[I've edited it a little bit]

Well, english isn't my maternal language and I haven't beta read this, so I'm sorry for any misspelings.

Disclaimer: Any of the characters presented are mine. They all belong to Queen Rowling.

She was a lawyer. She used to say that in the rare occasions she lied, it was to protect good people that were wronged. She had always felt the need to protect the excluded ones.

He was a politician. He used to say that he indeed lied a lot, but it was for the greater good of the people; it was to protect them. Truth was he lied because he wanted to.

She has never been the hot girl type. She would have boyfriends, now and then, and they would be nice, but men never fell to her feet at the barely sight of her. She actually did not care about boys very much.

He was handsome. Women, girls, and even some men would always do whatever he wished for, only because they wanted to please him. He never had any relationships, thought, because they'd just slow him down. He actually did not care about anyone very much.

She was incredibly clever – no one could ever match her gifted mind. She did everything perfectly. Her career, her personality, her mind… Many tried to find a flaw in Hermione Jean Granger, however anyone had ever succeeded (if someone was too close, she'd befriend them, and they'd give up in ruining her).

He was incredibly clever - no one could ever match his gifted mind. He did everything perfectly. His career, his personality, his mind… Many tried to find a flaw in Tom Marvolo Riddle, however anyone had ever succeeded (if someone was too close, he'd get rid of them, and no one would ever dare to try to ruin him).

Both of them were unique, and both of them were successful, but their similarities went just that far. So how they fell in love is a very unexpected story.

One evening, Hermione Jean Granger, exhausted after a day of meetings with clients, left her office. Her current boyfriend, Ronald Weasley, had to stay at work late on ("It's my turn to patrol, baby"), so she had no reason at all to don't go straight home. Yet, she decided to stop by a restaurant. It must have been Hermione's luck day, because she got a great table right next to a huge window with an astonishing view. She felt very happy.

In the same night, Tom Marvolo Riddle, very pleased, left his office. He was going to meet some very important men in a nearby restaurant, owners of a monopoly of petrol in Brazil. If he did his job well (as he always did), he'd have a great deal by the end of the night. It must have been Tom's rainy day. Right after arriving at the the place, he got a message from his partners, cancelling the meeting ("Problems with the flying in São Paulo, sir, you need to understand."). He felt very crossed.

Hermione was at her third glass of wine when she saw him entering the place. Handsome ministry Riddle seemed very happy, then. He got a table right next to hers. Probably waiting for his douchebag friends, she thought. Hermione did not like Riddle very much. Something seemed very off when it came him. However, when she heard the message ring in his phone, and then she noticed the way his face grew paler and his eyes grew darker, she pitied on him.

Tom could not believe it. He was an important man (one of the most important in England), and those stupid brazilians thought they could simply let him down? What kind of game they were playing? So annoyed was he that he almost lost the feminine voice which made a soft 'Hey'. Looking around, he saw a very pretty girl in the table next to his. She seemed somehow familiar, but Tom could not quite put his finger on it.

"Yes?" he said politely. One thing about Tom Riddle is that he hardly ever let people know his true feelings. He may be in a killer mood, but the world around him would only see a teddy bear.

"Your friends aren't coming, are they?" she asked, with a glass of wine hanging loosely in her hands.

"You could say so." He answered, raising an eyebrow at her. What was she planning?

"I'm sorry about it. I know the feeling when people say they will do something, and then they don't." she looked to the window at her right for a second, and then back to him. Staring at his empty plate for a brief moment, she continued:

"I see you haven't eaten yet. If you want to join me, I would not bother…"

Tom was not in the mood to light conversations or to pretending. However, looking into those hazel eyes, he felt like he would not be bothered to join her as well. Besides, he could always use a good shag.

As the night flew by, Hermione forgot to hate him and Tom forgot to pretend, and they found themselves quite happy in each other company. When it came the time to say goodbye, Tom made no moves toward her (thought he was sure she would have had welcomed him), and Hermione went home feeling satisfied. After that night, they became unexpected friends.

"Oh Tom, you really don't understand!" Hermione threw her arms to the air, annoyed. It was the third time she tried to explain this to him, but he simply would not get it. "I liked Viktor! You had no right to deport him for no reason at all!"

"Hermione, I said it already." he said, while he sat calmly in her sofa reading the newspaper as she angrily passed back and forth in front of him. "I did what I have to. His situation in the country was very strange, indeed… I actually helped him. If it wasn't for me he-"

"-would have gone to the jail." completed Hermione. "Yes, I heard it a billion times already."

It had been two years since they first talked, and their friendship was the kind that would last forever. People would come and go, but they would always remain in each other lives. Hermione, kind and innocent, had changed Tom a bit. Tom, calculating and greedy, had changed Hermione a bit. The magazines would always start rumors about how the pair of them had a thing, and how lovely they looked together ("Unexpected Couple" was their nickname). Of course, it was all just silly talking. They'd never been more than friends. Hermione didn't feel this way about Tom, and Tom didn't feel anything about anyone.

"Look, sweet, you can argue and yell and throw you arms to the air as much as you like, it won't change anything!" Tom said, finally pulling the newspaper down and jumping to his feet. "What is done, is done. Now, would you like to have dinner, or not?"

Tom took his car's key in one hand, and offered the other to her. She was still pissed at him (as she would remain for at least a month more). She looked at him fiercely, yet she took his hand on hers.

"I hate you." she spoke, walking past him and pulling him along as she did.

"No, you don't." he replied, with an unexpected soft voice.

"So, that's your new boyfriend?" Hermione jumped when she heard Tom's voice. She had just came back home from an awful date, and she did not expect to see anyone but Crookshanks in her apartment.

"Tom! How did you get in?" she said, closing the door as she entered. He was in his usual spot on her sofa watching television (or pretending to watch, since she hardly believed he was interested in the reproduction's methods of the earthworms).

"I asked Neville if he could let me in, and he did. I've got a copy of your key since that night you were so drunk that you managed to lose it." He replied. "But you haven't answered me yet: Is that your new boyfriend?" he stopped staring at the television, and looked dead into her eyes. With a sigh, Hermione left her body hit the sofa, next to him.

"First of all, he's not a that, his name's Draco. Second of all, if he were my boyfriend, I don't see how that would affect you."

"If? It means he is not?" Hermione could feel Tom's chest moving with every breath he took, thanks to their proximity.

"No, he is not. We went on a date, but it was terrible. You believe he refused to be served by a waitress just because he had seen her kissing her girlfriend earlier that night? What an asshole!" she told Tom, indignation rising upon her.

"What an asshole, indeed. He could have asked them to join you in a wild sex…" Tom said, with a mocking smiling playing in the corners of his mouth while eyeing her, his mood changing visibly.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle! That's not even a bit funny!" Hermione replied, her face red of anger and indignation, as she sat straiger. She was already very crossed with that little prick of Draco, now she came home looking for peace and instead had to endure Tom's humor.

"It's funny. Wait and see, tomorrow when you're not so crossed, you will be laughing at me." She rolled her eyes at that. They'd been watching television for a couple of minutes, when Hermione yawned, and Tom followed her movements.

"I think we should sleep." She whispered, and he nodded in agreement. Hermione's head rested on Tom's shoulder as she said "Good night", while her eyes closed. Tom answered "Good night" while his eyes looked tentatively at her.

"Happy end of birthday, Tom!" Hermione's voice echoed. They were all alone, as was their tradition. Even thought Hermione had many friends, she had given up on her New Year's Eve to spend it with only him. Tom did not enjoy big crowds or people in general, and that's the reason there were just the pair of them in the balcony of his apartment that night.

"Is it already midnight?" he asked, looking at the sky as the fireworks started to celebrate a new year.

"Yes or else I'd not have said Happy End of Birthday, don't you think?" Hermione replied, laughing. "Ok, you have to open your present now." She said, clapping her hands like a little child. Open his presents after the end of his birthday was also a thing they'd start years ago. Hermione loved to give presentes to people, and Tom hated to be given things. So, when she asked him what day his birthday was, he answered but let it clear his dislike to parties and the day 31 of december came, Hermione showed up at his apartment at exactly midnight to give him his present "You said you did not want a birthday gift, but said nothing about just a random gift".

He took her present from the desk it lay on. He ripped the pinky paper out, just to find a book (which was a passion shared by Tom and Hermione). However, it was not any ordinary book, but it was one that he had been looking for for ages without ever finding it: The Ways and Means to Achieve the Top, by Gellert Grindelwald.

"Oh. Oh, God. Thanks. Really, really… Thanks!" Tom didn't know what to say, something that was not usual. He was smiling from ear to ear, and so was Hermione.

"I knew you'd like it! But you have no idea how hard it was to find this damn thing… It was worthy, I hope. You did like it, thought, didn't you?"

"Yes, of course I did! Do you know how expensive this edition is? I'm happy I did not have to pay it on my own!" he exclaimed. They both started to laugh. She threw her arms around him and he lifted her off of the ground as they shared a hug. When she finally was back on her feet, she felt Tom's lips on hers.

She was shocked, at first… That kiss was surely unexpected! The contained Tom, the cold Tom, her Tom, would never do such a thing out of the blue. However, in that moment her heart, for the first time, took the best on her mind, as she kissed him back fiercely.

It lasted for hours, days, years, and a couple of seconds. When they separated, both incredibly breathless, Tom was the first to speak:

"Hermione Jean Granger… I know it may end with our friendship for good, but I'm not a man that doesn't take what he wants." He said, serious, his arms still around her waist. "I love you. I've been loving you for a long time. I just- Well..." for the second time that night, Tom was spechless. He hoped it would not become an habit. "I think I am in love with you. Will you please stop being my best friend to become something more?"

She fell silent, something that made his heart beat in an unhealthy way. Hermione looked to the sky above their heads. For a moment, Tom thought she would say no. For a moment, he feared he'd go back to a life where the most important thing to him was a meeting with brazilian business men. However, the word that fell from her red lips was:

"Yes."