking in agony like a thousand Cruciatus curse was aimed directly at him. He couldn't recall screaming in pain while he felt like his soul was being ripped apart and then patched up again for what seemed like hours. Tears were freely streaming down his cheeks, which he hardly noticed while he continued to scream and twitch. All the things around him became incoherent. The haunting laughter that came from the foreign man was drowned by Tom's torturous cries. Even the shouts from Mr. Burke, who was able to speak again, were ignored as he knelt down next to Tom.

Tom was still screaming and twitching when Volkovich said his last, and final word.

"Your pain has only begun, Tom Riddle. You should have known better than to underestimate the Cursed Bracelet of Merlin."

Then, Volkovich disappeared.

It was two weeks later when Tom Riddle woke up from a coma. Caractacus Burke had brought him to St. Mungo's Hospital the night when Volkovich had attacked him. He was already in a coma when the medi-witches examined him at the Hospital.

To Tom's dismay, his comatose state had caused some mild disturbance at the Hospital and the Ministry. Tom had baffled the Medi-witches in St. Mungo's when they weren't able to identify his ailment which had ultimately resulted to his coma. Even the curse-breakers from the Ministry were perplexed by his condition. They bestowed him unnecessary attention that Tom became cautious, especially after they had sent a muggle Doctor to examined him; to his utmost distaste. The muggle Doctor had yielded with the same results. He had only been able verify that Tom was not suffering any muggle related medical diseases. Thank Merlin for that.

When they all had exhausted their resources on him, they had inferred that Tom had only suffered a short mental breakdown, due to stress. It was the most outrageous thing that Tom had ever heard! Tom had concluded that they were all idiots.

He'd been in a coma for weeks because of stress? Preposterous! They were lucky that Tom had reigned his temper when they had explained it to him, because if he hadn't, most of those buffoons would have ended up in the Hospital or a morgue.

Soon after that, Tom was discharged from the Hospital a couple of days later.

While everyone believed that he was fine, Tom thought differently. He was far from fine. Volkovich was out there somewhere, probably amused that he had incapacitated him for the entire two weeks.

So Tom had spend most of his time machinating for Volkovich demise, and finding the Slytherin locket and the other artifacts.

Tom returned to work the week after he was discharged from the Hospital. Caractacus had acted apologetic towards him so he had allowed Tom a few days off before he resumed his work at the shop. It was mainly because the insipid man hadn't revealed to anyone about Volkovich's involvement. It was apparent to him that the foolish man was frightened of the Bulgarian.

Despite the fact that Volkovich was the reason Tom ended up in a coma, he was grateful that Caractacus hadn't spoken to anyone about Tom's injury and Volkovich part in it. Tom really didn't want anyone to traced Volkovich's murder back to him.

Revenge was constantly present at the back of his mind. There hasn't been a single day that Tom had raged and schemed for vengeance, and he would make sure that Volkovich would pay in full amount.

At this point in time, Tom was so engrossed in his desire for vengeance and power that he had barely notice the changes. He had pursued the Slytherin locket and other artifacts with a single-minded determination that he had become blind to other things around him; most importantly the ancient bracelet on his wrist, which became invisible and intangible.

It would take him years to realize that he had been carrying an ancient artifact that traced back to the 11th century; a cursed bracelet so powerful that no one dared touch it, except an ancient family bequest with the task by the first wizard, Merlin.

However, the bracelet wasn't the only one that existed.

In fact, Merlin had purposely made a pair. One for him, and the other was for a witch.

The other cursed Bracelet was said to be given to Morgana; the first evil witch who brought forth destruction during the 11th Century, plunging the era into the Dark Ages. With the help of the bracelets, Merlin was able to defeat Morgana...but in able to defeat her, Merlin had to defeat himself.

After Merlin's death, the Pendragon family was left with the purpose of guarding the bracelet.

But the other bracelet, Morgana's bracelet, was said to have vanished after her death.

In the myth, the people believed that Morgana's bracelet was lost in time... and never to appear again.

But they were wrong…terribly wrong.

* * *

_**Year 1999**_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**_

A lone figure stood at the corner, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible while her chocolate, brown eyes were trained towards the revelry in front of her. A small smile tagging at the corners of her mouth as she watched two young men: a raven-haired man with glasses and a red-haired man talked enthusiastically to Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom.

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were there to celebrate Hermione's graduation. Both of her best friend and boyfriend were proud of her achievement, and she was very happy to share her success with them. They had teased her incessantly for receiving numbers of awards but Hermione didn't mind. She was proud to say that she was one of the students who graduated with honors; a Valedictorian at that. Letters of invitations from Ministry and other places had still kept on coming. Precisely because she had become a famous war-hero, next to Harry and Ron, and she was one of the Top students of Hogwarts.

It was disconcerting to think that she was receiving a lot of attention from people she hadn't met or heard of.

Hermione couldn't believe her success. After the fall of Lord Voldermort, she felt like she was still walking in a dream. Everything that had happened was surreal to her. Even after a year of peace, Hermione still felt a sense of foreboding, maybe it was the after effects of war. She really didn't survive the war mentally unscathed because she still had nightmares.

The torture that she had suffered from Bellatrix Lestrange had left an haunting echo in Hermione's subconsciousness. Even the scar in her arm hadn't completely healed. The 'mudblood' word the crazy woman had carved on her skin was faint but distinguishable. She really couldn't erased the mark if she wanted to, like the scars that she had received from Dolohov during her fifth year and other faceless adversaries.

Hermione was still plagued by the horrors in her sleep.

It has been year since the downfall of Lord Voldemort. Yet Hermione couldn't shake the slight paranoia that sometimes reared its head unexpectedly. She knew it was unreasonable for her to doubt Voldermort's death, but Hermione had felt an unreasonable edginess lately. She felt she was teetering in a precipice. One wrong move and her world would come crashing down.

She still wasn't safe at all; if its paranoia or not, Hermione couldn't bring herself to truly enjoy the graduation party. Observing from the corner provided Hermione a sense of security as she watched the people around her.

It was better this way. Hermione sighed and leaned back against the wall. She slid her hands against the silky material of her dress robes while she lost herself in her thoughts.

Hermione couldn't bring herself to go back to her friends. Not yet anyway when she was still shaken by what happened just a few minutes ago.

Earlier that night, Hermione had detached herself from her friends to go to the loo to fix her appearance. She had been looking at the mirror when she felt it; a presence lurking at the corner. After years of constant vigilance during Voldermort's reign, Hermione didn't think twice of pulling out her wand and opened fire at the unforeseen entity.

Her spell hit a sink and it exploded; water erupting from the wreck, but there was nothing there. Hermione had then hurried out of the bathroom, extremely creep out. She was sure that she saw a figure moved before it disappeared.

The sense of unease she felt that day had gotten to her. Hermione wiped the cold sweat from her palms and straightened. There was no point in moping alone in the corner when she could just enjoy herself with her friends.

"_Merlin, you're pathetic._" Hermione mentally berated herself. "_Allowing your imagination to get to you like that? Where is your Gryffindor courage?! Idiot."_

Hermione tried to compose herself into a semblance of indifference. She wasn't going to be ruffled by what happened_. _It was illogical. _  
_

Hermione turned her attention to herself. She checked if there was any dirt on her dress robes, and then got herself momentarily distracted as she admired the fine clothes she wore.

Hermione was wearing a floaty emerald dress robes made of silk. The material was so thin that it failed to hide the curves underneath the robes. A ribbon was purposely added to the dress robes, to which Hermione securely wrapped around her waist, where it flared to emphasize her hour-glass figure. The front of the robes was open and low-cut, showing another dress underneath.

Without her dress robes, Hermione would have felt exposed. The dress that she wore underneath was made of the same silky material, but of virginal white. Like her dress robes, the bodice was low-cut, showing a delectable amount of cleavage. The white silk clung to her figure. The thin garment molded to her small waist, to the flare of her hips, to the swell of her bosom and to the curve of her buttocks. The skirt widened as it reached mid-thigh, where layers of petticoats were sewn underneath, which created a ballooning effect. The skirt ended just above her knees and like her dress robes, a white ribbon was collaborated.

The design of the dress was exquisite. A silver and gold plate lace were trimmed and woven on the silk dress in complex designs of stars, moons and other constellations. It was a strapless dress that left nothing to the imagination, especially the back part where the curve of Hermione's spine was exposed. And to make matter worst, it didn't have any zipper or buttons, the only thing that prevented the dress from falling down was through magic.

The dress was a piece of work, which Ginny had chosen for her, to Hermione's chagrin and dismay. Ginny had forced Hermione to wear it for that occasion alone since the red-haired had bought the dress as a graduation gift for Hermione.

She didn't have the heart to decline her. Hermione sighed as she turned her attention to her hair, but she decided not to checked it. Hermione really didn't need to since she just came out from the bathroom. She remembered that her hair was still in place, with her chestnut brown curls left to cascade in thick tendrils down her back and shoulder. Hermione had allowed her hair to grow just below her shoulder that year, and Hermione had spent an considerable amount of time making it look glossy that afternoon. Hermione didn't really care about how she looked like. So when she had tried to fix her hair into a tamable mass that very morning, she had concluded that growing her hair to that length, had been impractical.

As for her appearance, Hermione had preferred to make it simple and not overly dramatic. So she had opted for a mascara and thin eyeliner just to emphasize the color of her eyes. A smudge of red lipstick, which she gently wiped out with a napkin, and a lip gloss that made her lips look plump and inviting. Then, she had worn a pair of silver earrings which was given to her by her mother a long time ago. Lastly, she wore a simple one-inch stilettos as her footwear. It wasn't as impressive like the rest of her attire, but Hermione had considered it fit for the occasion, even against Ginny's protest.

When Hermione had stood in the mirror that afternoon, she had felt like she was looking at a stranger. In the mirror, she couldn't see the little girl with bushy brown hair and buck-tooth teeth anymore, but a young woman in full-bloom.

At the age of twenty, Hermione Granger had truly grown into a fine-young woman.

The moment she had stepped out of her room. Everyone had agreed. Hermione was no longer plain, but a woman with an exquisite beauty. Her boyfriend, Ronald Weasley, had simply gaped at Hermione for a long time that she had to forcefully close her boyfriend's mouth before he choke on a fly.

Hermione chuckled as she remembered Ron's reaction to her appearance. It was priceless. Although, they've been dating for a year, Ron and her still had their squabbles. Sometimes Ron comments were directed at her appearance. Hermione just loved it when she had always rendered Ron speechless when it comes to her physical transformation in special event like these. Her boyfriend was just cute. Hermione couldn't stop the fond smile from curving her mouth while her eyes immediately sought out the person that was currently on her mind.

She saw her boyfriend still standing beside Harry and Hermione was about to make her way towards her friends, when a voice to her right, halted her.

"Hello, Hermione." Hermione jerked her head and look at the person coming her way; her eyes met that of Luna Lovegood's dreamy eyes.

''Congratulations on your Graduation."

"Thank you, Luna." Hermione smiled, as the blonde came to a halt in front of her. "How have you been?"

"Wonderful." Luna returned the smile, with her own dreamy one, while she twirled a lock of hair in her finger. "My father and I had just returned from a trip in Ireland. I helped him with his research on a cave that appeared there two months ago."

Hermione couldn't help but grin at the blonde-haired girl, just as she noticed the pair of mushroom earrings dangling from the Luna's ears. It's been almost a year since she last saw Luna Lovegood.

"That sounds interesting Luna." She replied as she eyed the earrings.

"Oh it was." Luna said wistfully, her eyes became distant as if recalling something "My father and I were inside the cave when we discovered something."

"Really? What was it?" Hermione tried to make her voice sound curious while her eyes darted back to her two best friends, who were still talking to someone; too busy to pay any attention to her. They couldn't save her from Luna this time. Hermione scowled at them and turned her attention back to Luna, who was talking again.

Luna Lovegood was a nice girl, but Hermione wasn't really interested in talking about things that don't exist, or anything weird at the moment.

"We saw some colorful stones inside the cave and some unknown scripts carved on the walls."

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at Luna. Surely, Luna was referring to stalagmites or stalactites that were commonly found in limestone caves. The stones sometimes appeared to have different colors and even glow.

"What does the stones look like, Luna?" Hermione queried, doing her best to hide the skepticism in her voice. "Do they hang up from the cave ceilings or rise up from the ground like icicles?"

"I know you wouldn't easily believe me, Hermione." Luna didn't seem to be affected by Hermione's skepticism as her pale, blue eyes remained starry-eyed. "That's why I brought one as a graduation gift to you."

Hermione's brows shot up in astonishment. A gift from Luna? That doesn't bode well for Hermione Granger.

"Err…Well, thank you Luna but you shouldn't have. You see I—." She started to say, but didn't finish as Luna Lovegood reached out inside her robes and took out the 'gift'.

Hermione gaped at the object on Luna's palm.

"I discovered this just outside the cave." Luna explained softly as she handed the object to Hermione, who mutely accepted it. "I asked my father if I could give it to a friend and he said yes. What do you think, Hermione?"

Hermione was speechless as she gazed at the object on her hand. It was a colorful stone as what Luna said, but it wasn't a part of a stalagmite or stalactite as what she initially thought.

The object on Hermione's hand was made of variation of crystal stone, which shone brilliantly like a piece of jewelry. It was beautiful. However, the thing that drew Hermione's attention was not the stone, but the fuzzy object inside it.

"What's that thing inside?" Hermione asked, looking closely at the indistinct shape inside the brilliant stone.

"I don't know." Luna mumbled while her eyes were trained at something above her head. It was clear to Hermione that Luna had become distracted with something.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Hermione said, pulling out her wand. She really didn't want to destroy the stone but the niggling curiosity was getting the better out of her.

"Hmn..." Luna murmured distractedly while Hermione pointed her wand at the stone.

"Expulso!"

The stone in Hermione's hand exploded into tiny fragments, revealing the object inside.

It glinted in the light and Hermione breathed in wonder.

"It's a bracelet!" Hermione exclaimed and examined the bracelet closely. It was made of gold with intricate flowery designs forming the bracelet. Small inscriptions were carved into the vines that wrapped around the design. Hermione caressed the inscriptions delicately and gasped when it suddenly glowed blue.

"It's glowing! Do you think this is a magical bracelet, Luna?" She asked, intently inspecting the inscriptions. "I can't be sure but these look like runes…but I haven't seen these kinds before..."

She trailed off, frowning at the glowing inscriptions.

"I don't see anything." Luna said gently, who had turned to Hermione the moment she heard her exclaimed. "I don't see any bracelet, Hermione."

"Really?" Hermione said in disbelief. "But I'm holding it right now. See?"

Hermione brought the bracelet closer to Luna's face, but the blonde-haired girl couldn't seem to see it, as her dreamy, blue eyes just stared absent-mindedly at Hermione's hand.

"I'm sorry, Hermione...but I don't really see the bracelet." Luna's eyes took on an apologetic gleam as she looked up at Hermione.

Hermione just stared back at her, flabbergasted. This was starting to feel weird. Here was Luna Lovegood, whom everyone considered as an oddity and Hermione Granger, the logical one, was now trying to convince Luna about the invisible bracelet on her hand.

The world must be coming to an end.

Luna's eyes turned distant once again, as if considering something.

"Maybe you should try wearing it." She suggested softly. "Maybe it would appear visible once you wear it."

Hermione merely stared at her for a moment, before silently nodding her head in agreement. She really didn't know if Luna Lovegood was telling the truth about the bracelet. Hermione couldn't find any reason why Luna would lie to her. So she dismissed her suspicion since she understood Luna well-enough to even think that the dreamy-eyed girl would harm her or make a fool out of her.

Hermione inspected the bracelet in her hand before she brought it to her wrist. It looked harmless enough when she touched it. It even emitted warmth when she had ran her fingers along the inscriptions. The stone had protected the bracelet from erosion or outside interference that the bracelet still glowed with brilliance. It looked brand new, like no one had ever worn it before.

The instant the latch closed, and the bracelet securely wrapped around Hermione's wrist, she was immediately blinded by a white light. She had to cover her eyes with her hands. The noise from the party disappeared, while Hermione felt her body being sucked back to what seem to be a black hole. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. She flailed her limbs as she kept on falling, but she couldn't grasp anything in the pitch-black darkness.

And then there was nothing...

* * *

_**Year 1950**_

_**Albania**_

The forest was cloaked in darkness. Even the light of the moon couldn't penetrate the thick foliage of the forest. Only the creatures of the night, that lived in the forest, were able to see through dark. A cool breeze danced through the trees, rustling leaves along the way, and startling small preys.

In the middle of the woodland, there stood a modest cottage; surrounded by richly colored floras, grass and thickets. Smoke was puffing out from the chimney, lights were streaming out from a curtained window, and to add to the cozy environment, there was an old swing just outside the front porch; a perfect place to sit down and drink some hot chocolate during the cold season.

To an outsider, it looked like an ideal home. However, the eeriness that encroached the area, said differently.

Something far more dark and sinister was living there.

An unnatural silence and stillness hung in the air around the humble abode. Animals and small creatures seemed to skitter away from that area in instinctual fear. Probably frightened by an unusual predator that dominated in that patch of land.

Inside the cottage, a man sat down on sofa; his long legs propped up on a coffee table while his arms were folded in front of him. The man had thick, black hair which was perfectly combed on his head, while some rebellious strands curled around his ears and his forehead. He had a slightly pale skin. His nose was straight and long. He had high cheeks bones and a strong, masculine jaw. And his mouth, his mouth was perfect. It was a perfectly sculpted lips with a thin upper-lip and a full lower-lip, which currently were pursed in disdain. But the only asset that stood out from his devastatingly, handsome appearance, was the beautiful pair of glinting, cobalt-blue eyes beneath thick, masculine brows; brows that were currently drawn into a frown.

At a ripe age of twenty-four, Tom Marvolo Riddle was still an extremely handsome man. Even when his features where set in apparent displeasure.

The crackling sound of the fire was suddenly interrupted by a hiss as the man on the sofa, ran his hand on his hair in sheer frustration. Whatever the reason behind the action, it must have been too much for Tom as he suddenly leaped to his feet and started pacing over the carpeted floor.

It has been five years since Tom last saw Volkovich. Five-tiring-years of searching for the foreign wizard and the objects that he needed to create his Horcruxes. Five-'bloody'-years of hard work lost without him realizing that it had been for naught. He couldn't care less about Volkovich's whereabouts at the moment when Tom had been having problems in creating the Horcruxes.

Imagine Tom's surprise when he had tried making another Horcrux two weeks ago, and only to fail because there was something entirely wrong with him; his entire soul had remained intact after he had performed the ritual.

There were no Horcruxes inside the Slythering locket, the Hufflepuff cup, his diary, and the Ravenclaw diadem; which he had recently acquired here in Albania. He had yielded nothing after days upon days of unerring ritual to create the Horcruxes. He had switched from one object to another but it had generated no results, but that hadn't been the only surprise in store for Tom.

No, it hadn't been the only one.

He had felt so defeated after days of subsequent failures that he had almost forgotten the only Horcrux inside the Gaunt ring. When Tom had examined it a week ago, he had almost lost his sanity. The ring didn't contain the Horcrux that Tom had created the time when he had killed the Riddle family.

Tom didn't know what happened to the Horcrux inside the ring. He had worn the ring for the past four and a half years that he was sure the Horcrux hadn't been destroyed by anyone. The Horcrux just simply disappeared like puff of smoke, which left Tom reasonably enraged.

The ring had become useless like the rest of the artifacts that Tom had attained through the years.

He had worked hard for this moment! He had done a lot of unforgivable things that could make Dumbledore's beard curl. He had killed Hepzibah Smith to get the locket and the cup; framed a house elf and his uncle for the murders that they didn't commit; He had stolen the Gaunt Ring, murdered the Riddle Family, and murdered some more along the way.

He had left a trail of dead bodies behind him, and then came to Albania in search for the lost diadem.

"_But for what?!" _Tom thought; his lips curled in distaste_. "Nothing!"_

And with a roar, the entire room was thrown into chaos. The windows exploded in a shower of glass, the fire that kindled in the fireplace rose dangerously high, and the sofa and the table were thrown half-way across the room. Dark magic crackled in the air while Tom continued to unleash his rage. His eyes had a red tint to it already as the room became a total wreck with each passing minute.

Well, it had always been like that for the entire day for Tom. He had raged and destroyed half of the cabin, but then fixed it again once he had calmed down. But today was better than the last couple of days, where in Tom had spent most of his time starting a forest fire, uprooting trees, destroying boulders and killing wild animals. Tom had left a mark of total devastation in his wake. It had been a total destruction, but Tom hadn't stopped there. He had almost destroyed his cottage as well, until he realized that he didn't have a comfortable place to sleep anymore.

Today was just an ordinary day for Tom.

It was half an hour later when Tom finally calmed down. He looked around the room, but didn't feel any satisfaction with the destruction that he had created. So with a waved of his wand, he set the living room back to its original state. Within minutes, everything was back in place. He then sat back down on the sofa and stared at the flames in the fireplace, like nothing had happened just a short while ago.

Tom sighed while he stretched himself on the sofa, his head rested on the armchair. Tom felt tired all of a sudden. Maybe because he hadn't slept for two and half consecutive days.

"_Maybe I should rest_." Tom considered as he moved an arm to cover his face while his eyes fluttered shut. "_There's really nothing I could do at the moment._"

Tom couldn't look more human in that instance with his arm curled, almost protectively over his stomach while his long legs were lazily stretched before him. The front of his shirt was half opened, which showed his collar bone and tantalizing view of masculine chest; his shirt tails were wrinkled, was strewn messily around his waist. He was also wearing a pair of black trousers and black socks.

It was disquieting to think that the man in the sofa was the future Dark Lord, when he looked like any ordinary man his age; most especially with his dark, good looks and his lazy demeanor in the instance. It wasn't a surprise that Wizarding World didn't saw what was coming to them.

Tom Marvolo Riddle was really a force to be reckoned with.

But there was another person that everyone had underestimated, who turned out to be the greatest witch of her time.

A mudblood witch.

Tom didn't see what was coming for him, until it was right in his face.

* * *

It was half-past three in the morning, as what the clock indicated above the fireplace, when she simply came to existence.

There was no blinding light to accompany her sudden appearance in the room. Not even a whisper of a sound to announce her arrival to the inhabitant, who was sleeping in the sofa.

Hermione Granger seemed to simply materialize out of thin air, in the year 1950.

She was still unconscious when she shimmered into existence. Her body curled in the floor, next to the sofa where the other occupant of the room was still dozing off; both still unaware of each others presence.

It was half an hour later when Hermione started to regain consciousness. A soft groan escaped from her parted lips while her eyes fluttered open; a pair of chocolate, brown eyes instantly adjusting to the lighting of the room while she tried to move her limbs.

Hermione took in the new environment around her. She committed everything to memory as she noted the carpeted floor underneath her, the coffee table and the fireplace directly in her line of vision, and the sofa that she surely felt behind her back.

She was in someone's house, but it was clear to Hermione that this wasn't the house of any of her friends. The temperature around the room was nearly freezing, even with the fire still blazing at the hearth. Hermione couldn't help but shiver at the cold.

She deduced that she was not anywhere near Hogwarts castle or even in England. It had been spring season in England last time she checked. This sudden drop in climate temperature was an indication that Hermione was somewhere else. Hopefully, she wasn't transported far away from home.

She sat up from her curled position from the floor. Her limbs were still stiff as she raised herself up with her elbows. Hermione's muscles protested while she finally able to sit up straight. As she did so, her gaze fell instantly on the figure lying on the sofa.

She immediately froze.

Her startled eyes were wide as she openly gaped at the handsome man, sleeping soundly in the sofa.

Hermione Granger had never seen this man in her life.

The man had messy, black hair like Harry's and a handsome face, which looked like it was carved from pale marble with his hard and masculine features strongly etched on his face. He was sleeping fitfully that she didn't dare make a sound.

He looked like a sleeping, dark angel.

If Hermione didn't really know Harry Potter like she did, she would have mistaken the figure as her best friend at a first glace.

That thought alone elicited a sigh from Hermione, who continued to shameless stare at the oblivious man.

Hermione wondered if her friends had noticed her disappearance already.

She was still looking at the man distractedly that she hadn't noticed the miniscule movement underneath the man's eyelids. It was not until, the man's long, lashes fluttered open and a pair of breathtaking, cobalt blue eyes peered at her, did she realized that the stranger on the sofa was awake.

Hermione could only stare at him in silent horror.

She should have made an escape before the man had noticed her presence, but she had been so distracted to even think of escaping.

She didn't realize she was in trouble until it was too late.

* * *

Tom must have dozed off because he was suddenly brought up from his sleep by a sound close to him. He was sure that it wasn't his own breathing that he heard because it sounded more of a feminine sigh.

The moment Tom opened his eyes; his gaze instantly met a pair of curious, brown eyes coming from a woman who sat on the floor.

He blinked. Tom wasn't certain if he was still dreaming because the woman he saw looked so out of place. The woman wore scandalous clothes that Tom couldn't help but openly ogle at her, even it was unseemly of him to do so.

He had altogether stopped breathing. He seriously hadn't expected this-this oddity at all. His mind was whirring, as thousands of thoughts explaining the woman's presence, came rushing towards him.

There was a strange woman in his cottage; his cottage which Tom had place different kinds of wards so that, only he, can enter. A cottage which no one knows about, except him. Even his followers didn't know that he was in Albania.

So how was she able to pass through his wards?

His eyes narrowed. Tom reached for his wand, but before he could curse or kill her on the spot.

She said something to Tom that totally dumbfounded him.

"Err…Hi?"

* * *

**To be continued…..**

* * *

Please review!

I hope to hear your thoughts about the story.

I know there wasn't a lot of dialogue in this chapter. But I promise that there will be a lot of Tomione interaction in the later chapters.

Thank you for reading!


	2. The Wound

**Disclaimer: **The characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Warnings: **story contains; coarse language, violence (torture and murder), blood and gore, explicit lemons (Sorry. I don't have an account yet.) This is going to be a very DARK fic. It's really not suited for those who are gentle at heart and for minors.

**Wanted Beta Reader** for this category. For those who are interested, please PM me. Thank you.

**Author's note: **I apologize if I made a lot of grammar mistakes in this chapter. Grammar tenses have always been my weakness. I will update this story every Saturday or Sunday.

_Must know_

*words written in:

_Italic_-means they are thoughts

_**Bold and Italic**_-speaking in Parseltounge

* * *

_**Year 1950**_

_**Albania**_

"Err….Hi?" Hermione said, an uncertain smile curving her lips.

There was an awkward pause while the man look completely stunned. Neither moved as the clock ticked louder over the deafening silence inside the room. Tension mounted, heart started to race while they sized each other up and waited.

They didn't wait for long. As sparks flew out from the crackling fire, they moved in unison. In a span of a second, everything seemed to happen at once.

No words were uttered as they simultaneously burst into action. Wands were drawn up faster than a lightning bolt while they leaped to their feet.

With adrenaline pumping in her veins, Hermione moved swiftly as far away from the mysterious man as possible. Her movements were so swift that she was like a blur. Harry and Ron would have been proud. It was like her mind was seized by animal instinct. The sudden nagging feeling that the man wasn't an ordinary opponent also prompted her to take action.

And sure enough, as he shouted "Stupefy!" at the same time she shouted.

"Experlliarmus!"

Both of them intending to incapacitate or disarm one another.

Hermione ducked from the stunning spell. The man's intent to 'incapacitate first, and then asked questions later,' became apparent as he sent another spell at her. Not giving her room to regain her momentum.

"Incarcerous!"

Hermione watched as the ropes came towards her. There was no point in trying to explain or talk things out with the man since they were already beyond the point to have polite conversation. The man really wanted her incapacitated, but she wasn't going down without a fight. She would show him that she wasn't an easy person to be trifled with.

Swiftly, she cast a non-verbal spell.

"_Reducto." _the jet of white light went straight towards the ropes, but she didn't wait for the spell to hit its mark. Instantly, she sent another spell towards the man; one after the other.

"_Diffindo! __Petrificus Totalus! Immobulus!__" _She screamed in her mind.

A look of astonishment flashed over the man's face, before it darkened into fury as he deflected her spell and then cast a strong shield in front of him, where the last two of her spells collided against it.

It was blatantly obvious that the man had underestimated her. Hermione observed and savored her moment of triumph. Non-verbal spells was useful for surprised attacks, and the man had taken it. While the man was still in his shield charm, Hermione took this chance to look around for a nearby exit.

Hermione had been looking for an escape route when she felt the rush of raw magic shooting towards her. Without a moment's thought, she ducked and ran. She heard glass breaking and wood splintering behind her as she ran for cover.

The man had sent four unknown curses at her, and she didn't want to find out what they were. Judging from the murderous look on the man's face, she knew they were dark and unpleasant.

"_Bloody Hell!_" She inwardly screeched as she scurried, almost tripping over broken glasses and destroyed furniture while she cast a strong shield charm around her. Yet the spells that the man had sent were still too strong.

One scarlet spell broke through her shield and continued rushing towards her.

"Damn!"

She ducked. The spell just missed an inch of Hermione's head as she dove inside an open door. The wood splintered where her head had been just a second ago, and blue flames erupted from the wood and

Finally safe from the man's firing range, she took this time to catch her breath while she hid beside the door frame. She positioned herself beside the door frame. Her wand at a ready in front of her while she carefully listened outside. The door was completely ajar and the enemy was still out there.

She quickly cast a disillusionment charm over herself; afraid that the man would unexpectedly apparate inside the room and attack her. A disillusionment charm was the only way to prevent Hermione from getting detected easily. Hermione preferred that she still have the element of surprised.

Hermione cast a quick scan around the room while she waited for the man's next move. Apparently, this wasn't her day at all because she found herself inside a bedroom; a bedroom with a queen size bed, a side table, a wardrobe, and a small desk and chair right beside a window; a window which was her only exit at the moment.

She calculated that it would take half a minute for her to cross the room, open the window and jump out. Those precious seconds would be wasted if she still wore her troublesome stilettos, and without a moment's pause she uttered a simple spell to remove her sandals from her feet, and then crossed the room towards the window.

She was lucky because the moment she detached herself from the wall, there was an explosion. The loud and strong blast from behind her pushed her forward, and nearly knocking her off her feet.

Hermione heard him come in and she immediately straightened. Glancing around, she instantly shivered when she saw his red-tinged eyes. She was a dead woman if she couldn't make her escape.

He didn't see her as his gaze travelled around the room. It had been a wise decision that she had cast the disillusionment charm on her. Hermione allowed herself a brief sense of relief while she quietly moved towards the window. She was grateful that the floor was carpeted since it muffled the sound of her footfalls.

However, the man must have a super hearing because his eyes instantly zeroed on her, which elicited an involuntary gasp from Hermione.

Honed by years of training and experience, Hermione already had her wand up before he could cast a spell, and sent all the furniture in the room racing towards him. The commotion would distract him while Hermione weighed on her escape options.

Trying to apparate would be stupid. The house probably had a lot of wards around, so Hermione hadn't considered apparating out as an option. The window was sealed shut. She would lose precious seconds if she tried to pry it open, which would give the man enough time to catch up to her.

That left her with one option, which the man had provided to her unintentionally. Hermione just couldn't believe that she hadn't thought about it before.

She watched from the corner of her eye as the man avoided the objects that sailed towards him like missiles. She heard him cursed underneath his breath while he flicked his wand to cast the counter spell. Hermione didn't wait for him to finish the spell as she quickly pointed her wand at the wall where the window was.

"Bombarda maxima!" She shouted.

A shower of broken glasses, dust and debris flew everywhere that Hermione had to cover her head while she jumped through the huge hole that she had created.

Not caring about the glasses and splintered wood that sliced and cut against her skin, Hermione ran. The wounds were only superficial. It was better than what the man had in store for her if she remained within his radar.

It was still dark outside, but the light from the house gave Hermione a good outline of her surroundings. She tried to apparate but couldn't. There were still a lot of wards within the perimeter. So she kept on running; giving herself as much distance from the man.

Normally, wizards or witches set their wards approximately ten to fifteen meters encompassing the house. As for the raving lunatic who wanted to murder her, Hermione guessed that the wards he had set where somewhere between twenty to thirty meters from the house. She just had to run thirty meters before the crazy man could catch up to her.

Hermione didn't turn to look behind her to know that the man was hot on her heels. Her disillusionment charm was an advantage as she blindly veered through thickets and shrubs while jets of light rushed pass her, one of them narrowly hitting her but none of them really made a direct hit.

She ran in a zigzag. Even though Hermione was invisible, she still made an awful lot of sounds as she swept through bushes. Leaves rustled and branches crunched underneath her feet as she leaped and sprinted. She could feel her feet bleeding but she didn't care.

Her wounds were the last of her worries. The thing that she needed to worry about was the sudden foreboding silence that came from behind her. Her pursuer seemed to have stop, but Hermione didn't turn to investigate. She was afraid that it might be a ruse.

Instead, she sprinted faster.

Ten meters more and Hermione would have reached the apparition point, until she felt it. The static that made the hair on her arms stood on end. She paused, and then realization dawned over her. This time, she didn't think twice of turning around to look, her suspicion was confirmed as a white light surged in every direction, blasting away everything that stood on its path. It was a spell that could throw back surrounding enemies in one simultaneous blast.

Fortunately, Hermione had been far away from the man that she still had time to flatten herself on the ground before it could reach her. The sound of whooshing became deafening as the shock wave rushed in her direction at an incredible speed. Tall shrubs and trees snapped back as the shock wave swept pass.

She tensed as she felt the shock wave neared. It made all the hair in her body crackle with electricity, but she needn't have to worry as it swept over her head. Everything around her crackled for a while before it disappeared. Broken branches and leaves fell over her as she waited for the pulsing shock wave to disperse.

When all of it was over, she slumped to the ground, quivering with relief.

She was grateful for her quick-thinking, because the only disadvantage about the spell is that, it can't blast away enemies who were already lying on the ground. If Hermione had kept on running when the man had released the spell, it would have rendered her unconscious and injured, which had been the man's intent in the first place. She hoped that's what her adversary was assuming in that instant. It would surely give her an edge to launch her next attack.

It seemed Hermione had underestimated her adversary. The man was obviously highly intelligent. He must be an avid reader like her to know the shock wave spell.

She stayed still on the ground and listened carefully. She was fortunate that she had taken cover from one of the bushes. Her disillusionment charm was still in place, but the bush still provided Hermione a sense of security from her enemy while she waited.

It didn't take a minute when she heard him moving through the thickets. He was purposely heading in her direction, and he sounded furious. The air around seemed to turn scorching cold with dark and angry magic, which didn't bode well for her.

She had to pretend to be unconscious by now, and when he was near, Hermione would attack. Deciding that it was the only choice that she had at the moment than running, Hermione willed her body to calm down. Her heart was raising fast, fear and anticipation fleeted on her mind as she waited for the enemy to come to her. She had to bite her lip and inhale through her nose to stifle her heavy breathing.

As she lay there, she finally noticed the throbbing pain all over her body. She could feel the trickle of blood coming from the gashes and cuts that she had obtained. The soles of her feet were bleeding as well. Even her white dress, which was nearly in tatters, didn't provide her the protection that she needed from the harshness of the forest floor. Rocks, branches and leaves were scraping against her fresh wounds that Hermione had to clench her teeth to keep from groaning.

The sound of heavy footfall became loud as the man drew close. He was about two meters away from her when he slowed down. Hermione's brows knitted. She wondered what had interrupted the man's progress.

"_**Find her."**_

Hermione remained frozen on her spot after she heard the command. An overwhelming sense of dread flooded her when she realized what the words meant.

The man was no longer alone. He had someone with him.

It was not until she eventually heard the soft rustle of grass and the hiss that followed, did Hermione realized that her predicament had gone from bad to worst.

A medium-size green snake slipped through the bushes where Hermione hid. She went rigid as the snake stopped in front of her. She knew that the snake couldn't see her yet, but it won't be long when it would.

"_The man is a parselmouth!"_ She realized in panic and watched as the snake's tongue came out to savor the air. The moment that it did, Hermione knew that her jig was up. She wasn't disappointed as the snake's predatory eyes were ultimately fixes on her.

"_**She's here master."**_

Hermione stilled, unsure if she heard the snake correctly.

"What did you just say?" She blurted.

The snake blinked at the question, as if startled. But before either of them could say anything to each other again, they both heard someone barreling towards them.

Hermione's heart leaped to her throat. She didn't wait for the man to reach her when she bolted from her hiding place and hastily fired. She acted on instinct and hadn't thought twice of casting that spell, until it was too late.

"_Concisus Vulnero!"_

Her spell hit the man squarely in the chest, who obviously hadn't expected it. The looked of astonishment flashed across his face before he staggered back. Hermione could only watched in horror as blood began to blossom on the man's front shirt.

Suddenly realizing what she had done, she had taken unconscious step towards him, and had thought of healing him when she saw the look of rage in the man's face. She halted. Even during the war, Hermione hadn't really fatally injured anyone.

A stabbing pain went across Hermione's chest. She gasped; her hand went towards the painful area and felt something wet.

"You little chit!" The injured man hiss as he tried to heal his wound, but the blood kept flowing. The crimson blood had stained most his front shirt, and Hermione watched through pain-filled eyes as the man collapsed on the ground on one knee. The hard planes of his face etched in a murderous rage while his hand was pressed on his chest to staunch the bleeding.

"What have you done to me?" He groaned but didn't give her the time to respond because what he said next nearly brought Hermione to her knees as well.

It's been nearly a year since she had heard the curse.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The blood in Hermione's veins thundered as a jet of green light came rushing towards her. She was still in pain but the adrenaline in her system force her to move. She clumsily flipped to the side, tripped, and fell. The killing curse missed her by an fraction, and it hit the tree behind her where it shattered the bark.

She slammed into the ground. The force of her fall knocked the breath out of her. She didn't dare move as the dull throb on her chest had intensified into an excruciating pain. She didn't need to look to know that it was heavily bleeding.

"_How could this be?"_ She thought. She didn't remember being hit on the chest. Hermione moaned in pain while she dispelled the disillusionment charm on herself to look at the wound.

Nothing registered on Hermione as she pressed her hands on her chest. Not even the man's new command.

"_**Nagini, Kill her!"**_

The pain on her chest nearly drove every thought from her mind as she curled herself into a tight ball. The injury felt like the same one that she had cast towards the man, but she didn't know how she had gotten it. It truly baffled her.

She was still in a curled position when she heard something move near her feet.

"_**You cannot escape me girl."**_

All of a sudden, the snake was upon her. It reared its head and look like it was about to strike. Hermione instantly clenched her eyes shut, and waited.

Nothing happened.

"_**You hurt my master."**_

Hermione took this opportunity to take a peek, and her gaze met the snake's intent gaze as it waited for her to respond.

"Your master deserved it." She gritted out. The pain on her chest still throbbed. The front of her dress was now soaked with blood. "He was trying to kill me."

The snake was silent for a while. It stared at her in curiosity. Hermione remained still, her face screwed in an agonized expression. Then to her surprised, the snake lowered its head while its eyes became less predatory.

"_**He is hurt." **_The snake said. _**"Fix him."**_

Hermione could only frown in reaction.

"Why should I?" She whispered. Although she had felt guilty when she had cast the spell, but Hermione was certain that the man would kill her first before he would allow her near him.

"_**Fix him and I let you live."**_

"No." Hermione said. How could she heal a man who tried to kill her? Most importantly, how could she heal the man when she was injured herself?

"_**Fix him or you die!"**_

Hermione was aggravated. Merlin. The snake was really starting to irk her. She was also puzzled by the fact that she was able to talk to the snake. Hermione wasn't a parcelmouth, but how come she could communicate with it? She considered it for a moment but no idea came to her.

Hermione turned her attention back to the snake, which immediately made its threats known again by rearing its head.

"_**Fix my master or I kill you."**_

"I am also injured." She stated; her eyes went to the blood stain on her chest before she looked back at the snake. "I no longer have any strength."

"_**Find strength." **_The snake hissed while it raised its head high in a threatening manner.

_**"Fine."** _Hermione groaned. It wasn't an option anymore.

She grunted as she forced herself to sit up. She could barely manage it as she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain. Blood soaked her entire front and she knew that it wouldn't be long enough before she bled to death.

"_**Come." **_The snake hissed as it slithered towards its master.

As it slithered away, Hermione thought of making an escape but decided against it. She was badly injured. The snake would be on her before she could take a step to freedom.

Hermione clenched her teeth and followed. She half crawled, and half stumbled towards the semiconscious man on the ground. It seemed Hermione hadn't been the only one who was wounded badly, as she noted the gashes and cuts on the man's face and arms. Like her, blood had completely soaked the man's shirt. His face had turned deathly pale and there was a pool of blood underneath him.

He was obviously losing blood faster than her.

The snake must have realized it too because it abruptly fixed its eyes on her.

"_**Fix him now!"**_

Hermione obliged and crumpled to the ground where she lay down next to the man; her strength finally left her.

The man stirred slightly and Hermione immediately felt uneasy as she lay there close to him.

"_**Nagini... did you kill her?"**_ He murmured; his voice barely audible.

The snake didn't respond. Hermione, too, was silent. The man seemed to be unaware of Hermione's presence beside him. It must be because he was already drifting in and out of consciousness.

He didn't talk after that.

She stared at the face beside her before she pulled out her wand.

"_**Kill him and I kill you." **_The snake warned from behind.

Hermione ignored it. She wasn't scared of the snake when she knew she would die soon. But before she could let that happen, Hermione needed to save the man. It hadn't been her intention to kill him. She had acted on instinct. She really didn't mean to hit him with that curse; the curse that she had accidentally created. Now, she felt ashamed of its creation as she looked at the bloody man.

His blood would be on her hands if he died. Hermione could never forgive herself. Enemy or not, she didn't desire death for him. She would save him even if it will drain her. After all, she was the only one who can heal him.

Hermione looked at the man regretfully.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to him while placed her wand arm flat on his chest. The man didn't stir at her touch. His shirt was soaking wet with blood but Hermione ignored it. She was getting tired. She couldn't lift her head to look at the wound, but the position of her wand would be enough to cast the healing spell.

"Vulnus Curatio." She murmured while she closed her eyes. She knew casting the spell once wouldn't completely heal the deep wound on the man's chest. So Hermione repeated it four more times while she felt her magic drained from her.

When she was finished, she just stayed there; her body had become heavy that she couldn't move. She could feel that her blood had pooled underneath her, mixing that of the man. Her head lay beside the man's, and Hermione couldn't resist from scrutinizing his face. She really wondered why an evil man like him had such a beautiful face as she noted the rakish curl of black hair on his forehead, the fringe of long lashes, the strong masculine jaw, the straight nose and lastly, his perfect lips.

It must be a crime to have lips like his. Hermione decided when she realized that she had been staring at it longer than she desired, and observed that it was slowly gaining color. It was no longer pale; her healing charm had worked as she noticed that the rest of his face was also gaining color.

Hermione sighed in relief. She was satisfied to have done something good, even if it was someone who wanted to kill her.

"_**How is master?"**_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the hiss of the snake. Hermione had almost forgotten about it.

"He's fine now." She muttered weakly.

There was a silent pause, and then the snake said.

"_**Fix yourself."**_

Hermione was startled that the snake even remembered that she was injured. She was slightly grateful the reminder and silently made a mental check on herself. Her brows furrowed as she inwardly inspected the extent of her injury. It was odd. She only felt a dull ache on her chest. The blood had stopped bleeding, but Hermione was exhausted. She couldn't heal the rest of her wounds if she wanted to.

She was about to respond to the snake when she heard the bay of the wolf in the distance. Instantly, every muscle on Hermione's body tensed at the haunting sound. Then, her fear mounted when she heard the answering call from another wolf, and another, and another until it was a chorus of wolves howling. The sound sent a chill to Hermione as she laid there. It was still dark and Hermione knew that the scent of her blood and the man's had already attracted a number of predators in the area.

It wouldn't take long before the wolves found them.

"_**Find shelter!"**_

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the snake. She felt it slid over her body and then over to its master, where it looked at her.

"_**Wolves will come." **_It informed her. _**"Go find shelter."**_

"I can't." Hermione mumbled softly; her eyes, even though they were bright with fear, were starting to get heavy while dark spots dance across her vision. "I can't move anymore."

"_**My master is asleep."**_

"Do you mean unconscious?" She corrected as she closed her eyes.

"_**Yes."**_

Apparently, the snake really didn't care at all if she was exhausted or dying, but the fear of being devoured alive by wolves overpowered the rest of her thoughts.

"Fine." Hermione released a heavy sigh, and with that, she summoned the last ounce of her magic and created a strong and protective barrier. The red orb materialized and solidified around them.

The shield had just settled down on the ground when Hermione's eyes started to droop. A few seconds later, she finally succumbed to the beckoning darkness.

_**"My master is in your debt."**_

She heard the snake say before the darkness completely swallowed her.

* * *

His eyes fluttered opened, and was immediately blinded by the mid-morning light that streamed through the trees. He blinked the bright spots that appeared in his eyes and used this moment to drink in his surroundings.

Tom realized that he was lying in the forest floor with something warm and soft pressed to his side. There was also something heavy splayed on top of his chest while he could feel soft breathing right next to his ear. Curious, he turned his face to the side, and instantly stiffened when he found himself staring at a female face. A face so close to his that Tom could clearly see the faint freckles that dusted on her cheeks, the thick lashes that curled upwards and the little mole on the corner of her right eye.

Their faces were just an inch apart that his nose was nudging against hers, but she didn't seem to be aware of his scrutiny as her eyes remained shut. He continued to stare at her, unable to tear his gaze away from the innocent look on the woman's face.

He was brought to his senses when the woman suddenly let out a sigh. Memories of what happened earlier came rushing back to him, and as he remembered, his murderous rage returned ten-fold.

He was about to shove the woman away from him when she did something unexpected. She suddenly moved; her lips accidentally brushing against his and he immediately went rigid with astonishment. Completely stunned, he didn't do anything when the woman's tongue flicked against his lower lip.

Then, she leaned closer and molded her lips against his, and started kissing him thoroughly. His breathing hitched and something stirred inside him as the woman started nibbling and licking his lower lip, asking for entry.

He didn't let her.

He was certain that the woman was probably dreaming of someone else as she continued to kiss him with unrestrained passion.

Entirely at lost about the entire situation, he stayed unresponsive.

However, the instant she bit his lip hard, he couldn't prevent the surprise gasp that escaped from his lips. The moment that he did, he felt the woman's tongue slipped in his mouth and started kissing him deeply. She tasted and explored him, making him groan in unsuppressed need when she found his tongue and sucked hard. The action sending jolts of pleasure and dark, forbidden lust racing up his spine. He involuntarily shuddered. His fury completely obliterated as her tongue continued to assault him.

Unbridled lust clouded his mind when he finally succumbed to her.

He rolled and pressed his body tightly against hers, and kissed her in return with the same ardor, growling when he felt her luscious body arching in response. His stomach tightened when she finally opened her mouth, and heard her moan when he delved in to savor and taste her. A low grumble of approval reverberated in his chest when he finally tasted the vanilla flavor in her tongue.

She was sweet and intoxicating that he started to lose himself in her. His entire body was already tight and hard with desire when a voice interrupted.

"_**Master,"**_

The word abruptly brought his attention back to the present. Tom tore his lips from the woman, and blinked. He was breathing hard and his eyes were dark with need. He stared at the woman underneath him, noting her swollen lips, her flushed skin, and her eyes which remained shut.

Realization flooded his senses and he was totally disgusted about what he had done. He just kissed an unconscious woman! A woman who had nearly killed him! Bloody Hell!

He mentally admonished himself.

"_**Master."**_ He heard Nagini repeat, which grated his nerves.

"_**What Nagini?" **_He snapped.

He didn't know why he was angry at her, maybe because she had interrupted him? He scowled at the thought while he rolled away from the tempting woman, and stood up. He cringed when he felt his entire body protesting. The wound on his chest was healed but the rest of his injuries were not. Blood and dirt covered his clothes and skin, while he felt light-headed as he abruptly stood up.

He really needed to have that blood-replenishing potion.

"_**What is it that you want?"**_ Tom asked calmly this time.

Nagini didn't answer while she gazed up at him, then her eyes flickered towards the woman on the ground, before going back to him and giving him an odd look.

He ignored the look. He really didn't want to hear any of Nagini's opinion right now as he glanced back at the prone form on the ground. There were a lot of unanswered questions that he wanted to ask the snake, especially concerning the woman. His piercing gaze returned to the snake that was lazily lying at the foot of a tree.

"_**Nagini,"**_ He drawled, his voice laced with coldness. _**"Why is the woman still alive?"**_

There was a slight pause while he waited for the snake to answer.

"_**I let her fix master."**_ Nagini explained indifferently.

Tom eyed her coldly.

"_**I thought I ordered you to kill her?" **_He asked in a dangerous tone._** "Why is that you failed to follow my order?"**_

Nagini was quiet for a while before she answered again.

"_**She speaks to me."**_

"_**What do you mean she speaks to you?" **_He growled in exasperation.

"_**She speaks the tongue." **_

"_**Do you mean she is a parcelmouth?" **_He asked;his brows shot up in amazement.

"_**Yesss," **_

"_**But that is impossible." **_He frowned. _**"I am the last heir to Salazar Slytherin."**_

"_**Perhaps she is distant relative?" **_Nagini suggested silkily.

He glared at the snake.

"_**No, I would have known if I have any relatives left. She is a stranger."**_

"_**But she speaks the tongue." **_The snake reiterated.

"_**Perhaps you are mistaken, Nagini?"**_ He asked, getting angry.

"_**No, master. The girl speaks snake."**_

Tom sneered at the snake's impertinence but didn't do anything. If it was another person, he would have killed them already.

"_**We will just see once she regains consciousness." **_He hissed and turned his attention back to the woman.

"_**Meanwhile, I shall make plans for the woman ."**_ He said, a cruel smile curling his lips as he ran his dark eyes over her, glancing at the blood and dirt the caked most of her body. Then, his eyes involuntarily drifted towards her lips once again and remembered the sweet taste of vanilla.

When he realized where his gaze had landed, he immediately wrenched his eyes from the woman, totally angry with himself.

"_**She will receive severe punishment for what she has done." **_He promised, trying to forget where his thoughts had been not a moment ago.

"_**She saved master twice." **_Nagini suddenly informed.

Tom turned to her, and frowned.

"_**Why is it that I feel like you are protecting her, Nagini?" **_He asked in a dangerous tone, noticing the slight tensing of the snake at the question.

"_**No, master." **_She assured. _**"I do not protect the girl."**_

"_**I see," **_He whispered, still eyeing her. _**"She saved me twice, you say?"**_

"_**Yesss."**_

"_**Hmn.." **_Tom mumbled as he regarded the snake. "_**Nagini, you should know by now that I don't care if the woman saved me twice or not. She is an intruder. She nearly killed me and she should be punished for it."**_

"_**Yes, master." **_

"_**Is there anything else you want to tell me?"**_

"_**No, master."**_

"_**Then, we should head back to the cottage." **_He said dismissively while he raised his wand and pointed it at the woman in the ground.

"Mobilicorpus."

* * *

When Tom arrived at the half-destroyed cottage, he immediately set up in restoring everything. He had the walls back up again and repaired all the broken furniture within an hour. The woman was still unconscious but Tom decided to restrain her, and had Nagini watched her while he cleaned and healed himself.

After he had taken the blood-replenishing potion, he focused his attention to his injuries. As he looked in the mirror, he was disappointed to see the faint scar on his chest. Upon closer inspection, Tom knew that the wound had been deep and hard to heal. The rest of his injuries were just minor cuts and bruises, but soon found out that they were unusual. Some of the cuts didn't heal when he tried to use different kinds of healing charm on it. It was really odd since the other cuts had healed without even leaving a scar.

Something was really strange about the cuts. Even after he had taken a bath and tried healing it again, the wounds remained. He started to suspect that the woman was behind this problem.

After putting on some fresh clothes and running a comb to his hair, Tom finally went in to check on the woman. He had left her in the living area, where he had suspended her in mid-air and tied her ankles and wrist with invisible bindings. Her wand was already in his possession but he still took extra precaution with the woman.

"_**Nagini, is she awake?"**_ He asked once he came out from the bedroom.

"_**No, master." **_

The snake was lying on the sofa while she watched the hovering woman just near the fireplace.

"_**She is asleep."**_

"Hmn.."He murmured, striding towards the woman.

As he stood in front of her, Tom studied her. He had purposely suspended the woman a foot from the ground so that he could look at her eye-to-eye once she woke up, but at the moment the woman had her head hang low, and had her brown curls hiding her face.

He brushed the hair away from her face and tipped her head up.

There were movements underneath her eyelids but she remained unconscious. She was probably dreaming of something and couldn't help but wonder what it was. He let go of her chin and looked down at her entire form. His cold, blue eyes settled on the dried blood on her front dress.

"_**Nagini, How did she get the injury in her chest?" **_

"_**I do not know, master." **_The snake replied while she slithered down from the sofa to the carpeted floor. _**"She was injured when master was injured."**_

"_**Interesting."**_ He mumbled, his eyes intently looking at the blood stain. _**"I remembered that none of my curses hit her. I wonder where she got this."**_

He touched the dried blood, ignoring the fact that he was touching a woman's chest.

Suddenly curious about the wound, he decided to take a closer look.

"_**Perhaps, I should better take a look at the wound." **_He said while he drew out his wand but hesitated, suddenly a bit unsure of himself. Thinking that he was just being foolish, he flicked his wand and the woman's tattered dress slid down from her body, bearing her to him; except for the pink knickers that covered her most private place.

The instant the dress hit the floor. He soon regretted it as he found himself unable to resist from gazing at the naked body in front of him. His initial thought of examining the wound vanished, and was replaced by something far more strong and potent.

Without even knowing it, his had already reached for her. His fingers were brushing against the soft skin of her waist while his eyes had darkened at the contact, but didn't do more when he suddenly realized what he was doing.

He stilled and closed his eyes. Breathing harshly as he tried to reign down the desire that came over him. He was still shaken by what he had done. This was the second time that he almost lost his self-control. The lust that he felt was abnormal. He hadn't experience such a strong and raw emotion before. Even in the past where he had a fair share in woman, his emotion was always under his control.

Women practically threw themselves at him. They had been beautiful and almost perfect but they didn't make him lose his rationality.

There was something about this woman that made him react so strongly to her, but he didn't know what it was. There was no denying that he was attracted to her.

The woman was still a complete mystery to him, and he really needed some answers now before he totally lost his control.

"_**She is perfect mate for master." **_Nagini suddenly said.

He froze.

"_**What do you mean by that, Nagini?" **_He gritted out, quickly taking his hand off the woman as if burned.

"_**Master likes to mate the girl."**_ Nagini observed bluntly.

His face hardened at the outrageous statement. By Nagini's words "mate with the girl" could also refer to him "having sex with the girl" which was just completely out of the question, since the woman had nearly killed him, and he was certain that he would kill her when he was done with her.

"_**Nagini, don't you remember that the woman nearly killed me?"**_ He reminded her, his eyes narrowing.

_What was wrong with the snake?_ He wondered angrily. Since the woman appeared, Nagini seemed to have taken a liking to her, which was totally unacceptable for him.

"_**The girl also likes to mate with master."**_

Completely incensed, he spat out.

"_**Don't you have something to do, Nagini?!" **_

The snake just gave him an affronted look before slithering away. Tom watched her leave through glacial eyes. When she disappeared out of sight, he swiveled back the woman in front of him, and resumed his initial task.

Ignoring the woman's unclothed form, he started inspecting the wound. He cleaned the dried blood off her skin and closely examined the scar on her chest, while trying to keep his eyes off from wandering over some 'dangerous' areas. He was quite surprised to see the faint scar on her chest. It was a perfect replica to the one that he had on his chest.

Tom knew that this wasn't purely coincidental as he moved his attention to the other injuries that the woman had attained. His eyes fell on the cut near her collar bone. It looked like the cut that he had on his collar bone, which didn't disappear when he tried healing it earlier.

Acting out of plain assumption, he healed the cut on the woman's collar bone. As the cut disappeared, Tom touched the cut on his collar bone, and wasn't surprised when it was no longer there.

He didn't stop there as he continued to heal the cuts on the woman's body, and checking his cuts for confirmation. The cuts on his body healed the same way as the woman did.

It seemed that his assumptions were correct. He and the woman had shared the same injuries. And he was about to heal a wound on the woman's right arm when he finally saw the scar; the faint scar near her wrist.

He froze, his eyes running over the distinguished letters.

_**Mudblood.**_

When he read the word again, something inside him snapped.

Tom immediately recoiled from the woman. Fury, revulsion and hatred flashed across his face as he glared at her, suddenly seeing her in a new light. A sound of self-disgust escaped from his lips when he recalled what he did to her. He had kissed and touched a _mudblood_!

It was utterly shameful!

And the thing that really infuriated him was that he had liked it, and had allowed himself to feel lust for her; her, a mudblood, of unworthy and filthy blood, had made him desire her and who nearly killed him.

His eyes glittered with self-loathing, revulsion and fury as he glowered menacingly at her.

She would pay.

She would suffer.

He will destroy her. He would make sure of that.

Driven by too many negative emotions, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the woman.

"_Renervate." _He snarled._  
_

Now, the torture begins.

_**To be continued….**_

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that Tom and Hermione weren't that out of character here. I also made Tom address Nagini like a person because I think Lord Voldermort treated her as more than a pet or an animal. As for Nagini, I hope she wasn't acting out of character. The reason for her obvious fascination with Hermione will be explain in the later chapters. For the moment, it will still remain a mystery. The same goes for Tom's reaction to Hermione.

So please review!

It would be great if you do. I really like to hear other people's opinions about the story.


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