Where... where am I?
Hermione shivered in the cold wind, huddling into herself and trying to warm up with her thin wizard robes.
I have to stay warm. School starts tomorrow—Professor Dumbledore will definitely notice something's wrong. Until then, I just need to stay alive!
She was glad she'd brought her wand. Waving it, she cast Incendio to summon a fire, letting the flames chase away the biting chill.
London weather is the worst!
Hermione muttered under her breath, then lifted her head to scan her surroundings. This definitely wasn't St. Lydia's Orphanage!
Just before getting out of the car, she'd seen the orphanage grounds clearly. But the second she opened the door and the driver pulled away, everything changed.
She realized this wasn't a place normal people would come to. The towering trees around her didn't look like anything in London—they reminded her way more of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts!
She'd only ever looked at the Forbidden Forest from afar. She'd never once stepped foot inside it!
Hermione's nerves were on edge. After warming herself by the fire, she started walking carefully, trying to get out of this place.
"Whoosh... whoosh..."
She froze. A weird rumbling growl echoed through the air.
It was so loud it shook the leaves off the nearby trees.
Hermione dropped low and parted the bushes with her hands, peeking to see what it was...
Suddenly, she clapped both hands over her mouth and ducked back behind the foliage.
She'd spotted enormous figures lying on the ground.
Trolls!
Not just one—there were several! Maybe five or six—she didn't dare count.
Trolls were incredibly stupid, even dumber than little kids, but that didn't stop them from having insane strength.
If a little witch like her got spotted by one? There was only one outcome.
She'd be squished flat into mush and never make it to Hogwarts.
Hermione kept her mouth covered, breathing hard through the gaps between her fingers as she frantically thought of a way out.
Come on, all those books weren't for nothing. There's got to be a way!
She racked her brain.
Even asleep, the trolls had their massive clubs right beside them. The Levitation Charm... books said it worked—you could float their clubs and knock them out.
But they're gripping them tight. If I try the Levitation Charm, they'll wake up for sure!
No, why am I even thinking about knocking them out? They're asleep. I can just sneak around them, head back the way I came, and get back to the streets—to London!
Hermione took a deep breath and started tiptoeing forward, careful not to disturb the sleeping brutes.
The farther she went, the more trolls she saw.
Is this a troll den or something? She shuddered.
Wand gripped tightly in her hand, ready to cast at a moment's notice if they woke up.
But she knew her magic wasn't as strong as usual right now—she was too scared!
Casting required steady emotions, and she just couldn't manage that.
Compared to facing these trolls, she'd rather deal with Professor Snape!
"Rumble rumble—"
Hermione stopped dead. One troll stood up, rubbing its sleepy eyes, looking around before waking the others nearby with grunts.
She didn't dare move, dropping flat to the ground and hiding behind the bushes.
It made her think of someone—Tom Riddle.
If Tom were here, he'd probably have a plan. His magic was so strong—he could easily take care of these trolls.
She lay there for over two hours until the trolls finished eating some berries and lumbered off. Only then did Hermione dare stand up.
Her legs were completely numb.
They felt like ice, and London's nights were always freezing. She missed her warm blankets, even the dry herb smell in Professor Snape's quarters.
"Grunt grunt!" One troll suddenly pointed right at her, making a teeth-grinding noise.
How did it spot me?!
Hermione bolted toward a nearby cave, silently thanking Tom for all the training he'd put her body through. Otherwise, she'd have been torn apart before even getting this far!
Pointing her wand at the ground by the cave entrance: "Spongify!"
The soil softened and sank. As the trolls stepped on it, they plummeted down, trapped.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
She levitated nearby rocks to block the entrance.
"Spongify!"
"Spongify!!"
"Spongify!!!"
She cast it over and over until the ground around the entrance was so mushy even she would sink if she stepped there.
I'm safe—
Hermione covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. She never wanted to go through that again.
Several trolls were stuck in the mud, roaring furiously at her—the noise was deafening.
She huddled in the cave, hands over her ears.
Then, tiny white spiders started crawling up the walls, heading deeper in.
Spiders?
But why so many?!
"Incendio!"
She waved her wand, summoning a weak flame that lit up the cave.
It wasn't as strong as Tom's—she couldn't make an eight-foot blaze, just a small one—but it was enough to see the whole space.
Luckily, no spiders. The thing she'd feared most didn't happen.
Outside, the sun had set. All she could do was curl up and wait for the trolls to leave so she could escape. That was her only option...
I hope this cave stays safe.
...
Back at Hogwarts.
Professor Snape received a letter, which surprised him.
The sender was none other than Tom Riddle.
[Dear Professor Snape:
Hello, it's Tom. I wanted to let you know that I might be late for tomorrow's Sorting Ceremony. My good friend Hermione Granger seems to have gotten caught up in some kind of wizard conflict—I'm not sure, but I found traces of magic in her room.
I'll handle this as quickly as I can. If possible, please tell Professor Dumbledore for me. I don't want to get expelled on the first day of school.
Sincerely, Tom Riddle]
Snape crumpled the envelope in his fist and stormed out to find the white-haired old man.
"Albus!"
"Severus?" Dumbledore blinked, trying to shake off his drowsiness. "What's wrong?"
"See for yourself." Snape thrust the letter at him.
Once Dumbledore finished reading, his weathered face showed real concern. "Severus, we need to keep Tom calm. Wizard duels aren't something a kid like him can handle."
"He's informing us!" Snape snarled through gritted teeth. "Tom's already out there looking for his little friend! That stupid, idiotic boy! Thinks he's hot stuff just because he learned a few spells?!"
Albus patted Snape's shoulder. "Severus, calm down!
We can still catch up. Tom's just a young wizard—he won't find Hermione that fast, right?
I'll go after Tom. You help Hermione."
"No!" Snape shot back. "I'm no good at tracking people. You find Hermione. I'll drag that idiot back to school."
Without waiting for a reply, Snape swirled his robes and strode off.
...
"Sir, are you sure you want to get out here? It's just ruins up ahead."
Tom grinned. "Yeah, when I was little, I had a pet. It ran off when I was eight, and I remember burying it around here. Thanks!"
"Should I wait for you, young sir?" The driver looked worried.
"No need. My aunt lives nearby—I'll stay with her tonight. Have a good one!"
Better not have a Muggle witness if he ended up using big magic.
Tom watched the car drive away, then turned into the dense forest.
He'd come prepared—thick cotton clothes, and tucked under his arm was a pink puffy jacket he'd grabbed from Hermione's closet.
Following a dark green trail through the woods.
In less than half an hour, the trail faded. Tom downed another potion.
It was a Tracking Potion he'd found in an extracurricular book. Add a hair from the person you want to track, and you'd see their footprints as that ink-green glow.
Following Hermione's steps, he soon spotted a bunch of trolls.
Head high, Tom acted like they weren't even there.
Trolls were too dumb to notice him—their eyesight was pathetic. Just grab a couple big leaves to cover himself, and they'd wander off without wondering why a leaf was moving.
Idiots.
After about ten minutes, the footprints stopped. A huge boulder blocked the path, with troll tracks all over the soft mud in front.
Spongify?
Smart move, Hermione. She must've used it to trap the trolls, then levitated rocks to seal the cave.
But there was one problem.
Tom stepped aside as tiny white spiders scurried past toward the cave.
He remembered these were magical creatures—couldn't recall the name.
But they only showed up near one place: an Acromantula colony.
Hagrid had one in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. Those things were vicious, and humans were their favorite snack.
Using Wingardium Leviosa to move the boulder, Tom peered inside with the fading sunset light.
Hermione was huddled there, hands clamped over her mouth, staring straight ahead.
Three Acromantulas clung to the walls, their eyes glowing white—they were massive, the size of carriage horses!
When the boulder moved, Hermione whipped around, wand raised.
She hadn't expected Tom. With all the trolls outside, she'd already been mentally preparing her last words.
But standing there was just a boy—taller than her, stronger-looking, in a cotton jacket and holding a pink puffy one.
He handed her the pink jacket and draped it over her shoulders gently.
This was the first time Hermione had really looked at him. Sure, she'd seen him in the mirror tons of times, but never this closely or seriously.
"Tom?" Her lips were cracked from dehydration. She moved them slowly. "You..."
"Hi, Hermione. Nice to meet you." Tom flashed a grin and greeted her like it was the most normal thing. "I bet you read Fantastic Beasts from Kalimantan—it mentions these Acromantulas. White eyes mean they're blind. Smart thinking, covering your scent with mud."
"But you haven't been to Diagon Alley much. If it were me, I'd collect their venom. One pint goes for 100 Galleons—tons of advanced potions use it."
Their chatting drew the spiders' attention. All three shifted, aiming their eight huge eyes at Tom.
"You idiot, run!" Hermione grabbed his hand and tried to pull him out—but she underestimated his strength. She couldn't budge him.
She also underestimated his magic.
"Relax, relax. These things hate fire the most. Remember that book you read... Playing with Fire: Advanced Incendio Techniques? There's a way in there to amp up the flames."