Green Eyes

It really is ironic, Hermione thought as she walked towards her first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson the next day, that my only class with the most formidable Dark Lord of all time should be DADA. She sighed. Fate definitely had it in for her.

To say she was nervous would be an understatement.

Taking her place in the classroom with the other students, she felt rather than saw Riddle enter. His eyes immediately started burning smouldering holes into her shoulder blades. She did not return his gaze, although she had to continually fight the urge to turn and watch what he was doing, like a sunflower turning towards the sun.

Their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was a gruff old ex-Auror who reminded Hermione of a female Mad Eye Moody. The only person at that time to have duelled Grindelwald and lived, Professor Merrythought clearly knew her stuff. It took the Professor about five minutes to single Hermione out as one of her ‘gifted’ students, which would have been fine with Hermione, except for the fact that Riddle seemed to be the only other person in this 'gifted' club.

“Today I’d like to work on the Depulso charm, students,” she said, as she divided the class into pairs. “As you know, it is used to relocate objects and people to different places. Remember that this spell can be used both offensively and defensively," Professor Merrythought continued. "Cast it on an approaching opponent to move them ten metres backwards - enough to gain you a few seconds thinking time in a duel. Cast it on yourself and relocate yourself to a more favourable fighting position - it's quicker than apparating."

Reaching Hermione, she paused. “Hart, I'd like you to pair up with Riddle here - you two seem a good match. Now everyone, out onto the Hogwarts greens to practice!"

Out on the lawn under a leaden grey sky, Hermione mentally steadied herself before turning to meet the cool, overcast eyes of her partner. He stood nearly a head over her, and she stopped herself from chill wind swept his mahogany hair sideways across his face, as he raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Shall we begin?" It wasn't a question. It was a challenge.

Taking up duelling positions across from each other, Hermione was struck by a wave of guilt. This is why I came back in the first place. To face Riddle and kill him, fair and square. Exactly why haven’t I managed to do that in nearly two weeks in this time period?

Before she could answer her own question, Riddle raised his wand, and with a quiet "Depulso" blasted Hermione to the ground ten metres away with unbelievable force. Hermione groaned, feeling idiotic for letting her guard down - around Riddle, of all people.

"My, you are talented, Miss Hart," came Riddle's drawl across the wind. "However, should you ever find yourself in a real duel, you might want to put that wand away and just beg for mercy. Your pretty little face ... and that little pure-blooded body...would get you farther with any dark wizard than that pathetic display."

Hermione saw red. In one speech he had managed to insult her magical skill, degrade her as a female, and flaunt his belief in Pureblood supremacy. Picking herself up slowly, she advanced on the man. With reflexes trained by years of war, she began to flick her wand smoothly this way and that, muttering one curse after another. "Expelliarmus. Stupefy. Expulso. Flipendo. Fiendfyre. Locomotor Mortis. Lacarnum Inflamare. Petrificus Totalus." Her face was a mask of cold, calculated anger as she kept up this battering ram of spells - the culmination of her hate for Tom Riddle and the monster he would become. As her Gryffindor robes billowed behind her in the wind, and as her striking green eyes spit sparks, she looked like some gothic archangel.

After all, it had been no accident that she alone had been left standing after that terrible massacre at Hogwarts.

Riddle's eyes had flashed in surprise as he saw the fragile, dark-haired Irish waif in front of him morph into the formidable assassin she truly was. However, his reflexes were just as sharp, and he automatically wrenched his wand up to block curse after curse. The two stood in a silent dance, eyes locked coolly and neither making a sound as bolts of multicoloured light flashed across the lawn, distorting their faces into weird shapes and shadows. None of the other classmates had noticed that a duel worthy of the greatest wizards of the age (they didn't know of course, that Riddle and Hermione were two of the greatest wizards of the age) was going on in their midst, as the various pairs were spread far and wide across the greens.

Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw Riddle's chiselled face suddenly break into a twisted, beautiful smirk. It was the first emotion she had ever seen him display. He was enjoying this? He was calmly blocking each curse with ease, and was letting Hermione come closer and closer without once casting an offensive spell. He seemed almost bored.

Finally Hermione came to a halt a metre away from Riddle, looking up at him icily as she blasted him with spell after spell.

He leant over her as he blocked her Incarcerous. "I'm curious." he whispered, his stormy eyes mocked her, intense and taunting. "What were you planning on doing now?"

Hermione looked up at him, and gave him a bitter smile. 'This.'

Riddle managed to look slightly confused for a split second before receiving a Depulso curse full in the face. Hermione stalked off, leaving Riddle on his lying on his back ten metres away.

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A/N: Yay! I lurve this chapter. What did you guys think? Thanks for the awesome (and perceptive) comments so far.