Author: Artemis

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Timeline: 6th year story

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 1 – Encounter by moonlight

Pairings: Very mild Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger

Summary: The night of Halloween is also the night of Samhain Lore, when the veil between the world is the thinnest and ancient magic reigns. In this night, Hermione has a mysterious encounter on the Astronomy Tower. A figment of her imagination or true magic? TR/HG

Author's note: This was written in a sleepless night, when I was plagued from insomnia, so don't expect it to make all that much sense laughs I know that the meeting is very unrealistic, it's just a little piece of fun writing (and reading, too, I hope). It was originally planned as a one-shot, then I got an idea for a second chapter, maybe I'll add a third chapter, it depends on the ideas I have and if people like this story.

Sleepless

Chapter 1: Encounter by moonlight

Hermione counted the steps of the Astronomy Tower as she walked up the staircase. It was an awfully long journey, especially when you were tired and just clad in your night-shirt and a hastily donned cloak, the counting didn't made the journey seem any shorter, but at least it kept her so much focused that she didn't had to fear that she would fall asleep on the staircase and tumble down it.

Hermione drew her thick winter cloak tighter around her slender body.

Who would have guessed that it would be already so chilly for Halloween?

She felt confident as she stepped into the round room at the top of the Astronomy Tower. No one beside her would be here and so she couldn't get into trouble. She'd still heard partying noises from the Great Hall as she sneaked past it, Filch and Snape had already been completely smashed by the time that she had left the Halloween Feast and no other teacher would miss out on a perfectly good party to terrorise the students.

Hermione halted in mid-step and gasped.

A boy who looked like a sixth- or seventh-year was leisurely draped on the banister of the Astronomy Tower. His back rested against the solid wall on one side of the "window", while his slightly bent legs rested on the banister itself. His arms were crossed behind his head and he looked completely enraptured by the sight of the stars and the moon.

Hermione felt panic flood her.

The Astronomy Tower was like the rest of Hogwarts built from solid stone. But just a strong gust of wind could already topple the boy who reclined so precariously on the fine line between life and death.

Her first thought was that he was about to commit suicide. But there was nothing depressive or sad about him, he looked proud, thoughtful and graceful, not like someone who was about to put an end to the misery of his life.

The boy's head swivelled around to her. His face was schooled into an expression of complete lack of expression. "I don't plan to die tonight", he said softly in a deep, pleasant voice. He sounded faintly bemused.

Hermione realised that her horror and fear must have clearly showed, but at the moment, she didn't care, she was just relieved that he had confirmed her hopes. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad", she whispered.

It felt wrong to speak louder than a whisper, this whole encounter was so surreal and dreamlike that Hermione feared it might shatter just like a dream if she made a wrong sound.

He turned back to the stars, he was apparently content with a companionable silence.

Hermione was grateful that he didn't insisted to involve her into a conversation. When one came alone to the Astronomy Tower in the middle of a freezing-cold night, one didn't do so for the conversation.

She leant against the banister across from her companion and with a whispered, "Nox", the tip of her wand lost it's light.

They watched the stars in silence for a while, neither knew how much time had passed in the world outside of their little sanctuary.

It was Hermione who broke the silence when it became too thick to bear for her, despite her own earlier thoughts. "You do realise that you're just a few inches away from a deadly fall, don't you?", she asked in a conversational tone of voice.

Hermione was sure that he indeed realise, the boy hadn't stroked her as quite that stupid, but it seemed like a good topic to start a conversation with.

She could hear the smile even in the darkness that surrounded them. "It's the risk that makes it fun", he explained, and still sounded bemused in that certain way that would have annoyed Hermione under different circumstances. He sounded as if he knew something no one else did and was quite smug about it, too.

Hermione chuckled softly. She could easily hear that coming from Harry or from Ron.

She turned around to face the boy. In the silvery moonlight that streamed into the Astronomy Tower he looked startling like Harry. She remembered now that his hair was jet-black like Harry's, she just hadn't given it much thought before, when she'd looked at him in the light of her wand for a while. She wondered if his eyes were green like Harry's as well, it would be a startling resemblance.

"That sounds just like a Gryffindor", she noted. Hermione allowed some smug satisfaction to become audible in her own voice, she was quite satisfied with herself that she had managed to figure it out on her own.

Now it's his turn to laugh. He sounded downright gleeful. "Promise me not to run away screaming for your mummy when I tell you?", he teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes at this in mock annoyance, even though he wouldn't be able to see it. "I'll have you know that I'm a Gryffindor myself, unless you disclose to me that you're the Dark Lord in disguise, I'm very unlikely to be scared of you."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, then", he said, but he didn't sounded sorry at all. "I'm just a mere Slytherin student."

Hermione wondered idly if there was any situation in which this self-proclaimed Slytherin wasn't amused in. But Hermione found that she had a bit trouble to believe his words. He seemed just too... tranquil to be one of the snakes. "Really, a Slytherin? You're very different from the Slytherins I know", she admitted, with honest surprise in her voice.

"Why, thank you, I do pride myself on being unique", he retorted smoothly.

The Gryffindor girl grinned. Okay, maybe he was a Slytherin, after all, that cockiness sounded just like them. "I'll just have to believe that for the moment, don't I?"

"Yes, you do."

There was nothing left to say for the moment and both continued their quiet watch of the stars and the moon.

"So, are you a pureblood, then?", he asked out of the blue. He sounded so nonchalant that it's obvious that this was of importance to him.

Hermione rolled her eyes, this time seriously annoyed. Just when she enjoyed herself... Without a conscious effort to do so, she approached him. "You'll have to return the favour and promise not to run away screaming, either."

"I doubt you could come up with a heritage scary enough to cause me to run away", he said snottily.

"I'm muggle-born." Hermione gazed attentively at his face to gauge his reaction.

There was a flicker of something on his face, just for a moment, then his expression was back to carefully wiped blank. But for a moment, strong emotions had played out on his face, something like disgust or revulsion, but Hermione couldn't be sure in the darkness. "As you see, it fails to impress me", he said, but he sounded stiff and reserved now.

Hermione groaned. "I knew that this would happen, I should have just gone along and claimed to be a pureblood", she said, irritated. "What is it with you Slytherins and purebloods? Aren't there more important things? What is a pureblood worth when he's almost a Squib? I'm a good witch, top of my classes, why can't I be worth at least half as much as you purebloods?", Hermione demanded angrily. She realised in a detached part of her mind that she got agitated over nothing here, this particular Slytherin hadn't even insulted her yet, but she couldn't find it in herself at the moment to care enough to calm down. Idly, that detached part of her mind wondered why the opinion of a boy who's name she didn't even know mattered to her.

"I didn't said anything and I wasn't about to say anything, there is no need to get defensive", he said in a calming manner.

Why did she felt relieved? Shouldn't she be indifferent? Hermione hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't wanted to lash out at you, it's not your fault, I don't even know you."

He chuckled amusedly. "Let me guess, I was just convenient?" He sounded teasing again, or maybe rather mocking, but at least the stiffness was thankfully gone.

"Uh..." Hermione halted and pondered it for a while. "That about sums it up", she admitted sheepishly.

He sounded as if he was just about to begin to say something, but then he quietened again. After a while, he said hesitantly, "let me tell you something that I don't normally give away so easily... I'm not pure either, if that makes you feel any better. I'm just a half-blood." He spat that word out like a dirty swearword, obviously disgusted with it.

Hermione shot him a stern look. "There's nothing wrong with being a half-blood!", she said vehemently. "You're just as much a wizard as every pureblood, it's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"But it is", he replied, he didn't miss a beat. "You don't need to sugar-coat the truth for me, I can bear it. I know that being just half and half just makes me half as much of a wizard." He snorted derisively. "Even you muggle-borns are more wizards than I am. I'm just a miserable half-blood and there's nothing you can do to beautify the bitter truth." He had stiffened again, but this time Hermione was convinced that she wasn't the cause.

Hermione huffed with downright indignation. "No, you're not, and I won't stop before you realise it, too! I don't sugar-coat or beautify anything, I'm just telling you the truth. You're as much of a wizard as every pureblood, get that finally into your thick head!"

"I didn't confided in you so you could comfort me", he sneered, his voice laced with scorn. "I don't need comfort, I have better than that. One day very soon already, I'll be so powerful that my blood and my heritage won't matter anymore. The purebloods will all look up to me and do my every bidding. I don't need your comfort, for I'll have their fear."

To Hermione's ears, that sounded rather petulant. He reminded her of a little boy no one had wanted to play with, a boy who vowed that he would get back at everyone for harming him once he's all grown up. But if that idea was what gave him comfort, then far be it from Hermione to crush or sully his dream. She knew that one needed dreams sometimes, when she had cried after she'd been insulted and mocked, she had also found comfort in the notion that one day, she would be a far greater witch than these bullies.

But the determination with which he spoke chilled Hermione to the bone. He was a Slytherin and he would stop at nothing to reach his goal. She wondered for a moment if Tom Riddle's Dark career to become Lord Voldemort had begun similarly many years ago.

"I'm curious, I always thought that only purebloods could be sorted into Slytherin." Hermione winced. That hadn't been a smooth subject change, but it would have to do.

He halted, as if he just now realised that he'd given away too much already. "There are exceptions to every rule", he finally said hesitantly.

Again, they both fell silent.

He didn't seem willing to give away more and Hermione wasn't sure what topic would be safe to talk about. Before she would mess up, she rather stayed quiet.

Hermione didn't just noted the star constellations visible in this cloudless night, she also mused about this mysterious boy in her company. He looked so completely enraptured by the stars, as if he could forget about the rest of the world and travel to them in his mind.

Maybe he could. He hadn't exaggerated, he indeed seemed to be an unique Slytherin.

Wordlessly, Hermione crossed the last distance that separated her from the grey stone banister and the Slytherin boy perched on top of it. The lapel of her robe brushed against his as she peered around him for the rest of a certain star constellation, she propped her elbows up on the sill.

Moonlight bathed them both, light and shadow played on the features of the boy.

Hermione noticed that he wore an old-fashioned haircut. His robe was a bit different from hers as well, but maybe he just had a different tailor. She didn't wanted to think too much about these peculiarities and it's easier to explain them away.

Hermione's gaze became transfixed on the Slytherin crest on his robe. The Slytherin snake was both an unpleasant reminder of their differences and a welcome anchor to the real world.

This whole encounter was so surreal that Hermione doubted occasionally if she didn't just imagine it all. She knew that an imaginative mind could come up with a lot, certainly with a man like this one. He seemed too good to be true, anyway. But her mind wouldn't be able to make up a Slytherin crest in such detail, would it?

She found that she really didn't enjoyed to think about it.

For the moment, she was quite satisfied to believe that everything around her was real – or a figment of her imagination.

Her gaze flickered to the Head Boy's badge on his chest.

Reality crumbled around Hermione.

She would know him if he was the actual Head Boy. Handsome, charming Slytherin half-blood Head Boys didn't just pop in out of nowhere.

So it was just a dream, after all. Hermione wondered if she could maybe convince her mind to turn this into a warm summer night, she's freezing.

Hermione felt strangely disappointed. It was cruel of her subconscious mind to create wonderful visions of attractive, nice boys and tease her with them, just to make her realise that they were no more real than Lockhart's glorious battles.

"What is up? Have I got spinach stains on my robes?", the Slytherin asked, worried.

Hermione looked up at his face with a startled expression. "Excuse me? No... no, you don't." She was proud that she had managed to make her reassurance sound firm at the end of the sentence, at least. "Your robes are fine. I just noticed the Head Boy badge only now."

The boy nodded solemnly. "Ah, yes, the badge... I still can't believe that they made me Head Boy. I'd been convinced they would take a Gryffindor goody-two-shoes or one of those snobbish Ravenclaw know-it-alls.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't seemed surprised at her statement, which should have been perceived as rather curious under normal circumstances. Hermione was grateful that her subconscious was at least co-operative when it came to the task to maintain the illusion. "I hope I'll be Head Girl next year", she admitted. "I think my chances are good."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You know, it's funny that I have never noticed you before. I pride myself on knowing most of the academic top achievers in all the Houses. It's kind of what a Head Boy has to know."

Hermione made just a noncommittal noise, just in case this should turn out to be some kind of alternative reality, after all.

"Know what else is funny?", he asked with a small smirk.

Hermione peered at him. "What?", she asked, though she did so rather unenthusiastically.

"I haven't even asked you yet what you're doing in the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night. Patrols are Head Boy duties as well." He shot Hermione a mock stern glare. "By all means, I should have dragged you to a Professor already."

Hermione stifled a little yawn. "But you won't, you like me", she said, convinced. And he wasn't real, she added in her thoughts, so he couldn't get her into trouble anyway. "I drank some of the spiked punch. It wasn't enough that I would be drunk, but I can never sleep when I've drunk alcohol."

"Mhm. Well, you should go to bed soon if you want to get any sleep tonight."

Hermione shot him a crooked grin. "But I rather like it here. And you would make a nice pillow if I weren't worried that I might topple you over the edge." Sleep deprivation and the knowledge that this was her dream and she could damn well do whatever she wanted in her own dream had loosened Hermione's tongue quite a bit, she was amazed at herself.

He laughed. "I'm not that easy to kill, don't worry. But I think I should move inside soon, I might nod off. Personally, I don't fancy myself as a red blot on the pavement just yet."

Hermione murmured in agreement.

The dark-haired Slytherin moved back into the Astronomy Tower. He cowered against the wall, Hermione next to him, to protect himself from the icy wind as good as he could in the Tower.

Hermione leant her head against the boy's shoulder and finally permitted her heavy eyelids to fall shut. She was still a bit cold, but it's better now that the wind didn't reach her that much anymore. And her companion's body warmth helped as well, it was nice to sit so close to him.

They spent the hours till morning with idle chit-chat and friendly bantering. Both were reluctant to give away more about themselves, but nonetheless they had a lively conversation, accentuated here and there with yawns, that made the hours seemingly speed away.

The first hesitant streaks of dawn lightened the sky when the two students finally realised that the night was gone already.

Hermione blinked wearily and rubbed her eyes. They felt as if there was sand in them, but it'd been worth it. And she did sleep at the moment, after all. "I should return to Gryffindor Tower", she said regretfully.

The boy nodded. "So you should. And I'll return to the castle soon as well. You go first, though, I wouldn't want any rumours to be spread if we can help it."

Hermione blushed at the insinuation. "Of course, we wouldn't want that", she echoed. Hermione looked at the boy's face, for the first time she could look at it clearly.

With light, the resemblance to Harry was even more startling. If it wouldn't have been a figment of her imagination, she would have been greatly unsettled by his appearance.

"You're handsome", she blurted out. Hermione bit down on her bottom lip. After a whole night without sleep, she tended to say stupid things that got her into trouble. It would be better to leave now, before she could make matters worse. Her own subconscious certainly would appreciate the effort. Hermione shot the boy her most dazzling smile. "Thank you, this was a wonderful night. I haven't had that much fun in ages!" Acting out of an impulse, she leant forward and kissed him chastely on the lips for a moment.

The boy's eyes widened with surprise, but he reacted no more than that.

Hermione quickly stood up. She wrapped her cloak tighter around her body, she was chilled to the bone after all these hours. "You wouldn't believe how much I look forward to a hot bath now", she muttered. Hermione walked to the staircase, but just before she reached it, she turned around. "I still don't know your name."

He flashed her a definitely Slytherin-ish smirk. "Maybe I'll tell you next time." The boy nestled at his Head Boy badge for a moment, then he threw it in Hermione's direction. "I have nothing better, keep it as a remembrance."

Hermione caught the badge instinctively. She stared at the little green and silver badge with the "H" in amazement. "But you need it", Hermione argued half-heartedly.

The boy shrugged carelessly. "I'll just claim that I lost it and they'll give me a new one. I lose things all the time."

For a fleeting moment, Hermione wondered if he "lost" things the same way that Luna Lovegood did. She wouldn't put it past the Slytherins. But it would have been rude to ask that. Hermione closed her hand around the Head Boy badge with a smile. "Thank you." She searched her mind for something she had on her to give to him in return, for she felt the need to do so now. If she would have worn a Gryffindor scarf or tie, she would have given him this, but she didn't. She could hardly give him her cloak and run back in her night clothes to the castle. So she just plucked the woollen red-and-gold comforter from her neck and handed it to the Slytherin boy. "It's the best I can do right now", she said with an embarrassed smile. She laughed teasingly. "And you might want to wear it, maybe it can still save you from a cough."

For a moment, the boy looked at the scarf in the despised House colours doubtfully, but then apparently the cold won out and he wrapped it loosely around his neck. He peered at it with an expression so sceptical, it's downright comical. "Thanks."

Hermione laughed at the sight of the Slytherin cloak and Gryffindor tie, they clashed horribly, the expression on her new friend's face made her laugh all the harder. She was definitely grateful for her badge, she felt no need to look that hilarious while prancing around the school half-frozen.

She wished that she would be able to stay longer, this dream certainly wouldn't come back. But there was no helping it.

With a heavy heart, she walked down the Astronomy Tower and returned to her bed.

Certainly her world would be back to normal in no time at all.

TBC... probably

The next chapter will probably be just about Hermione and it'll also explain why Tom Riddle is so OOC-nice to a muggle-born.