Chapter Eight

            “You’ve just put something in that drink,” a girl accused the thin boy in front of her.

            “Excuse me?” he said.

            “You heard me.  I saw you.  You just tripped something into Ron’s drink.  You’ve got the bottle in your hand right now!”

            “I don’t’ know what you’re talking about,” he retorted, pocketing a small vial.

            “Xxxxxxx, I warn you, don’t drink it!”

~*~

            She jolted awake.  What was placed into the drink?  Was it poison?

            Slowly, the effects of the dream faded and the memory of the air raid filled her head.  She remembered the explosion that blew her into the fire.  She remembered losing her grip on Annabelle.  She remembered all the screams around her and the scorching heat of the fire, but she couldn’t fathom how she was still alive.  The fire claimed Emily’s life, why not hers?  Was Annabelle alive as well?  If so, where is she?  Where was her Annabelle?

            “It’s good to see that you’re awake.”  She gasped at the sudden voice and quickly sat up, only to fall back into the soft bed and its many pillows when a wave of nausea hit her.

            The red and white curtains parted and she saw Master Selwyn smile down at her.  She hadn’t recognized the bed frame, but it was obvious where she was, now.  How did she get here?

            “Would you like some tea?”

            She opened her mouth to decline, but found her throat to be too parched to reply, so she nodded her head.

His smile widened as he poured the steaming hot tea into a beautiful white chain teacup with gold rims.  “Here you are.”  She took a sip.  “How are you feeling?”

            “Much better than I thought I would be,” she answered, relief that her tongue didn’t feel like sand paper, anymore.

            “Good.  Good,” he said, taking the empty teacup from her.  “You must be wondering how you got here.”

            “I am.”

            “I found you in quite a state, three mornings ago,” he began .  “Your presence was missed.  I figured you must’ve been caught in the air raid, but I never imagined that the orphanage had been decimated to such a degree.  There is nothing left but rubble.  Had it not been for the looters going through the debris, I would never have caught sight of you.  It was quite a sight.  There seemed to be an invisible, protective bubble around you.  Only the thin material of your gown was scorched and nothing else.”

            The information was slowly sinking in, but what of her wand?  What would she do without it?

            “Are you worried about this?  I found it under one of the caretakers.”  Selwyn held out a thin, polished stick.  Her wand!  “Don’t look so alarmed!”  He chuckled at her gaping mouth.  “You may not have noticed, but I am from a pureblood family and I could sense magic around you from a mile away.  It comes from that odd necklace of yours, doesn’t it?”

            “I… think so, sir,” she said.  “And thank you for retrieving my wand.  Do… Do you know if… anyone else survived?”

            His smile fell around the edges.  “I’m afraid not.  No muggle could have survived that.  I reckoned you were close to one of them, to be so worried.”

            Close?  Of course n –

            She was lying to herself.  Annabelle had wormed herself into Ria’s inexperienced heart.  “She was all I had.”  Tom was gone.  Now, Annabelle was gone as well.  “May I have some time alone?”

            “Absolutely,” he replied.

            The tears did not fall until his form disappeared behind the door.  Alone.  She was alone, again.  What was she doing?  What had it all been for?  No matter how hard she tried, she always ended up at the same spot.  Nothing will change.  She had to accept that and stop giving herself false hope.  Every time, it only brought her feeling worse than she did before. 

            Even as she reasoned herself out of making anymore relationships with everyone, her lonely heart was begging for somewhere warm – somewhere away from the cold loneliness.  She wanted somewhere to belong.  She wanted a home to go back to.

            During the next few days, she found it impossible to deny herself of Master Selwyn’s kindness.  On the contrary, she lavished herself in it.  He allowed her to rest, paid, fed, and sheltered.  It was the best feeling in the world.  The one little damper, however, was Marlene. 

            The cook was not happy with the way Ria was pampered.  The moments they were in the same room together were terribly awkward.  Her coal-like eyes were always glaring at her.  Ria didn’t understand Marlene’s contempt.  The woman never gave her chance.  Why?  Did she offend her in some way?  Why were people always upset with her?

            She shook her head.  Master Selwyn seemed to like her enough.  He had treated her amiable and bought her all that she desired.  It almost didn’t feel like she was a mere housemaid.  Of course, Selwyn assured her that she would be used and abused with chores once she was ready.

            Not wishing to seem too ungrateful of all he had done for her, she went to work as soon as she could and true to his words, a long list of things to do were placed on her door early in the morning. 

~*~

            Tom was pleased with himself.  In a short amount of time, he had established some sort of reign.  The incident with Dennis and Amy was only the first of many, but none else was traumatized as they were.  Not a word left their lips about what happened.  They couldn’t even meet his eyes.  His very presence made them tremble in fear. 

            Unfortunately, he was running out of creative torture methods.  Everyone was advised to stay indoors as the war intensified.  The occasional explosion could be heard.  On one particular night, however, a continuous drone of bombs disturbed his sleep.  It didn’t sound like it was too close to the orphanage, but he had never hear an air raid last so long.

            When Tom arrived at the breakfast table the next morning, he saw Mrs. Cole reading The Daily Express.  The widow was muttering and shaking her head in disbelief. 

            “WAR RAGES ON: MANCHESTER LOSES SANCTUARIES”

            His first thought was one of minor celebration.  Not only did he not believe in God, he found the churches to be petty thieves who take advantage of gullible fools.  The donations they received were obviously used to line their wallets.  He was glad that they were gone.

            Tom quickly finished his toast and departed the orphanage.  There wasn’t much to do with none of the other orphans brave enough o go with him, but it was better than staying in there.

            He took one of the many newspapers that littered the ground.  The still photo of what remained of the church still brought sick satisfaction through him.  He looked at the many other photos – some of people crying and some of dead bodies.  His dark orbs scanned each column in mild interest, but one particular box caught his attention.  It was small and tucked into a corner.

“Walker’s Orphanage Destroyed in Air Raid: No Survivors”

            “After the bombing, last night, there seemed to be no survivors.  All records

            were burnt in the fire.  The caregivers, identified as Diana Carter, 47, and

            Gregory Carter, 53, were found with seven other bodies – presumable children.

            All of them have yet to be identified.

            How quickly happiness could be sucked away.

            It couldn’t possibly be the same orphanage.  There had to be other ones in Manchester.  What are the chances?  What are the chances?  Why did it matter?  It didn’t.

            He should be happy.  If she was dead, then he would be officially accepted into the Slytherin Princes and from there, he could be so much more.  He knew he was far superior than all of them combined.  All he needed was the opportunity – the connections that he didn’t have.  Once they are established, he could do more than just plan.  He will be able to spread his reign from just the filthy orphanage to everyone on the planet.  He will become the greatest wizard of all time.

~*~

            It’s a beautiful day.  Why don’t you go out and enjoy the sun?” Master Selwyn smiled.  “You can do with some colour.”

            She shook her head.  “I can’t’ do that, sir.  I can’t take advantage of your hospitality.”

            “Then perhaps some gardening?”

            Her eyes lit up.  She loved flowers!

            Master Selwyn followed her as she pranced out of the house.  She had her eye set on the beautiful red roses, yellow hypericums, and orange honeysuckles.  They were fully bloomed, emitting a delectable scent.

            With her garden shears, she began to snip off all the imperfections.

“I can’t believe my eyes,

All these different colours around me.

I wish to leave them be,

But nothing lasts and everything dies.”

“I can’t believe my eyes,

Clouds of every shape and size

All of them do fly – birds, and bees, and butterflies

Was it here when the skies did cry?”

            She continued to hum her song, enjoying the splashes of colours that had been pushed to the back of her mind.  They danced with the hues of the flowers.  No wonder Master Selwyn wanted to come outside!  The colours looked well in the house, but outside, it was as if they were in a fantasy world where fairies and pixies were just hiding under the flower petals. 

            “I have never seen you so happy before,” Master Selwyn spoke as she stopped humming.

            She turned to him and smiled.  “I’ve never felt like this.  It doesn’t seem like I have just lost my home of twelve years.  It’s as if this is a new beginning for me.  I enjoy my time here, at the Selwyn manor and I am forever grateful of all you had done for me.  The only thing left I can wish for is for this to last forever.”  And for Tom to be her friend again, she added to herself.

            Suddenly, she felt a pair of trembling hands on her head.  When they left, she looked up at Master Selwyn and touched the rose tucked behind her ear.  There were no thorns.

            “You’re beautiful,” he said, placing a hand on her cheek.  “And I can feel that powerful magic around you.  Use it to change this world – the wizarding and the muggle.  Mold it to fit your needs.  Do not be like me.  Do not stand idly by as everything around you disappears.”

            A single tear rolled down his wrinkled cheek.  She had never seen him cry.  What should she do?

            Awkwardly, her arms wrapped around his fragile form.  “I’m still here.”

            He let out a weak chuckle.  “That you are.  That you are.  Come, your skin is starting to turn red.”

            She looked at her arm and realized that it was true.  Her pale skin had a pink tint to it.  Obediently, she allowed Master Selwyn to steer her back into the mansion.

            A sigh of content escaped her lips as the cool water soothed her mild burns.

            It was odd, but she found herself truly enjoying Master Selwyn’s company.  At times, he still unnerved her with his straying hands, but he also had the touch of love that she had never experienced.  It didn’t disgust her.  On the contrary, it felt familiar and she hoped that this was what the touch of a father felt like.

            Her hand wandered to the flower that was still in her hair.  Family…

            No matter how she tried to convince herself that family wasn’t important, her heart longed for somewhere she could call home.  She wanted a mother and father who would love her.  Love…  Was this some sort of love?

            Glancing at her hand, she found them to be wrinkled and paler than usual.

            When she redressed into her uniform and met Master Selwyn in the dining table for lunch, he informed her that part of the Selwyn family was coming for dinner.  It was a surprise visit, even for him.  He had lost contact with his brother, sister, and their children for a very long time. 

            For the reunion, he intended for her to pose as his daughter for reasons unknown to her.  There were several redheaded members in the family, him included. 

            He had laid out a beautiful emerald green dress on her bed.  It was a Victorian-styled dress with long velvet sleeves that flared at the end.  White lace and petticoats completed the gown. 

            She gave her reflection a blank stare, wondering if it was truly her in such fine clothes.  Hesitantly, she gave a small twirl.  Never in her life had she worm anything so stunning.  The velvet felt so soft against her skin. 

            “Sit.”  A sharp voice startled her.  She turned and saw Marlene with her wand out and a dark look in her cinnamon eyes.  “I said, sit.  Are you deaf, girl?”

            Wordless and wandless, she took a step to the right and sat in front of the vanity.

            “Face the mirror,” was her next order, which she promptly did so.

            Marlene stood behind her and raked a hand through her slightly waved hair.  The woman continued her action for several minutes, a distant look in her eyes.  “You have such red hair.”  Her tone was much different from the one she had used previously.  “I’ve always wanted a daughter, but… a miscarriage made me barren.  She would have been around your age.  Perhaps with hair as red as yours.”

            “I- I’m sorry about your daughter.”  Ria wasn’t sure what else to say.  The book has never behaved amiably towards her and this sudden view into her personal life was confusing.

            With a wave of a wand, Ria’s hair curled into a perm, surprising her.  With another wave, it was dead straight.  Marlene shook her head.  She continued to test hairstyles until she decided on ringlets.  A crystal headband was conjured and fit beautifully with the deep red hair.

            Ria touched her head in some sort of disbelief.  Her devil red hair actually looked… nice.  A smile broke through.  “Thank you.”

            Marlene spared her a small, but genuine, smile of her own before departing.

~*~

            She looked for Master Selwyn in the living room, but he was nowhere to be found, nor was he in the dining room and the library.  He was, however, in his room.  It looked as if he was waiting for her.  He told her to give him a spin, which she complied to.  He beckoned her over with his shaking hands and patted his lap as he did many times before.  “It is almost time,” he whispered into her ear.  “I want you to have this.”

            Something cold and heavy dropped beside her own locket.

            “It is a family heirloom that has been passed on to the eldest child,” he continued.  “I have none of my own and the short times we have spent together have been my greatest joys.”

            She didn’t know why, but tears began to prick her eyes.  “S-sir…”

            “Can this old man hear you call him ‘father’?”

            “F-F,” she stuttered.  “Father…”

            “Good girl.”  He held her head to his chest.  She could hear his fluttering heart.  “I would like to hear it again when they arrive.”  His finger gently touched the rose that still held a spot behind her ear.  It already looked withered, but she couldn’t find the heart to throw it away.  “You kept it.  Come, let me show you one of my hobbies.”

            He walked over to the door beside the bathroom, closest to the window, and opened it.  Roses of all shapes formed some sort of floral cavern in the small room.  Not a glimpse of the ceiling, walls, and floor could not be seen.  “When I was younger, I was a businessman who took to different scents.  I had enchanted these flowers to take on the aroma of whatever that it touches.  It allowed easy access to mixing different fragrances.  Several petals can make me a bottle of perfume.  Now, it sits uselessly in this room.  Perhaps you would like to give it a try?”

            An excited glint appeared in her eyes.  She walked over to where he was standing, but hadn’t a clue on what to do.

            “Do you like the scent of your rose?”  He gestured to the flower in her hair.

            She nodded.

            “Throw it in.”

            She complied.

            The enchanted flowers that came in contact with the rose glowed softly.  When it subsided, Master Selwyn plucked a few petals and levitated them above a small perfume bottle he had conjured.  He muttered a spell. 

            She watched as the petals seemed to boil and drip their liquid into the bottle.  Another spell filled the bottle to the brim.  He capped it and gave it to her.  “Try it on.”  She did so. 

            The fragrance was not too strong and not to weak.  It was just right. 

            “Thank you.”  She smiled at him. 

            He embraced her once more before a series of loud ‘cracks’ could be heard coming from the dining room.  The Selwyn family had arrived.

            There were seven people scattered in the spacious room.  None looked particularly happy to be here, but tight smiles were still on their faces.

            “Brother!” a man who resembled Master Selwyn greeted.  “How long has it been?”

            “Far too long, Markus,” he replied.  “How are you, Rebecca?”

            The tall woman beside Markus tersely answered, “Fine.”

            “And your children?”

            “Jane and James are also doing well.”

            The two auburn teenagers looked bored as their mother answered the question.  Beside them was a tall dark-haired male.  His expression, or lack thereof, reminded Ria of Tom, but his eyes were amber, almost gold.

            “Hello, brother,” a middle age woman with graying brown hair greeted next.

            “It is good to see you, Annalise,” he dutifully replied.  “How is Christos?”

            “I am fine, sir,” the man answered for himself.  His eyes slowly rested on her.

            Master Selwyn noticed the gaze and introduced her as his daughter.  Scrutinizing stares came her way.  Disdain was clearly in their eyes – they didn’t like her. 

            All of them sat around the large dining table, engaged in small talk, as Marlene conjured each dish on to the table.  The meal was, then, eaten in silence.

            Ria looked amongst all of the Selwyns and wondered what had caused the rift between them.  What had happened that could not be mended?  Were family bonds not supposed to be important?

            Out of habit, she made to collect the dishes as dinner came to a close, but Master Selwyn placed a hand on her knee.  “Marlene.”  His voice held no room to argue.

            The cook took out her wand and each dish disappeared.

            If they could do that, why did Master Selwyn hire her?  Everything she did – wash the dishes, sweep the floors, vacuum the carpets, make the beds – could have easily been accomplished with a wave of a wand.

            Each of the family members stood up and gave their appreciations for the meal.  Unfortunately, they had plans to stay for the night.  Master Selwyn, however, was elated with the idea.  He seemed to miss his family dearly and had already told Marlene to prepare the guest rooms, earlier in the morning.

            She remembered the loneliness and remorse in his eyes, some nights ago.  He longed for a good relationship with his family.  Perhaps this was the reason why she was here – to keep him company.  It was a nice feeling.  She liked the idea of being wanted.  No one else really wanted her, other than the twins, but they were gone, now.  And Tom?  The warmth he gave her when she first arrived was exhilarating, but he, too, has left her in the cold.  Master Selwyn had become the only person who mattered in her life, now.  Unfortunately, she would have to face another misfortune.

            The night rolled by rather harmlessly.  Guest rooms were prepared and one by one, they retired into their chambers.

            Ria, however, couldn’t sleep.  The atmosphere was different with so many people in the house.  It felt insecure, almost foreign.  This manor that she had come to know… frightened her.  Was it because she had learned to fear strangers?  Or perhaps their immediate contempt and atrocious behaviour irked her?

            Their fake smiles and shifty eyes were unsettling.  They weren’t here for a mere visit.  They had alternative motives. 

            As dawn slowly approached, she felt like she hadn’t had a wink of sleep.

            Disregarding what she should do if she was Master Selwyn’s daughter, she knocked his door at the usual time, but received no answer.  “Father?”  Silence met her.

            She frowned and took out her wand before using the unlocking charm.  The door clicked and swung open.  She closed the door after she entered, as she usually did, and opened the curtains.   “Father?”  Her grey orbs scanned the room to see that he was still fast asleep. 

            A sigh left her lips.  He has never slept in before, but perhaps the excitement of seeing his family again exhausted him. 

            She opened the closet and started to choose his day clothes before hanging them in the bathroom.  When she came out, he was still sleeping.

            “Father, it’s half past six.”  He slept on.  “Father?”  She shook him.

            Something was wrong.  Why hadn’t she noticed?

            His chest wasn’t moving as it should.

            She placed an ear upon his heart and heard no sound – no fluttering pulse. 

            “MASTER SELWYN?!” she screamed. 

            She ran out the door and called for help.

            Markus burst out of his room with his wand out.  He rushed in, pushing her to the floor, with his wand out.  His eyes quickly settled on his brother’s still form.  “What have you done to him?!”

            She was frozen with shock and fear.  “I – I didn’t do anything!  When I came in, he was already like this!”

            He sneered at her.  “Don’t lie to me.  No one else would wake at this ungodly hour.  Petrificus Totalus!”

            Her body suddenly became rigid and she laid helplessly, unable to open her mouth to defend herself.  Tears began to trickle from her eyes.

            “I will see to it that you will receive a life sentence in Azkaban.”

Chapter Seven

            Tom has been enjoying the peace.  Students from all Houses had been avoiding Ria in fear and the fear extended to him.  It was not something he was particularly proud about, but the extra time he had to study without distraction was advantageous.

            He also managed to take the time to talk to Professor Dumbledore.

            Morfin never married nor had any children, but he did have a sister.  Merope Gaunt was suspected to be a squib, so she stayed at home with her father, Marvolo.  She had fallen in love with a man who frequently rode his horse by the Gaunt house.  Unfortunately, he didn’t love her.  She secretly slipped him a love potion, which made him become infatuated with her, but when it wore off, he left her.  He was Tom Riddle senior.

            He had yet to find much more information about what happened after, but he reckoned that it wouldn’t be long.

            A grin made its way to his lips.  Slytherin’s heir.  It didn’t matter who the father really was as long as he was a wizard. 

            He mentioned his heritage to Ria who was happy for him.  She helped him research about Salazar Slytherin and found many controversial tales.

            Salazar Slytherin was suspected to be behind the tragedy of the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady.  He had also constructed a secret chamber below Hogwarts.  It was told that a terrible creature dwelled there.  Many had searched for the Chamber of Secrets, but none have been successful.  It was rumoured that only the heir of Slytherin was able to open it.

            Tom didn’t wait long to begin his search.  He was confident that this was exactly what he had to do.  He will open the Chamber of Secrets.

            “You should get some sleep,” he heard her say.  “It’s past midnight.”

            She was half asleep with her head resting on his chest.

            “No.  School is almost over, I have to find it by then,” he replied.

            “Why not wait until next year?”  Her voice was beginning to slur.

            “I can’t wait that long.  There is so much that has to be done.”

            She mumbled something incomprehensive against his chest before falling silent, into a slumber.

~*~

            The next morning, while he was searching for the chamber, he bumped into Lestrange, Avery, Black, and Malfoy.  The effect of Ria’s Devil tale slowly faded and the four bonded together grew in confidence.

            “Looking for trash to sell?” Malfoy sneered.  “Trying to improve your muggle life?”

            Tom tried to ignore them, but he didn’t hold the same tolerance Ria had.

            “Where is the Devil girl?” Black chortled.  “Cant’ believe we ever thought a mudblood like her could ever kill a pureblood like Cooper.  The bloody bint probably forgot to eat and starved.”

            The orphan boy tried to walk away, but they surrounded him with their wands out.  “Going somewhere?”

            Tom sneered back at them.  “Do you really need to come in fours just to handle me?  I’m not surprised, though.  As Salazar Slytherin’s heir, I hold more magic in my blood than all of you combined.”

            There was a short shocked silence before all four of them burst out laughing.

            “Slytherin’s heir?”  Malfoy said, incredulously.  “You?”

            “No heir of Slyhterin would fraternize with a mudblood,” Lestrange added.  “Prove it.”

            Tom was determined to keep this chance from slipping away.  “I can speak Parseltongue.  It is a trait that only the descendents of Salazar Slytherin possess.”

            They had all been taught about Salazar Slytherin by their families before they were accepted to Hogwarts.  They knew he could talk to snake, but how could the orphan trash possible be the heir?

            A string of hisses made them all freeze.  They stared at him with gaping mouths, but none of them were compliant to accept the evidence in front of them. 

            “Drop the girl and we will believe you,” Avery suggested.  “Slytherin’s heir cannot have a mudblood by his side.”

            Tom swallowed nervously.  His only chance.  His only chance.   “I’ll drop her.”

~*~

            After supper, Ria found Tom at their usual spot in the library.  He was bent over writing furiously with his Potions book opened in front of him.

            She sat beside him and took out the supplies to start her own Potions essay, but realized that she had forgotten her book in the dormitory.  “May I share a book with you?” she inquired while already looking over.

            “No,” he replied, taking it away from her sight.

            “What?”  She gaped at him.  They always shared a book whenever one had forgotten it.  Did she do something to upset him, again?  “Tom, what’s wrong?”

            He ignored her.

            “Tom, I’m sorry for –”

            “Shut up.”  He was glaring straight in front of him.

            “Tom…”

            “I said, shut up.”

            Her eyes were downcast.  She gathered her things and walked away.

            Tom watched her form disappear.  He let out a growl and pushed everything away from the table in frustration.

~*~

            The next few days brought Ria into a spiral of confusion.  Tom had refused to acknowledge her existence.  During in-class partnered assignments, he would work with Lestrange.  She was left to make the exam potion with a girl who was too terrified to do anything but stare at her.  It was fortunate that she was good at Potions, but it just wasn’t the same.  The fearful stare was a poor substitution for Tom’s company.

            During their usual study time, Tom would be in the common room talking to the Slytherin Princes.  Ria tried to talk to him, but he would ignore her while the other boys laughed and teased. 

            As the year came to a close and exams were finally over, Ria was as depressed as ever.  Nothing had been solved.  Tom seemed to have gotten even nastier on the last day.  He had joined in on the taunts and even spilled ink all over her.  His laugh was cold, but she could still hear the reluctance.  She didn’t understand what had made him behave this way nor did she understand why they had suddenly let him into their group.  No, that wasn’t right.  He must have told them that he was the heir of Slytherin.  With a bunch of shallow, dimwitted people like them, they would be persuaded to accept him. 

            She sighed.  Her train compartment was empty.  She didn’t even bother to look for Tom.  It was more than obvious that he didn’t want to be her friend anymore.

            When she arrived at the orphanage, it lightened her heavy heart to see Annabelle hug her when she walked through the door.

            “How is Mirabelle?”

            Annabelle looked sadly at her and shook her blonde head.  “They won’t tell me.”

            “I’m sure she is doing alright,” Ria tried to reassure the younger girl.

            That evening, she willingly went to Mrs. Carter to ask her about Mirabelle.  The woman was hesitant to tell her, but with a glare, she complied.  Mirabelle was dead.

            Did anyone else know?  Should she tell Annabelle?

            In the end, she decided against telling the girl.  Not yet, but they can’t stay here much longer.  She’d have to get herself a job.

            With the total war economy, even little girls were hired.  She made sure to dress in her best dress and walked out of the orphanage.  Where to go?

            She started off with the newsstand and made her way up to the small cafés.  None of them needed an extra pair of hands.  Defeated, she slumped against a tree.

            “Little girl,” she heard a cracking voice call out to her.

            He was at least seventy, with white hair, wrinkled skin, and a hunched back.  A slanted smile greeted her.  “Hello, sir.”

            “I heard you were looking for a job.” H is smile widened.  “I am looking for someone to clean the house and take care of me.  I’ll pay you fifty pence a week.”

            Fifty pence!  That’s more than the average pay females receive.

            ‘When can I start, sir?”  She quickly stood up and dusted off her dress.

            “Today, if you are ready.  You may continue to refer to me as sir or Master Selwyn.”

            “I’m ready, now.”  Her heart beat excitedly against her chest.

            He led her into a car.  The driver drove them down the road, up a hill, and stopped in front of an enormous manor.  She gaped at the sight.  The gates were high and intimidating, but the yard beyond was breathtaking.  A white fountain with a statue of an angel emitted water from its outstretched hands.  Rosebushes of all colours lined the walkway.

            She gaped at everything around her.  The interior of the house was just as spectacular.  The walls were white with intricate gold designs on the edges and the red plush carpet was soft under her feet.

            “This is Marlene, the cook.”  A woman with dark hair and tanned skin spared her a glance before turning back to the stove.  “Up the left, this way, is your room.”  He opened the door to reveal a room that was bigger than both the boys’ and girls’ chambers combined.  It contained a large four poster bed with red and white lace curtains hanging.  A matching settee was placed against the magnolia wall.  The cherry wood desk made her heart leap and the balcony overlooked the entire city. 

            But she couldn’t stay here.  She couldn’t leave Annabelle by herself at the orphanage and it was unlikely that Mrs. Carter would let her take any of the kids away.  “I… I can’t stay here,” she whispered.  “I have responsibilities elsewhere, but I can wake up early every morning and leave late.”

            He patted her head.  “If that is what you wish.”

            He continued on with the tour of the house.  When that was done, she started of cleaning the bottom floor.  No one else seemed to be present other than Marlene who refused to speak to her.

            The next hours passed on uneventfully.  Master Selwyn only came down once to offer her supper with him, which she happily accepted.  She sat to his right and Marlene sat to his left.  The cook shot cold glares at her the entire dinner.  It was an awkward meal, but he let her go back to the orphanage after she washed the dishes.

            It was a little past midnight when she returned to the orphanage.  The door was locked and she regretted not telling Mrs. Carter beforehand.  Maybe she should head back to the manor…  It’s probably locked by now, too…

            “Ria,” a bell-like voice called out.

            She looked up and saw Annabelle waving at her from the second floor.  Her eyes shifted around for things to climb, but found none.  There were, however, several wooden boards leaving.  She took out her wand and levitated them to make temporary stairs.

            Annabelle made room before Ria placed the boards back into place.

            “Thanks,” she whispered and stumbled into her bed.

            A tiny warm body climbed in after her.

~*~

            The next morning, she woke up just as the sun came up.  She separated herself from Annabelle, got dressed, and took an apple from the basket.  Mrs. Carter was already in the kitchen with Mr. Carter reading the newspaper.  They paid her no heed, but gave a nod of acknowledgement when she said she was going to be late doing her job as a housemaid.

            When she arrived at the manor, Selwyn gave her a wide smile and beckoned her in.  He ordered Marlene to get her a uniform, which she grudgingly did so.  Marlene held out a French maid attire.  It was a short dress with no pants, but it looked much nicer than anything she possessed.

            Soon, this all became a routine.  Master Selwyn was nice and treated her to every meal.  Unfortunately, his hands tend to wander.  Every once in a while, he would make a perverted comment, but she ignored them.  She could tolerate his remakes if it didn’t go any further.

            “ria, come here,” she heard Selwyn from the living room.  He was hunched over a piece of paper, scribbling away.  “Sit here.”  He patted his lap.  She was hesitant, but complied to his request.  “Let me tell you a little secret.”  His mouth caressed her ears.  She was barely able to suppress a shiver of disgust when she felt his wrinkled lips.  “Someone is trying to kill me.”

            She gasped in shock and turned to face him.  “Kill…?”

            “Yes.”  His usual mirthful smile was gone.  “I do not leave the house much and it seems that the rest of my family has all but forgotten about me.  Who do you think it is?”

            Did he think it was her?  “No, sir,” she said, rapidly shaking her head.

            His hand raked down her arm.  “Are you sure?”

            She nodded.

            He chuckled and patted her head.  “Good girl.  Take care.”

~*~

            She jolted awake to the sound of loud alarms.  All the girls were scurrying about, some screaming.  What was happening?

           Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the entire orphanage.  A bomb?  Another explosion shattered the windows.  An air raid?

            She ran down the stairs with Annabelle at her heel and all the other kids around her.  Mrs. Carter was screaming for them to get to the bomb shelter under the courtyard, but the next explosion caused part of the building to collapse.  Everyone screamed.  Several kids had been buried by the rubble.

            “Annabelle?” she called out.

            A small hand slipped into hers, causing her frantic heart to calm.

            “We have to go around to the other side,” Mrs. Carter shouted.  “This exit is blocked!”

            Most of the girls were crying.  Ria was on the verge herself.  The situation looked hopeless.  She could hear screams and cries from outside.  Everyone was dying.  Everyone was dying.

            “This way!  This way!”

            The walls were beginning to burn.

            “Mrs. Carter, Emily fell and twisted her ankle!” Katherine shouted.

            Mr. Carter ran to get her, but a burning pillar fell before him.  He watched helplessly as everyone heard Emily’s scream of agony. 

            “Ria.”  Annabelle tugged at the side of her thin night gown.  “Please use your powers to put out the fire.”

            She bit her bottom lip before retrieving her wand from the waistband of her shorts.  Just as she was going to wave it, Mrs. Carter plucked it from her hand.

            “We don’t’ need your Devil magic!” she screamed at her.  “Haven’t you done enough?!  We don’t need you to kill anyone else!”

            Ria stared back with wide eyes, not knowing that everything would go wrong second alter.

            She felt the heat before she heard the explosion.  The force blew her backward towards the flame that had consumed Emily.  Her grip on Annabelle loosened.  She heard the girl scream, but she couldn’t take in anything she saw.  Everything was a blur.

            When her body flew into the fire, she felt the heat burn her gown before everything went black.

~*~

            The moment Tom arrived at the orphanage, he placed his trunk beside his bed and left for the library.  He was determined to find who his father was.  The librarian there gave him no information, but directed him to the appropriate section.  He couldn’t find anything on Tom Riddle senior.

            The next few weeks were no better.  He found nothing but a village name: Little Hangleton.  The Riddle House was located there and he hoped that I was where his father lived.  Unfortunately, he had no means to get there.  It was a bit far from London, located in northern England, past Manchester.

            He doubt Mrs. Cole would lend him money to ride a train there and he couldn’t use magic.  The Ministry could detect it and it was possible to snap his wand if he wasn’t careful.  He hated waiting, but sometimes, patience was necessary.  Maybe he could do something to entertain himself for the time being.

            “Bishop,” he called out to a shy russet haired boy.

            Dennis Bishop gave Tom a frightened look.  He had heard what the pale boy had done to Billy Stubbs’ rabbit.  He had also heard what happened to the other kids who annoyed him.  Strange things happened to them all.  Dennis had been careful to avoid Tom, thus far, but it seemed that trouble has found him.

“Bishop,” Tom repeated with a devious grin on his face.

            There were no good options for Dennis.  If he didn’t answer him, then Tom would be angry.  If he answered, then who knew what Tom would do to him?  He was doomed…

            “Hello, Tom,” he squeaked.

            “Mrs. Cole has organized a picnic at the Hyde Park,” Tom started, his eyes gleaming.  “You know how she always wants us to be in groups.  I would like to be in the same group as you.  I hope we can become friends.”

            Dennis gulped.  “O-of course, Tom, but… I promised Amy that I would be in her g-group.”

            “Excellent,” Tom chuckled.  “We can be in a group of three.  I can imagine how much fun we can have.”

            The day of the picnic came too soon for Dennis.  Amy Benson was just as nervous when he broke the news to her.  They walked with trembling legs through the park.  When Mrs. Cole finally found the perfect shaded area to place the red and white picnic blanket, he was about to pass out.  It was unnerving walking with Tom.  His expression rarely changed and when it did, he wished it didn’t.

            “Won’t you take a walk with me?”  Tom seemed to have developed a charming persona.  “The lake is beautiful during the summer.”

            He shared a look with Amy.  “I-I’m still h-hungry.”

            “You can take your sandwich with you.”

            “Tom, I –”

            “Come.  Take.  A.  Walk.  With.  Me.”  The gleam in his eyes was back.

            “O-okay.”

            The three of them walked along the Serpentine Lake.  It was sparkling under the summer sun and blue as the sky.  Beautiful European robins danced in and out of the willow trees, but no beauty could calm the hearts of the terrified children.

            “Do you know why I brought you here?”  Tom had a Cheshire grin on his face.

            They shook their heads.

            “It’s really not for any particular reason, really.  I was just bored.  “His smile became friendly, which slowed their racing hearts.  Perhaps Tom was just lonely.  NO one really spoke to him.  Maybe he only wanted to be friends.  “I would like you to meet a dear friend of mine.”

            A soft hiss could be heard coming from the left. 

            “Its name is Nathair.”

            The snake was nearly three ruler lengths long.  Different shades of brown arranged in a tessellated pattern slithered towards Tom.  It looked familiar to the two muggles.  It looked like…

            “Is that… the snake from the zoo?”  Dennis’ eyes widened.  “What is it doing here…?”

            “Denny,” Amy whispered.  “I’m scared.  Let’s go.”

            The friendly façade twisted into one of malice.

            “Don’t you want to meet his friends?”

            Before either children were able to leave, they found themselves in a tangle of long reptiles.  The snakes wound themselves around their legs, arms, and necks.

            “Aren’t they beautiful?”

            Amy let out a scream that was quickly muffled by a four feet grass snake that wound itself around her face.  Her tiny body trembled in fear with tears running down her cheeks.  Why was this happening to her?  Dennis said it was going to be alright.  He said that Tom wouldn’t do anything with Mrs. Cole around, but where was she now?!

            “Tom!” Dennis shouted as he saw Amy’s form fall, still struggling to escape.  “Tom, stop!  Why are you doing this?  Let us go!  To –”  He, too, was consumed by the snakes. 

            The heir of Slytherin watched with sick fascination as his two fellow orphans writhed in fear.  Their bodies could barely be seen amongst the different types of snakes.  The zoo had probably imported another nest already.

            His long, pale fingers stroked the slick, triangular head of Nathair.  “Perhapsss I ssshould take you with me.”

            “I would be honoured to be by your ssside, heir of Ssslytherin,” it hissed back.

            Half an hour passed before Tom lost his interest in the snake-covered duo who had long since passed out from fear.  He called off the snakes and walked away. 

            When Dennis and Amy woke up, they remained on the ground, wondering what had happened.  Their eyes were dilated and as hard as they tried to remember what happened, it didn’t come.  The defense mechanism of the brain suppressed their memories.  Only the fear remained.

            Mrs. Cole found them curled against each other.  Not a word was spoken when she asked what had happened.  

Chapter Six

            “Focus and the caster will be able to look into the mind of the subject.”  She stared at him and… focused?  What was she supposed to focus on?  Tom.  Tom.  Tom.  Tom.

            Tom watched as she squinted her eyes in concentration.  They had been practicing in the library for the past two hours – rather she had been making odd faces at him for the past two hours.  She refused to allow him to help her, but Tom was annoyed.  The Charms book was on his lap and not one word was sinking in.  Firstly, her constant muttering was distracting.  He couldn’t actually hear the words, but he almost wish he did because it was more irking not to know.  Secondly, that stare was really getting on his nerves.  It was coupled with a confused look that meant she had absolutely no idea on what she was supposed to do.  Lastly, he also wanted to learn it, but there was only one copy available.  Whenever he reached for the book, she would shout at him to stop helping her.  She thought he was only pretending to want to learn it. 

            After the third hour rolled by, he lost it.  He grabbed the book from her and skimmed the page.  He looked at her and began to concentrate.  A flash of a girl hit him.  He concentrated harder to bring it back.  The blonde girl reappeared, but disappeared, again.  He growled and reentered her mind, not noticing the pained look that crossed her face.

            The blonde girl was playing with a blonde doll clad in a red ballroom dress.

            “Miss Lily, would you like more tea?”  Small hands moved the doll’s head up and down.  An old teapot tipped downward, but no tea poured out.  “Would you like to have one sugar or two?”  She paused.  “Two?  I like to have two in my tea, too!”  A giggle gilled the air, but it abruptly stopped.  She stared directly at him and hissed, “Stop looking at me, freak!”

            He was surprised.  Could she see him?

            “Go away before I get Ms. Caroll,” she huffed.  “Ms. Caroll!  Ms. Caroll!, Ria’s trying to curse me, again!”

            “Stop!”

            He pulled away from the memory, gasping.  His vision refocused into reality and he saw the tears fall from her eyes.  “She was always telling lies about me.  I never did anything her.”

            As much as he wanted to try Legilimency on her, again, he couldn’t bring himself to do it when she was crying.

            They sat unproductively for a few more minutes before they both realized that neither of them would get anything else done that night. 

            The common room was crowded.  Everyone was chatting animatedly amongst themselves.  None paid any attention to the duo, who sat in the corner.

            Tom almost desperately wanted to try, again, but so did Ria.  She agreed for him to cast it on her if he would teach her how to do it.  They practice silently for the remainder of the time, until past midnight.  She was delighted that she had gotten a short glimpse of the same lady who picked up Tom, last summer.  Unfortunately, she also developed a persistent headache after being at the receiving end of the Legilimency.  Tom had probed quite deeply into her memories, but at one point – just before he saw what happened to Christine – she somehow managed to push him away.  He wasn’t angry, though.  He looked excited and called it Occlumency before allowing her to rest.

            They separated into their respective dormitories, but she couldn’t sleep.  One particular flash of memory made her migraine worse than it already was.  The thoughts continued to persist. 

            In that memory, she saw a tall, pale man who was glaring t her.  They were in Hogwarts, but she had never seen him before.  No one in Hogwarts looked like that.  No one she knew, at all, looked like that.  Perhaps it had come from a strange dream. 

            “My dear.”  A woman with messy cinnamon hair and thick, round glasses pointed dramatically at a dark-haired boy.  “You have the Grim.”

            “The what?”  The boy looked as confused as she felt.

            “The Grim, my dear, the Grim!”  She had not explained what it was, but once noticing the prolonged confused stares, she continued, “The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards!  My dear boy, it is an omen – the worse omen – of death!”

            The dream faded and she woke to see that it was still dark.  Caroline was snoring softly beside her.  She couldn’t stay here, but she didn’t want to stay in the common room, or the dungeons in general.  The library was closed, but maybe she could sneak in.

            She grabbed her school cloak and sneaked out.

            The corridors were dark and rather frightening without the usual crowds milling about.

            “Alohomora!” she whispered and pointed at the lock.  It clicked open.  “Lumos!”

            The library looked very different under the dim light and navigating around it was more difficult.  “Lumos Maxima!”  The rows of bookshelves became more visible and finally, she found the book she desired.  It was similar to the book from before, but this one held knowledge of both Legilimency and Occlumency. 

            There was no one to test if she could do it or not, but she could wrap her minds around the basic theory.

            She stayed in the library for several hours and only left when the sun was about to come up.  Sneaking back to the dormitory was a bit more difficult.  There were a couple of professors already awake and walking about, but she managed to avoid them. 

            In a matter of weeks, Tom managed to master Legilimency.  Ria, however, had only managed to scratch the surface of it.  Sometimes when he decided to be mean, he would use Occlumency to make it even harder for her, but as weeks turned into months, she was able to perform both techniques adequately.

            She demonstrated its usefulness on Caroline who had been whispering to Belina about her.  Another rumour had been spread, but Ria managed to control it.  It was not a very nice thing she did, but it was necessary.  She had charmed Caroline’s pillow to give her certain nightmares about her being the Devil.

            The childish accusations at the orphanage turned out to be more useful than she had first thought.  By manipulating a few more things, she had managed to make her roommate fear her.  This new rumour – about her being the Devil – managed to override the other talks.  Not only was it easier to cope with, none of the professors would take them seriously.  Their credibility quickly fell and she was able to live amongst them without having to worry about strange rumours about her nonexistent sex life.

            Unfortunately, Tom had been behaving oddly, again.  He had immersed himself with different pureblood heritage books.  It seemed as if he was trying to get through every family in the library.  At the moment, he was skimming a book on the Flints.  She wanted to join him, but she had no idea on where to start.  She envied Tom for at least knowing his family name, but he did not appreciate it.  He was displeased to find that the Riddles were not even amongst the halfblood names. 

            She wanted to tell him that perhaps he was truly a muggleborn, but he refused to accept it.  It pained her to see him work up such a frenzy on something that she believed to be insignificant.  Once she graduates from Hogwarts, she would make a name for herself.  She didn’t need a family name to be great.  She wouldn’t need to worry about who they were.  If they were gone, then they were gone.  There was no use to dwell on it any longer. 

            Tom, however, had grown quite frantic.  A part of him was glad that Ria had managed to find a way to deal with her situation, but the other part hated her for not caring about her bloodline more.  He also hated how everyone was focusing their taunts on him, now. 

            Once he finds who his parents were, then he would find peace with himself.  Unfortunately, the books on the Flint family were another dead end.  He moved on to the next one, which were the Gamps.  There wasn’t much about them.  The most memorable information was that the heiress of that family married the heir of the Black family.  It was a question whether the family was still a pureblood family or still exists.  He picked up the next book, which was on the Gaunt family.

            This family intrigued Tom.  Their lineage can be traced all the ways to Salazar Slytherin.  What was even more interesting was that they could talk to snakes.

            Tom had found  out he was a Parseltongue when Mrs. Cole had taken them to the zoo.  One of the boys, Dennis Bishop, tripped over his own shoelace and tumbled into a tank holding a death adder, which had been newly imported from Australia.  Earlier, the tour guide had said that it was one of the most venomous snakes in the world.  Everyone ended up panicking. T he guide had beckoned everyone to remain calm and leave the smile facility of reptiles as the alarms blared loudly.

            Mrs. Cole gathered all the orphans, but noticed that the six-year-old Tom was motionless.  An expression o fascination was plastered on his face.  He opened his mouth, but no words formed; instead, he was making odd hissing sounds.

            “Hello,” he hissed.

            The snake jerked its head to look at him.  “You can underssstand me?”

            He frowned.  “Aren’t you ssspeaking Englisssh?”

            It gave him its version of a snort.  “I’m not the one ssspeaking English.  You are ssspeaking Parssseltongue.  I knew of one other human would could ssspeak it.”

            “Parssseltongue?  Who?” 

            “A man who ssspoke nothing but.  Sssomething about you remindsss me of him.”

            He had never heard of such a language before, but for someone to speak only to snakes?  It almost seemed ridiculous for humans to talk to animals.  Almost.  Odd things have happened to him before. 

            Just a couple of months ago, he and Billy Stubbs had gotten into an argument.  He couldn’t even remember what it had been about, but what he recalled was standing in front of a dead rabbit hanging by a thin rope tied to the rafters of the attic.  Fear pushed him to run away before anyone saw him.  Unfortunately, everyone had still accused him of killing the white fluff ball. 

            He shook his head to clear his mind.  His memories had caused him to stray from his objective.

            Tom flipped the book to the last page where the family tree is usually located.

            Salazar Slytherin.  Cadmus Peverell.  Marvolo Gaunt.  Morfin Gaunt.

            His heart beat rapidly.  This was it.  This was the most he had gotten all month.  It made him more excited than he had ever been.  He could be Slyterhin’s heir.  He had to be Slytherin’s heir! 

            He never thought much about his middle name, but it seemed to be a family name.  Tom Marvolo Riddle.  Marvolo for Marvolo Gaunt.  Imagine what all the other would think.  No one would ever demean him, again. 

            He went to see Slughorn that night to learn more about the Gaunt family and the heir of Slytherin.

            “They are all Parselmouths, you know?” he said.  “I had been in school with one of them.  Morfin was one of the most despicable person I’ve ever met.  He was violent and rarely ever spoke in English.  Never had any friends.  None of the girls ever approached him, except that Jennifer Mayer.  I asked her to the Hallowe’en party, but she was too shy to go.  Of course, I got myself a more beautiful date – Gladys Greengrass.  Too bad she went off to marry Jason Prewett.  That man was no good.  He went off to work at Knockturn Alley and then died of tuberculosis.  If only she could see me, now.  I bet she regrets not marrying me.”

            Tom was growing impatient.  He didn’t need to know what the professor did in his past.  “Sir, can you tell me more about Morfin?  His family life?  Did he have any other relatives or children?”

            “Children, eh?”  Slughorn looked thoughtfully at his wineglass.  “I’m sure Morfin never married and Joanna died when she was hit by a muggle car.  Howver, I think he may have mentioned a sister, but he wasn’t’ lucid long enough to say anything else in English.  Too much inbreeding must’ve messed with his head.  Never seen a crazier guy.  Never could understand him.”

            It didn’t seem as if Slughorn knew anything else that was useful.

            “Perhaps Professor Dumbledore may know more.  He has been around longer.”  He let out a chuckle.  ‘Why do you want to know abou –”

            “I best be getting some rest,” Tom interrupted.  “Good night, professor.”

            He left the bewildered professor behind.  Professor Dumbledore.  Yes, that man must know something.  That expression the old coot gave him was one of recognition, but how could he bring up the subject?  Slughorn would do nearly anything he said with a little charm, but Dumbledore has never been easily persuaded – especially not towards a Slytherin.  Perhaps a few days to organize his thoughts would be helpful.

~*~

            “Did you really?”  Her eyes shone under the low light.  ‘Can you show me Parseltongue?”

            “Not now,” he replied. 

            They were sitting around a round table with several others – all male.  Lestrange, Malfoy, Black, and Avery, part of the “Slytherin Princes,” were present from the Slytherins, along with several others from different Houses.  Most of them were conversing amongst themselves while Slughorn had taken a moment to collect something from his classroom.

            All of the Slug Club attendees had been surprised when they entered the office, but a glare from both orphans made them decide better than to provoke the wrath of the Devil.  The two sat one seat part from everyone else.  No one wanted to even touch them.

            When Slughorn came back, he immediately instructed everyone to introduce themselves.

            “Isn’t it nice to have a girl in the party, now?”  Slughorn grinned at all the boys, resembling an old lecher.  “Granted that she does not come from a reputable family and she is not in the top of all her classes like Tom, she is still quite talented.”

            Ria was annoyed that he had to constantly bring that up.

            “But she’s a mudblood!” Black sneered.  “They have no talent.”

            A murmur of agreements followed.

            “No.  Now.  There is no need to use such aname,” Slughorn tried to explain.  ‘The correct term for people with muggle parents is muggleborn.  No other word will be tolerated.”

            “Why do we have to –”

            Avery cut him off with an elbow to the ribs.  “Don’t, she’ll –”

            “I don’t care about that anymore!” Orion Black burst out.  “When has Caroline ever been right?  What stupid story had she been feeding us?  The Devil?  Do you honestly thing she’s the Devil?”

            There was a pause in the room before Slughorn spoke up.  “Do you still believe those rumours?  I thought I already told Ms. Cooper to stop all this nonsense.  Can you really imagine Ms. Ria causing any permanent damage?  Go apologize to her and be friends like you were before.  There should be no bad blood within Houses.”

            Bad blood?  Just using the word was the wrong thing to do.  She couldn’t understand how someone can be so oblivious.  Without that rumour, she was as good as dead.  Things will no doubt be as they were before.  Maybe she could enchant more pillows or perhaps a new spell would be more efficient.

            The rest of the “arty” was torturous for her.  If time went any slower, it would be going backwards.  Only Tom’s presence kept her from running out the room in tears.  His warm hand clasped hers until Slughorn finally let them go.

            She darted out the room with Tom in tow.  They could hear hyena-like laughter behind them.

~*~

            The next morning, Ria saw an extremely pale Caroline sitting motionlessly.  Her hazel eyes were vacant and her mouth was gaping open.

            Did she go too far?  She had tried something new last night; she had incorporated Legilimency into her spell.  Had it gone wrong?

            “Caroline?”  The brunette didn’t answer.  “Caroline?”

            Hesitantly, she extended one pale hand towards the girl, but the moment she made contact, Caroline tipped over the bed.  The left side of her face was planted into the emerald green carpet, lips slanted.  Her lower body was still on the bed, tilting her body to an awkward angle.

            No.  She couldn’t be dead.  It was only a harmless joke.  It was only supposed to give her nightmares.  If it really was her spell…  She’d have to disenchant the pillow.  “Finite Incantatum!”  All spells that had been cast in the room disappeared.

Should she call for the professors?  No, she can’t.  They will catch her, but they won’t.  She had eliminated the spell.  They wouldn’t suspect anything.

            With that thought in mind, she found Professor Slughorn and told him her version of how she found Caroline.  He ordered her to get Headmaster Dippet, Professor Dumbledore, and Madam Danti.

            They all gathered around the motionless girl who was pronounced dead.  None knew the cause, but they suspected that she had literally been scared to death.  Whatever she had seen in her dream caused her to have a cardiac arrest.  They tested fro any spells in the room, but none were found.

            When asked if she saw anything unusual, she denied.  It wasn’t a lie.  Caroline hadn’t done or said anything to her before she died.  Not even a scream of terror was heard.  Professor Dumbledore, however, didn’t seem satisfied with her replies.  While everyone else left, he stayed behind to speak with her.

            It was much harder to keep information from him.  His knowing blue eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul, but as a precaution, she made sure to use Occlumency to ward off intrusions she could.

            “If you know anything, you know you can come to me.”  He looked her in the eye, searching.

            She stared back, making sure to keep her face emotionless.  “Of course, professor.”

            With a nod and bid of “Good night,” he left.

            This felt just like the time Christine died.  She hadn’t meant it, but things always go wrong.  The spell was only meant to keep everything under control for her.  It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

            She covered her face with her pillow and let out a scream.  The sound was muffled, but the group of girls who had been tittering outside heard it and peeked in.  They stared silently at the redhead, then at each other.

           When Ria pulled the pillow from her face and glared at them, they let out a fearful scream before running off.  She stared blankly at the spot they had just been.  Did she want to go to the Great Hall and classes?  No.  Was she going to go anyway?  Yes.

            She sighed and sluggishly slipped off the bed.

            The great Hall grew silent when she walked in.  All eyes were on her as she made her way to the Slytherin table.  She sat beside Tom who was nonchalantly eating a blueberry muffin while Lestrange, who had been teasing Tom, scooted away.  They all watched her as if she was going to hex them all to Hell.

            She stared at her empty plate until it wasn’t empty anymore.  Her eyes shifted to look at the boy who had returned to eating before shifting her eyes back to the piece of toast in front of her.

            “Eat,” he ordered.

            A small pout began to form on her lips.  “But I’m not hungry,” she murmured. 

            “Eat,” he repeated.

            “No –” A piece of muffin was shoved into her mouth.

            “Sto – mmph.”  She was already beginning to be full, but she had learned to just keep her mouth shut until Tom’s odd behaviour fades.

            He grabbed his schoolbag and made his way to class.  She quickly followed behind and tried to talk to him, but he somehow managed to stop her every time without uttering a word.

            “Tom, let me speak!”  She grabbed his arm.  ‘Are you angry at me?  Do you think I did it?  Do you want… to stop being my friend…?”  Her lips began to tremble.  She could tolerate anything that is thrown her way, but she would die without him.  He made her chest felt warm.  It felt good… The warmth spread to her entire body.  It grew warmer and warmer and warmer…

            She gasped in pain as her chest became searing hot.  Her hand dug into her shirt and pulled out the locket before letting it go when it burned her hand.  It had never hurt her before.

            Tom also stared at the silver necklace.  His eyes gleamed in interest.  He could feel power pulsating from it – power that he desired.  His hand extended towards it, but Ria jerked away from him. 

            “You can’t touch it!  It’ll hurt you!” she cried out.

            “Let me decide that for myself.”  He snatched it from her, pulling her head close to his.

            “Are you… okay?”  She looked curiously t his hand.  He wasn’t pulling away.

            He turned the locket in his hand.  It felt cool against his hand.  When he tried to open it, it didn’t budge.  The scorch mark that covered her name caught his attention, leaving only a faded imprint of it.  “Can you take it off?”

            She shook her head.  “you can try.  No one else could even touch it without being burnt.”

            When she turned around, he tried to unclasp the two metal hoops, but it was to no avail.  He was disappointed, but covered it up with his usual expression of nonchalance.

            “So, with Caroline…” she started when they became to walk, again.

            “I don’t care.”

            She cracked a smile.  Where would she be without him?

Chapter Five

            “I have to prove them wrong,” Tom muttered as he glared at the Slytherins who were taunting him as he walked by.  “My parents were not muggles.  I can do so much more than them.  I am a pureblood.  I am a pureblood.”

            He made his way into the library where a familiar redhead sat, reading another book.  His eyes shifted away from her while he headed into the history section.  Thousands of family names littered the shelves.  Abbott.  Carrow.  Goyle.  Malfoy.  Prince.  Rosier.  Weasley.  Where were the Riddles?  He refused to accept that he was a mudblood.  Perhaps the books were simply not there.  The Hogwarts library couldn’t possess all the books in the world.  Perhaps his family went into hiding for some reason and had to live under a fake name.  He has heard the professors talk about the unrest in the wizarding world.  His parents must have been noble purebloods who gave their lives for the greater good.

            His mind raced for a plausible explanation for the lack of information for his family.  He was a pureblood.  He was a pureblood.  He was a –”

            “Tom?”  The dark brunette started.  “Are you alright, Tom?”

            “I’m fine,” he answered the girl.  “Just tired.”

            She smiled at him.  “I’ve been trying to find my family, too, but I don’t really have anything to work with.  Did you find yours?”

            He pursed his lips before his eyes wandered over to the book in her possession.

            “There had been a sprout of tuberculosis in the area where my orphanage is located.  One of… the people I know has it.  I’ve been researching for a spell to cure the disease.”  She waved the book that was clutched in her small hands.  “Do you know a spell for it?”

            “No.”  Why would he know such a spell?  He didn’t think he would ever have a need for it, but a part of him was worried that she may end up being infected.  “You should ask Madam Danti.”

            He watched her bite her lips nervously.  “I’ve tried, but she said that it is too complicated for me.”

            “Then ask again a few years later,” he stated.

            “It would be too late!” she exclaimed.  A deep blush painted her cheeks when she realized how loud she had been.

           “Why are you in such a hurt?  Can you even be infected with it?”  There was no reason for her to be in frenzy.  If anything does happen when she returned to the orphanage in the summer, he was almost certain a letter to Hogwarts would ensure her survival.  

            “I – I…” she trailed off.  A frustrated look crossed her face.  “There’s this girl who has it and –”

            “You don’t plan on exposing our secret do you?” he cut her off.  Was she doing all of this for a muggle girl?  Was she risking the exposure of the wizarding world for a weak, pitiful muggle girl? 

            She looked down at her book in shame.  “She already knows that I can perform magic…”

            “What?!” he shouted in shock.  Did she not care about her own safety?  The muggles were liable to persecute and burn her on a stake!

            “But it should be alright!”  She didn’t sound too convincing.  “They all think it’s the Devil’s power.”

            A thin, dark eyebrow raised in skepticism.  “Devil’s power?”

            She shrugged, looking rather uncomfortable with the subject.  “The point is, everyone at the orphanage already knows there is something strange about me.  Things happen.  Things break.”  As she finished speaking, her eyes darkened and glazed over. 

            Tom knew of the hardships of being a wizard growing up in a muggle orphanage.  They hate what they fear and fear what they don’t understand.  Once labeled, anything unfortunate had an automatic scapegoat.  He would not be surprised if the muggles at her orphanage blamed her for intentionally spreading tuberculosis.

            He didn’t press for her to elaborate; instead, the two of them left the library and headed for Potions.

            Professor Horace Slughorn instructed for each student to work in pairs to brew the Swelling Solution.  He had the instructions on the board and gave them the entire class to finish it.  He was delighted to see that his two favourite students were partnered up.  There were high hopes for young Mr. Riddle, but Ms. Ria needed a gentle push at the right direction.  She was far too quiet and blended into the background while her companion shone brightly.  He would always answer the class questions correctly.  There was no doubt in the potion master’s mind that Tom Riddle would go far. 

            “Don’t put that in, yet!” a loud exclamation cut through his thoughts.  Before he was able to react, a small explosion sounded from the back corner of the room.  “You bloody idiot!”

            The face of Septimus Weasley grew as red as his hair, which were singed in different places.  “S-sorry.”  His partner, Cedrella Black, was covered in thick blue liquid. 

            “No worries.  No worries,” Professor Slughorn assured as he finally processed the scene before him.  “Evanesco!”  All the goo disappeared from the accident.  “There, all clean, again.  However, I will have to fail the two of you on this assignment.  Meet me after dinner tonight at eight for a redo.”

            The pair groaned in displeasure before they began to bicker about whose fault it was. 

            “Ah!  Mr. Riddle, Ms. Ria, another job well done,” he praised the two Slytherin orphans.  “Take ten points each.  I would also like to see the two of you after class for a brief moment.”

            Light grey met dark brown, then two small heads nodded at the professor. 

            “Wonderful!”  He hummed a merry tune as he sat back behind his desk.

“What do you think he wants to talk to us about?” she inquired in a hush voice.

            Tom casted the professor a suspicious look.  “Probably nothing important.”

            “Will you hold still for a moment?”  Instinctively, he turned to see what she was doing, but froze again when she scolded him.  “Stay still!”

            He hugged, but complied.  The continuous sound of quill rapidly scratching on parchment relaxed his mind.  His shoulder fell slightly and his mind drifted off.

             “You can move, now,” he heard her say.  It was uncertain how long he had stayed immobile, but his neck started to cramp up.

            His head turned to see what she had been doing, but the parchment, quill, and ink pot were already packed into her schoolbag.  “What were you doing?”  He frowned when she didn’t reply.  A mysterious glint was in her eyes.

            “You’ll see.”  Just as she finished speaking, class ended and as promised, they stayed behind.

            Professor Slughorn walked over to them with a smile that Tom would never put his trust in.

            “My favourite students,” he started.  “As you have probably heard, I host parties for those who I think are worth.  I would like the two of you to start joining them.  Now, I don’t usually allow girls to attend, but since you are such good friends with Tom here, I’d have to make an exception.  The closest one will be in there weeks at my office.”

            Slughorn’s expression told her that she should feel honoured, but it was difficult to do so.  He didn’t bother to hide the fact that he was sexist and the only reason he wanted her there was because of Tom.  Did she have no worth on her own? 

            When they arrived to Transfigures class, they were five minutes late, but Professor Dumbledore excused them from all consequences when they explained the Professor Slughorn wanted to speak with them.  He seems to be able to guess the point of the talk.

~*~

            “I’m tired,” she mumbled.

            “Then get off me and go to bed,” he replied.

            “But you’re warm and I’m too tired to move.”

            They were sprawled on one of the leather couches in front of the fireplace.  The common room was empty of all other life forms.  Everyone was at the Great Hall eating supper.

            “Are you really going to go to Professor Slughorn’s party?”  She looked up to see Tom’s eyes were closed.  “It doesn’t sound too exciting.”

            “Why not?  It will gain us some long due respect,” he muttered.

            “I don’t like him very much and I really don’t think they’ll treat us any different for being able to attend his… odd get together.  What is the point to it?”

            He had heard a little about the parties.  It was said to be for the chosen students who Slughorn deemed as witty, charming, or talented.  “I believe it is for his own benefit.  He only chooses those who he sees will make a different in the world so that he would be able to have a good connection with them.”

            “That’s stupid…” she mumbled.  “I don’t want to go.  We could just spend the time here when no one else is present.  I like what we are doing, now.”

            A sigh left his lips.  He enjoyed this far too much.   “Just try it.  You can decide not to go after.”

            “Fine.”

            “What were you doing early?  In Potions?”  He changed the subject.

            Her eyes widened and she immediately jumped to her feet.  “I forgot!  See you tomorrow, Tom.  Good night!”

            He was frozen in place, watching her retreating form in shock and confusion. 

~*~

            The colours danced before her as she brought her sketch into life.  She had nearly forgotten the joy of painting.  Not only had the twins occupied most of her time, inspiration had been scarce.  Nothing particularly caught her eye, but since second year started, Tom had been showing glimpses of emotions that made her heart soar.  She didn’t want it to end.

            The next morning, she made sure to wake up before breakfast and headed to the Owlery.  There were already several others sending posts to their families.  Unfortunately, two fo them were from Slytherin – Felicia and Alexia Carrow.  The twins were known to be part of a vicious trio.  Olive Hornby, the “leader” of the group was nowhere to be seen.

            She quickly attached the rolled up parchment to the first owl she saw and made to leave, but an arm blocked her path.  “Who did you sent it to?  I didn’t know you knew anyone other than that mudblood Riddle.  Unless, of course, you’re sending it to a muggle.”

            It would make it worse if she said anything back, so she stood in silence.  THeyw ould leave, soon.  Everyone else was already leaving.  They’ll have to go, soon.

            “Or perhaps it is to St. Mungo’s.”  Felicia smirked.  “Lestrange must’ve been right about something.”

            Ria allowed a frown to mar her face.  What could Lestrange be right about? 

            “I can’t wait until you’re kicked out of Hogwarts,” Alexia added with the same smirk on her lips.  “A mudblood, like you, is expendable.  Your late arrival is proof of that.  You were barely accepted into the school.  Can’t be too power, can you?”

            “And now you’re going to spread your mudblood everywhere.  It’s disgusting.”

            “As if we don’t already have enough trash as it is.”

            “Once you’re expelled, the muggle war will kill you.”

            “Then the world would be a better place!”

            They laughed in unison.

            The sound was high pitch and filled her vision with a splash of vivid puke green.

            “They’ll snap your wand, you know,” Alexia informed.  “You’ll become the muggle trash that you are.”

            Finally, they spared her one last leer before leaving.

            Nothing they had said made sense to her, but she knew that she couldn’t be expelled and she couldn’t lose her wand.  She wouldn’t be able to live the way she had before.  Hogwarts was the only place she could thrive in.  No one shall take it away from her.  She had to find out what they were raving bout.  Maybe Tom would know?

            As she ran down the corridors to the Great Hall, she felt dozens of burning stares and heard their soft whispers mingle into incomprehensive white noise.  The sound grew louder the moment she entered the Great Hall.  All eyes seemed to be on her, even the professors were staring.

            Her heart raced against her chest.  Her eyes shifted left and right for Tom, but found him to be nowhere in sight.

            Just as she turned to leave, she saw Professor Slughorn’s form before her.  The disappointment in his eyes were as clear as day.

            “Ria, grab something to eat and follow me to my office.”  His voice was grim.

            Was she really going to be expelled?

            “I – I’m not hungry, sir,” she replied.  Her stomach churned unhappily.

            “Very well.  Come this way.”  He walked out of the Great Hall, which had grown silent the moment he approached her.  “Now, this is serious matter we will be discussing.  I have heard some very shocking news and it has come to my attention that… people like you may need to be educated about such subjects.  It is not a topic I would like to speak about, but since I am your House Head, it is my responsibility.”

            He was making as much sense as the Carrow twins were.  “I am not understanding what you are saying, sir.”

            Slughorn cleared his throat.  “Of course.  You have probably never been told that it is improper and may have even been encouraged to do such things to earn a living, but…”  He opened his office door and beckoned her in, which she promptly did so.  “But it is against school regulations.”

            “Professor, I really don’t understand what you are saying.”  She was so vague with his words – dancing around the thing she had supposedly done.  “I don’t know what this thing you are talking about.”

            “Prostitution!” he burst.  “Prostitution!”

            She blinked a few times in confusion.  The word sounded familiar to her, but she was not too clear what it meant.  Mrs. Carter must’ve mentioned it at some point in her life.  ‘Prostituion?”

            “Yes.”  He sounded exasperated, now.

            “What is… prostitution?”  She couldn’t quite remember what it meant, but it was at the tip of her tongue.

            “Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” he groaned.  “It’s the act of selling one’s body for money.”

            “Child labour?” she inquired.  “Slavery?”

            “No!  Sex!” he exclaimed.  “Sex for money!”

            “I – I still don’t un –”  She froze.  Dear Merlin, did he think she was a harlot?  Mrs. Carter had warned them all about the scantily dressed women who walked about seducing men.  He couldn’t possibly be serious about his accusation.  “Professor, I don’t know where –” But she did.  It suddenly occurred to her that this was exactly what the Carrows were talking about.  Had Lestrange been spreading these rumours about her?  “It is a misunderstanding, sir.  I have never committed such harlotry!”

            “But it seems that a couple of students found you sending a message to St. Mungo’s about your pregnancy.”

            WHAT?!  “Pregnancy?!  I can’t be with child!  I’ve…  I’ve never even…  I’ve never done… The letter wasn’t even for St. Mungo’s!”  It must have been the twins who told him.

            Slughorn frowned in confusion.  “Then who was the letter for?  You don’t have any relative or –”

            “Why does everyone keep implying that I have no one?” she exploded.  “Don’t you think I already know that I am a useless, pathetic mudblood orphan who is destined to be alone?  Don’t you think I already know that?!”  She has never screamed at a professor before, but all the pent up emotions became too much for her.

            The potions master was at a loss for words.  He watched the broken girl cry.  He never expected this to be easy, but it had gotten far too complicated.  Her tears were real, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she was an extremely good actress.  “Perhaps you can tell me where the letter has gone, then.”

            “Tom Riddle,” she mumbled.

            He blinked.  Was she telling the truth?  Why would she need to send it to him threw an owl? 

            They made their way to find the brunette boy who was sitting in the library with a book in his lap.  “Tom, my boy.  How are you?”

            “I am fine, professor,” he answered, but he was not fine.  He had to cope with the constant chatter and questions from everyone, not just from the Slytherins.  The nonsense that people conjured was ridiculous.  He may have only known Ria for a year and in that year he had only spent a week with her, but her withdrawn personality made it hard to believe that she would spend her time becoming intimidate with others.  She spent all her time in class or in the library.  “Is there something you require of me?”

            “Yes.  Yes.  I was wondering if you received any posts, today.”  Slughorn was hoping that things will not become even more complicated after this.

            “Just one, professor,” he replied.  His eyebrow twitched.  Why was Slughorn asking him this?

            “Who is it from?”

            Tom’s dark eyes shifted over to Ria.  “A friend.”

            “May I see it, Tom?”

            He hesitated.  “Of course, sir.”  His pale, thin fingers slipped into his schoolbag and retrieved the rolled up parchment that he had only received minutes prior  and dropped it into the pudgy fingers of Slughorn.

            Slughorn unraveled the scroll and a look of shock appeared on his face.

            Dark eyes stared at him in suspicion.  They held a knowledgeable glint that looked as if tall his secrets were revealed.  He had never seen his favourite student sport such a look, but the expression look so natural on the boy’s face.

            As he tilted the portrait to a different angle, a slip of paper fluttered down.  He picked it up and read the six words aloud.

“Your eyes tell a beautiful story.”

            “Ahh…  Young love.”  Slughorn’s eyes softened.  “I will clear this situation up with the other professors.”  He looked at the portrait, once more.  “My judgment is never wrong.  You do have quite a talent there.  Maybe you can paint me one of myself.”  He raked a hand through his hair and gave a little pose and smiled before handing the parchment back to Tom.  “I’ll be leaving the two of you alone, now.  Don’t do anything that will put you in the same situation.”

            The two kids stared at his retreating form in silence.

            Ria let out a sigh of relief and slumped down into the seat beside Tom.

            “I can’t believe they thought I was pregnant,” she muttered while shaking her head in disbelief.  “Slughorn thought I was a pro-prostitute…  He thought that I may have been encouraged to trade sex for money.”  Tom noticed that she wasn’t really talking to him.  “He probably heard it from the Carrow twins who heard it from Lestrange, but why would he say something like that about me?  Did he hear it from someone else?”  He watched in silence as she continued to mutter to herself.  “I hate this.  All those people talking about me.  Always talking.  Always talking.  When I got to the Great Hall, everyone seemed to have heard the rumours.  Everyone.  Was I the last to know?  There has to be a way to stop there before grows to this extent.”  Her, usually light, eyes darkened.  “There has to be a way…  I don’t want to have to deal with something like this, again – to be insulted by those unintelligent supremacists who actually think they are better than me.”  Her self-rant finally ended.

            Tom watched her chest rapidly rise up and down.  He glanced at the piece of parchment that was still grasped in his hands.  It probably amazed him as much as it did for Slughorn.  The portrait was nearly painfully detailed.  He could see every strand of eyelash painted on, but the pupils were the most spectacular part.  The reflection of Slughorn sitting behind his desk could be vaguely seen and the dark shading captured the exact emotion he had felt at that moment.  The rest of his face looked ordinary compared to his eyes.  It was just pale with a thin, straight nose leading to red, cupid-bowed lips.  “Why did you do it?”

            “Huh?”  Ria shot him a confused look, her anger had slowly dissipated.  “I… I thought we had already established that I didn’t do anything!”

            He motioned to the painting.

            “Oh…”  Her eyes softened and a small smile slowly slipped on to her face.  “I fetl like it.  I haven’t had any inspiration for a long time, but at that odd random moment, I had such a strong urge to draw and paint, again.  I couldn’t let the opportunity fade away.”

            “Why this?  Why me?”  Was there something about his face that intrigued her?  It looked rather plain to him.

            “I’m not sure.”  She shrugged.  “Something about your expressions always catches my attention.  Maybe it’s because there are so few of them.”

            He stared at her, not quite sure on how to reply, so they sat in silence.  They sat in silence for half an hour before they left for classes.

Chapter Four

            After being rejected for an entire week, the twins finally abandoned the idea of seeing anymore magic.  They opted to waking her up early in the morning and keeping her up late at night to play with them.  Their energy was endless.  They even kept the boys up from across the hall.  No one could get them to sleep unless they wanted to.  She made a note to learn the sleeping charm once school reopens. 

            It turned out, however, that Mrs. Carter knew nothing of the magic world.  The headmaster had left a note on the day of her abrupt departure.  It informed the caretaker that she had been transported to an institution in Scotland where all her needs would be taken care of.  Word had gotten out to all the orphans, giving them another reason to dislike her.

            Many of them were never given the opportunity to go to school.  Those who knew their parents were either from poor families who couldn’t afford to go to school and had to eventually let them go or they had been abandoned before they were of age.  Those who had a taste of being with others missed the feeling of being normal.  They all knew that without education, none of them would survive the outside world.  The Great Depression had left many unemployed.  Ones who kept their jobs barely made enough o feed their families. 

            The residents at the orphanage thought that, by chance, she had been chosen to attend a prestigious school.  They took little care in speaking out their discontent.  She couldn’t blame them.  They didn’t know that only people with magic in their blood could attend the school.  Not everything about their lack of knowledge, however, was bad.  They thought that nothing could really be wrong with her if no complaints were sent to the orphanage.  This did not mean that they had suddenly become friendly with her.  The bad blood between them was far too thick.  Too many memories made it impossible for her to become friends with them. 

            Fortunately, the issue with Katherine did not manage to reach its peak before dissipating.  Not even her best friend believed her story.  Emily reasoned that the twins must’ve taken the teddy bear to play with.  It wouldn’t be the first time. 

            The twins – Annabelle and Mirabelle – were truly a piece of art.  Nothing detoured them from bothering her.  Through the day, they would both gang up on her and force her to play ridiculous things like “house,” “dress up,” and “tea party.”  None, of which, would ever work out because all the boys avoided them, they had nothing fancy to wear, and tea was only available once a day at five in the afternoon.  Even then, the tea tasted bland from the leaves being overused.

            “Come play with Mousie.”  Annabelle tugged at her hand.

            “Go play with Mirabelle,” she told the blonde girl.

            Annabelle pouted.  “Mira said she didn’t want to play.”  That brought alarms ringing in her head.  Mirabelle would never refuse to play with Annabelle.

            “Where is she?”  The girl wasn’t in her bed, which was located mere metres from her. 

            “She was at the courtyard.”

            They found her still in the courtyard.  Mirabelle’s small body laid on the cold stone bench.  She was still with a sheen of sweat on her face.

            “Mira?”  Annabelle shook her sister.  “Mira, do you want to play with us?  Mira?”

            The girl opened her eyes and gave a few coughs.  “Anna?”

            “Come on.”  Annabelle took her sister’s hand and tugged at it.  Mirabelle slowly got to her feet, swaying.  “Let’s go play.”

            “Annabelle, let go of your sister,” Ria instructed.  Mirabelle looked ill and it may be contagious.

            Not long after the girls let go of each other’s hand, Mirabelle began to cough.  Specks of blood fell to her blue dress.  Ria caught her shaking body before it fell to the ground.  “Go get Mrs. Carter.”  Annabelle looked horrify, but scurried off seconds later.  Ria helped the blonde girl on to her back and quickly made her way back inside.

            The moments he saw Mrs. Carter, a stinging pain nearly made her drop her passenger.

            “What did you do to her?!”

            Ria gaped at the accusation.  “I- I didn’t…”

            “Give her to me!”  The weight was wretched from her body. 

            Mrs. Carter hurried to the telephone and called the Dr. Brown, the local doctor.

            The other children were crowded around the lobby, curious about the commotion.  Many stared between the red hand print on pale skin and the frantic caretaker.  The grey-eyed girl stood still for a brief moment more before breaking through the barrier of onlookers and entering the girls’ sleeping chamber.

            It wasn’t supposed to be this way.  She tried so hard.  She has been a good girl.  She hadn’t lost control of her magic, at all.  Why was she blamed for this?  It wasn’t her fault! 

            A scream was ready to burst from her chest.  Sparks emitted from her fingertips.  She watched the light as muddled thoughts filled her head.  Worry tugged her heart, but her own pain overwhelmed it.  Things hadn’t changed, but they had to.  She would make the changes if she had to.  She would.  She would. 

            “Ria?”  A teary voice interrupted her thoughts.

            She looked at Annabelle’s crying form.  The girl crawled into her lap and curled up into a fetal position.  The sad scene calmed her anger.  She raked a hand through the shiny blonde curls.  “Mirabelle will be alright.”

            Blue eyes looked up at her.  “Promise?”

            She closed her eyes and nodded.  “Yes.  I won’t let her die.”

            “Will you use your powers to help her get better?”

            Another nod settled the younger girl’s fears.  “If I can’t.  I know people who can.  They will help you.”

            Dumbledore would make an exception.  He wouldn’t let a girl die, even if she was a muggle.  There had to be a charm to make people forget.  He could cure her and then erase her memories.  He could do anything.  He could do anything.

            She led Annabelle down the hall to where Dr. Brown was kneeling beside Mirabelle.  The small girl had become sallow.  Her face was gaunt and dark circles lined her eyes. 

            The doctor held a handkerchief to his face as he examined his patient.  A knowing look was already on his face.  “Tuberculosis.”

            Ria paled at the diagnosis.  She had read about tuberculosis before.  A small, torn medical book had been amongst the tales of King George V, the scandals of King Edward VIII, and the coronation of King George VI.  Tuberculosis was said to be extremely contagious.  The treatment was still unstable – mortality rate was high.  Masses of people had died from the infectious disease in a matter of weeks.  Mirabelle may end up as one of them.

            Dr. Brown immediately transported her into the isolation ward in the local hospital and came back shortly after to inspect all the other orphans and Mrs. Carter.  Fortunately or unfortunately, the causation blame on her had been lifted as Henry, the newest resident, showed mild symptoms tuberculosis and was also driven away for further examination.

            As she watched the back of the car round the corner and disappear, an unexpected emotion of sadness washed over her.  The little blonde girl had been nothing but a nuisance.  Annabelle, after losing her twin just an hour ago, had mellowed down.  Even Mrs. Carter, who did not show it, had felt ashamed of making the hasty accusation.  She should be happy that things were looking up for her, but why wasn’t that true?  Why did she miss the air of lightness that the twins created?

            A phone call came the next day to inform the orphanage that Henry would not be returning.  The source of the disease had been found.  He had come from an enormously poor and crowded community and had recently lost his family to tuberculosis.  The doctor who examined him before entering the orphanage was unable to detect the symptoms and thus dubbed him clean.  That one little mistake had hospitalized another victim. 

            The forlorn atmosphere continued to inhabit the orphanage after the entire building was aired out.  Mirabelle and Henry’s beds were burned, along with all their possessions.  The white stuffed bunny, Bunnie, was the only thing Annabelle managed to convince Mrs. Carter to spare.  It sat harmlessly under the extended roof.

            For the rest of the summer, she spent her days with Annabelle who barely spoke a word to anyone.  It was an unpleasant change from the energetic girl she had came to know.  She was almost hesitant to leave the poor girl by herself to go to Hogwarts, but she knew it was necessary.  There would be no change, otherwise.  Perhaps she would be able to find a spell to cure tuberculosis in the library.

            “Come back soon,” Annabelle cried out.

            Ria patted her head.  “I will be back in June.”

            The girl sniffed.  “Is that soon?”

            “It won’t’ be long.”

            “Okay!”

            She made a note to start teaching Annabelle the months of the year and perhaps other little things that will make her less gullible.

            “I don’t have all day.”  Mrs. Carter was standing by the front entrance, waiting for her.  The caretaker had grudgingly agreed to take her to King’s Cross at seven in the morning after a dozen owls with a parchment and a ticket in their claws swarmed the orphanage.  Had it not been for Barry, who wanted to see the strange creatures, the birds would never have succeeded.  Mrs. Carter was slightly perplexed by the printing of the ticket, but spoke nothing of it.

            The journey to the train station was completely uneventful.  She nearly fell asleep on the train.  When they arrived, it was only ten, but the barrier to platform nine and three quarters should already be open.  Fortunately, Mrs. Carter left the moment they arrived.  It would be terrible trying to explain to her where she must go.  There seemed to be quite a few muggles walking about, though, so she had to discreetly test the barrier.  It was all theoretical for her since she has never taken the Hogwarts Express to the school, but a book explained how she only needed to run through it.  The wall looked pretty solid…

            “Scared, kitten?”  The arrogant voice of Abraxas Malfoy made her groan in displeasure.  The year hadn’t even started and already he managed to ruin it for her.

            “I’m fine,” she replied.

            “You don’t look fine with those ridiculous rags you have on.  Don’t they wash your clothes in that dump you live in?  Or perhaps Riddle had been a little rough on you?”  He didn’t notice that Tom was walking towards them.  “But I forgot.  He’s already abandoned you, two weeks after the winter holiday.”

            Her face burned with humiliation.  They were not involved, but Tom did dump her – as a friend.  She thought she had come to accept the truth, but the hollow spot where he had carved himself into her had yet to be filled.  Hearing the truth and seeing him again widened the hole.

            “I’d suggest you mind your own business, Malfoy,” Tom growled.

            The blonde froze, caught unaware, but quickly regained his composure.  “Had fun with the muggles, muggle?” he sneered, turning to face the brunette boy.

            Tom’s eyes flashed dangerously.  “Shut up.”

            “You know it’s probably true,” Malfoy continued.  “Father has never mentioned the Riddle family before.  They’re either one of the magical families who are too pathetic to make a name for themselves or they were muggle trash.”

            She frowned at his words.  “It doesn’t matter what he is.  Tom is one of the most brilliant wizards I know.  If only you’d have a fraction of his intelligence, then you might actually be a decent person.”

            “Are these pests bothering you, son?”  Ria cranked her head higher and higher and stared into the eyes of a very tall, very intimidating man.  With his stormy blue eyes and platinum blonde hair, he looked very much like the older version of Abraxas.  “Perhaps a talk with your parents will do you some good.”

            “We weren’t –” she stared, but was quickly cut off by the younger Malfoy. 

            “They’re mudbloods who don’t have any parents, father,” Abraxas informed.  “I can’t imagine how they could’ve been sorted into Slytherin.”

            “Slytherin?!”  The father looked appalled.  “The school is falling into disgrace!  In my years, every Slytherin was pureblood.  Perhaps I should talk to Dippet about this matter.”

            Tom and Ria shared a look and decided that now was a good time to pass through the barrier.  The distracted Malfoy did not even notice the two missing children as he continued to voice out his grievance.

            Ria looked back at the solid wall, still in disbelief that she had just walk through.  When she turned back to look at the other orphan, she found that he was already getting on the train.  She quickly ran after him and entered his compartment.

            He completely ignored her as he placed his trunk on the racks above before taking a seat by the window.  Even as she sat across from him, he refused to acknowledge her presence.

            “Tom.”  He didn’t even spare her a glance.  “Tom, have I done something to anger you?  I thought we had been getting alone well.  This…  This distance between us is painful.  I miss the way things used to be.  What changed?  Are you ashamed of who and what I am?  I’ll do better.  I’ll study harder.  I won’t get in your way.  I don’t like how it feels when you’re away.  It’s cold.  It’s so cold.  It feels as if I’m falling off the end of the world.  I don’t want to be alone anymore.  I want to feel the warmth, again.  Can’t we… be friends, again?”

            When she received no response, her shoulders slumped forward and she pulled her legs to her chest.  With her thin arms around her legs and forehead on her knees, she allowed tears to fall freely from her face.  Only then, did Tom cast her eyes on her.  It pained him to see those shoulders shake with an attempt to hide her sorrow.  He could picture those droplets leaking from her iridescent eyes.  They had been forever seared into his mind.  They haunted him. 

            Some time had passed by the time she stopped moving.  Her arms relaxed and her body tilted slightly to the side to lean against the cold glass.

            He shrugged off his cloak and draped it around her narrow shoulders without waking her up.  A look of longing passed over his face.  Everything she wanted, he wanted to comply to, but it wasn’t possible.  It would interfere with his studies – his future.  He didn’t need the distraction.  It was hard enough having to deal with the taunts, it would be twice as difficult with someone else to care for.

            A groan left his lips when he realized that it was too late.  Second year had yet to officially start and he had already been dealt with a major obstacle.  No, it had been there since first year; since he met her.  She seemed to understand him.  He had dismissed their connection as people coming from a similar background, but that wasn’t it.  There was something about her that he wanted; something that he had to have.

            He closed his eyes and willed himself to cease the thoughts before he did anything he would regret.  These thoughts were so foreign to him, but he knew this craving was not of lust or, Merlin forbid, love.  He was too young to experience such emotions, but it was undeniable that something drew him to her.

            His dark orbs slowly drifted off to her chest before looking away – ashamed.  It was far too improper for him to look there, but his eyes seemed to have a mind of their own for they constantly wandered back towards the same spot.

            A growl of frustration ripped through the air.  He jerked to his feet and left the compartment to sort out his thoughts. 

            Not long after his departure, Ria began to stir from her light slumber.  The comforting scent of Tom Riddle clouded her senses and made it hard to fully gain consciousness.  Once acquired, she noted that the boy was nowhere in sight.  He couldn’t have left, though.  His trunk was still in the luggage rack.

            She sighed in content and snuggled deeper into the cloak.

“There comes a day for change

When the sun is glowing

As the sea is flowing

But it all felt so strange”

“I long for the days with you

When the sky is still white and blue

I long for the days with you

When the Earth was still shiny and new.”

            A small smile spread across her lips.  Everything felt right, even though Tom had yet to speak to her.  His words were not necessarily needed.  A part of her knew his actions spoke much more than words. 

            “The train will be arriving soon.”  Her head perked up.  “You should go change, now.”  His silhouette could be seen through the compartment door window.

            She regretfully shoved off his cloak and hastily put on her uniform.  “I’m dressed.  You may come in.”

            The door slid open and he came in fully dressed in his own uniform.  He sat himself back into his seat and stared at the cloak that was draped, once more, around her shoulder.  Only her eyes peaked out, watching him curiously.  She noticed his fixated gaze on the cloak and blushed lightly before handing over the piece of clothing.  “Thanks.”

            He didn’t reply.

            She stood up to retrieve her trunk once her eyes detected the outline of the castle.  Unfortunately, the train came to an abrupt stop, knocking her off her feet before she was able to reach her possession.  Her body fell backwards and landed on top of the other passenger in the compartment.  She heard a soft “Oof!” come from beneath her and quickly scrambled to her feet.

            “Sorry!”  She flushed with embarrassment.  Today was not going well…

            Tom stood up and straightened his robe.  Without a word, he brought his trunk down and left.  Was he angry with her?

            It seemed to be going well when he covered her with his cloak, but she had gone and done something stupid to upset him, again.

            “Start moving!” 

            She grabbed her trunk and ran.

~*~

            “Did you hear?” Caroline, her roommate, whispered to Belina.  “There’s a war starting.  The muggles are killing each other.”  She giggled giddily.  “We don’t even have to get our hands dirty.  Trash destroying trash.  It could have not have turned out better!”

            Belina giggled with her, but a nervous look crossed her face.  “Isn’t that great news, Ria?”

            Grey orbs looked towards the tanned girl.  The tawny-haired girl has never spoken to her before.

            “Don’t ask her!” Caroline snapped.  “She’s one of them.”

            Belina shot Ria a look, but said no more.

            The two girls went on to gossip about the boys in different houses and which families they belonged to while Ria left for the library.

            Her first priority was on healing spells.  Madam Frare, the librarian, suggested a few, but they were complex.  Not much was said about tuberculosis, either.  She abandoned those books and looked for others located in the same area.  There were rows and rows of titles containing words that she has never seen before.  It all intrigued her, but one particular book caught her eye.  “The Theory of Resurrection.” 

            The cover wasn’t anything spectacular.  It was bound in black leather with nothing but the title engraved in gold.  The pages were crisp as if no one has ever opened it.  The words were difficult to understand, but line by line, she made the connections of each sentence. 

            No one has successfully brought the dead back to life, but it was all there.  It made sense.  What could have possibly gone wrong? 

            Keen eyes raked across the different accounts provided from people who have tested the procedure and failed each time.  What was missing?  Maybe it only sounded logical because it was given to her.  The author was convincing in the long passages.  Maybe it was truly impossible.

            She closed the book and laid her head on top of it.  After hours of reading, it turned out to be a waste of time.  What had she expected?  Who would she even bring back?  Mirabelle was still alive.  Hope has yet to elude her, but…  what is she was able to find something about her parents?  No, it wasn’t even confirmed that they were dead.  They could have just as likely abandoned her and were living lavishly in a castle.

            “My dear, it’s getting late.  Perhaps you would liket o borrow that book?”  Madam Frare’s kind, elderly voice shattered her thoughts.

            “No, I’m done with it,” she replied, softly.

            “Very well.  I’ll put it back for you, then.  I’ve never seen a student so hard working.  Only hours of returning and you’re already studying!”  With a wave of her wand, the book levitated to the general direction of its abode.  “Go off to bed, now.  Curfew is in a few minutes.  Hopefully you will still be able to get in.  The perfect should have already told everyone the password, by now.

            Her eyes widened.  Tom had given her the password last time, but it was only because the headmaster called for him to help her.

            She muttered a quick word of gratitude before sprinting down the hall.  Not a person was in sight.  It must have been past curfew by the time she was at the dungeon.  How foolish of her to lose track of time like that.  She slid her body down the stone wall and waited.

            It was cold.  She couldn’t imagine spending the entire night here.  Maybe she should go up to the headmaster’s office…  But she didn’t know if the password has changed or not.  It probably has.  She’d just have to stay here all night…

            However, as soon as she thought of the consequences, the adjacent wall slid open and dark eyes med hers. 

            “Tom?”

            He sighed and beckoned for her to enter, which she gladly complied to.

            “Were you going to sneak out at night?”  She tilted her head with a curious sparkle in her eyes.  “What were you planning on doing?”

            Tom stopped in front of the fireplace and turned to look at her.  “I was going to look for you.”

            She froze in shock.  Look for her?  “Why?”

            “Because I haven’t seen you since midway through the welcoming feast.  I thought someone had…”  Tom stopped himself.

            She watched him swallow nervously.  “I’m sorry I worried you.”

            “I wasn’t worried!” he denied, but a rare blush slowly painted his pale cheeks.  “Go sleep.  Your eyes are drooping and its unsightly.”

            He turned around and stomped up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory.

            She smiled at his retreating form.

Chapter Three

            “What time is it?”  He felt a rumble hit his torso.  “Will they be arriving, soon?”

            Since the night of the dead owl, they had secretly spent every night sleeping in one bed.  One night clad in warmth had left them wanting for more.  Their loneliness had gravitated them together.

            Tom had tried to resist the temptation, but his cold bed made it impossible for him to fall asleep.  He rolled around in bed until dawn was near.  His head felt as if it was about to explode from the frustration.  Eventually, he crept into the girl’s dormitory and stood in front of the door for at least half an hour, but his pacing must’ve woke her up.  The door opened and a girl with mussed up hair, half –lidded eyes, and a pillow pressed against her, stared back at him.  He stuttered out half an excuse before she pulled him in and slipped back into bed.  Slightly confused by her lack of scrutiny, he took her silent invitation, but the warmth pacified all uncertainty.  “Good night,” she had spoken against him, arms already wrapped around his torso.  He shifted a little before falling asleep.

            Yesterday, on his birthday, they had spent most of their time in the Common Room.  She was regretful that she didn’t have anything prepared for him; instead, she handed him the empty notebook that she had been practicing her spells on – his name had been spelled into the leather cover.  There wasn’t much he could do with it, but it was the first time he had ever received a gift and it meant more to him than anything he possessed. 

            “They’ll be arriving in a few hours,” he replied.

            “Mmm… Can we stay like this for a little while longer?”  She snuggled closer to him.  “The bed will be cold, again, after today.”

            It was true.  Once everyone returns from the holidays, Tom would have to go back to sleeping on his own.  It was strictly frowned upon by everyone.  They were still young – still children – but they were of opposite sex and strangers.  Getting caught, now, would be a mere warming, but it would harm his reputation with the professors. 

            “Would anything change when everyone comes back?”  Bright silver eyes stared up at him.  “Will you still be my friend?”

            Tom sighed.  He enjoyed his time with her.  It was wonderful having someone who was not a complete idiot to converse with.  She was most definitely one of the more intelligent life forms he had encountered, but he didn’t like competition.  He cannot allow anyone to distract him.  He will be the greatest wizard of all time.

            For now, he will enjoy the little time he had left to relax.  “Breakfast will be over before we get to the Great Hall if we don’t get ready, soon.”

            “I’m not hungry.”  Her voice was muffled by his shirt.

            “I am.”

            “You go, then.”  She kept her arms around him.

            “You have to let me go, then.”

            “But it won’t be warm without you,” she protested.

            “Ria, I’m hungry.”

            She took a deep breath.  “Fine.”

~*~

            The snow fell around them, covering up all the flaws of the Earth.  Words were not needed to enjoy the natural beauty that had been blessed upon them.  It was horribly cold, though…

            She clung on to him, shivering.  “So cold.”  Grey eyes followed the puff of vapour ascend into the equally bright, grey sky.

            “You should’ve worn something warmer, then.”  He didn’t scowl like he would when they first met.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t smiled, either.

            “I’m already wearing my cloak,” she replied.

            Suddenly, the girl beside him fell over, taking him with her – buried into the snow.  His right arm was still trapped, but with his left arm, he kept himself from crushing the small creature under him.  Their faces inches apart.  He could see himself beyond the sparkle in her eyes.

            Her lips formed a small grin and an odd high pitch sound emitted from her.  It alarmed her, but she couldn’t stop.  She pushed him off and eventually, she was openly laughing.

           Tom stared at her in confusion, but he found his own pair of lips curve upward.  Her laughter was contagious.

            “We’ll always be friends, won’t we?”  Her eyes held hope and happiness.  “I can’t imagine being without you – being alone, again.”

            “You’ll find other people once they return.”  He couldn’t possibly continue what they had.  A much bigger goal had to be accomplished.

            “They won’t be like you,” she protested.  “They won’t understand me.  Everyone else thinks I’m a freak.  I thought that once I got here, the people would understand.  The strange things that happen around me wouldn’t be so strange, anymore, but it seems that people here don’t’ want to talk to me for a completely different reason, now.  What is wrong with being in Slytherin?  Does it make me a terrible person?”

            The scowl returned to Tom’s face.  She wouldn’t missed seeing it if it wasn’t there every day.  “Who have you been talking to?”

            “Two girls from Gryffindor.”  She watched the familiar darkness flood his eyes as anger and hatred coursed through him.  “It’s alright, though.  You would be there for me.”

            He didn’t bother to reply.

            They stayed lying in the snow.  Soon, he felt her curl against him, eyes closed.  The two unknowingly fell asleep.

            “If the two of you stay out here any longer, you’re going to catch hypothermia.”  Dumbledore’s kind smile greeted them when they opened their eyes.  “I hope your young love does not carry on elsewhere.”

            A soft blush darkened the, already red from the cold, cheeks.  She hid her face into Tom’s cloak.

            “Of course not, professor,” Tom reassured.  “We are much too young to be in love.”

            “Love can exist anywhere at any time.  It is good that the two of you have found comfort amongst each other.  Now, go back in.  I’m seeing a tint of blue in your lips.”  He left with the two Slytherins staring at his back.

            Not long after they returned to the Common Room, a flood of chattering adolescents pillaged the peace.

            “Riddle, have you brought your street rat girlfriend with you?” a platinum blonde boy sneered. 

            The entire room burst out into laughter.

            “It’s fitting, isn’t it?  Two street rats together,” another pitched in.

            She was already feeling anxious before their arrival, but now that they’re here, she was about to have a mental break down.  Her companion, however, easily converted all his anxiety and humiliation into anger and hatred.

            “One day,” he started.  “You will learn to respect me.”  He stomped up into the boys’ dormitory without another word, leaving her to fend for herself.

            Before she could execute her own escape, the blonde grabbed her arm, keeping her in place.  “Don’t you want to play, kitty?”  She squirmed against him.  “Don’t’ you enjoy my presence?  If you can stand trash like Riddle, I’m practically royalty!”

            “Let go!” she muttered.  “I would much rather be with him than you.”

            “Feisty kitten, isn’t she?”  An older Slytherin laughed at her.  “Too bad the bint is so bloody young.”

            They all laughed.

            Her face began to burn redder.  “Let go.”

            “We haven’t finished having fun, yet.”  The blonde smirked.

            “Let go!”  A burst of light emitted from her hand, hitting the blonde.  The familiar scene nearly made her heart stop, but she couldn’t stay to see the damage done.  Her legs carried her up the girls’ dormitory.

            When she arrived at her four poster bed, she buried her face into her pillow and found comfort in Tom’s scent.

            “You’ve got to be kidding me.”  A high pitched voice pierced her ears.  “Of all the people, I have to have the street rat as my roommate.  I knew Tiana graduating would cause me trouble.  She’s at least a pureblood.  Are you a pureblood?”

            “Does it matter?”  Her voice was muffled.  She didn’t bother raising her head to look at her roommate.  Just the voice made her feel rather nauseous.

            “Of course it does!” the girl shrieked.  “You can’t be a pureblood if you think that way!”

            “Can you please leave me alone?”  Her head was pounding.  “I don’t really care about what you think.”

            The girl huffed indignantly.  “I shouldn’t’ have even bothered to waste my breath on a street rat, like you.”

~*~

            “Avifors!”  A jet of blue light hit the teacup and transformed into a red robin.

            “You are doing quite well, Miss Ria,” Dumbledore said as he walked by her table.  “Mr. Riddle was a good tutor, I presume?”  She nodded at him.  “If there are any questions, I am always available to help.”

            She debated on whether she should ask the professor about her inability to control her magic, but decided against it.  “Thank you, professor.”

            All of her classes went on similarly.  The teachers were helpful with her situation.  They understood that she was three months behind everyone else and encouraged her to do her best. 

            During these classes, she noticed that Tom hung on to every word the professor were saying and fervently took down notes.  It pained her, however, to know that studying seemed to be so important to him that their friendship had taken a backseat.  She knew that their bond was still weak, but there had still been hope that it was strong enough to keep them together.

            The days and nights were lonely.  No one in Slytherin wanted to be associated with her and none of the other houses wanted her near because she was in Slytherin.  Who can argue against logic like that?

            The lack of interaction undid all her effort to become a more extroverted person.  Not long after she accepted the fact that Tom Riddle had forgotten about her, she focused on her studies.  It she could not normally socialize with him, she would find a way to gain his acknowledgement.  She didn’t know, however, that the more she tried, the more she was pushed away.  The professors had taken a liking towards his studious attitude, spreading their attention amongst two Slytherins.  Tom did not like that.

            One day, he spotted her in the library with a thick book opened in front of her.  Her long red hair fell over one shoulder, hiding her face from his view.  This was the first time that he noticed how dark her hair was.  It was not the typical orangey colour that he usually saw.  This distinct hue made it easy for him to spot her anywhere, but he didn’t want to see her.  He turned around to leave.

            “Tom…?”  His brain willed his legs to continue moving, but his body no longer seemed to be under his command.  “Would you like to study with me?”  The temptation was great.  He wanted to feel the warmth that emitted from her and filled the void.  “Tom…?”  It had been a huge mistake to become so close to her, in the first place.  She became a sort of drug for him and he was still fighting the withdrawal.  There was no sleep at night; there was no peace in his head.  He had to leave.  “Tom, where are you going?”  He couldn’t stop.  If he did, he would’ve reverted back to his former ways.  She would never be able to leave his head.

            Seeing him again brought back the emptiness inside her.  He was not only too distracted to spend time with her; he avoided her as if she was diseased.  It hurt.  It hurt more than anything she had ever experienced. 

She couldn’t concentrate, anymore.

            “Little kitty not with Riddle, anymore?”  May she shouldn’t have left the library

            “Perhaps you can come gain another day?”

            “I think this is the perfect time to talk to you.”  He smirked.

            She groaned.  “Malfoy, have you not learned?  Did that concussion not teach you anything?  I’m dangerous.  Get away before I send the bloody Devil your way.”

            He snorted in disbelief.  “As if there is anything to fear from a little mudblood, like you.”

            They, all the Slytherins, had established that since she did not know her parents, it was most likely that they knew nothing about magic.  It was a reasonable conclusion, but it seemed trivial to hate her for her heritage.  Why does it matter what her parents were?  She could do magic.  Doesn’t that make her their equal?

            She shook her head.  “Please, just leave me alone.”

            “Don’t count on-“

            “Is something the matter, Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Ria?”  Dumbledore rounded the corner.

            Malfoy scowled at the interruption.  “That blood traitor won’t always come to your aid, kitten,” he whispered into her ear.  “I’ll see you, tonight.”

            The two watched as his robe fluttered behind him.

            “Professor?”  He looked at her.  “Is there something wrong with having muggle parents?”

            Thin lips curved into a smile.  Dumbledore was glad that being placed in Slytherin has yet to rob her of her innocence.  “No, there is absolutely thing wrong with being a muggleborn.  Let me tell you a secret.  I, myself, am a halfblood.  My mother was a muggleborn and a great witch she was.

           His words settled any doubts in her head.  There was no debate that Dumbledore was a great wizard, himself.  If he was only a halfblood, then heritage should not play a role in power.  She was just as good as any other witch or wizard.  The rest of the year past by much easily with that in mind. 

She read all her books, borrowed some from the library, and excelled in all her classes.  The problem with the Slytherins and everyone else still remained, but only Tom’s refusal to speak with her dampened her mood.  She still found it hard to sleep at night and her dreams still showed the happy time they had together, but slowly, she willed herself to forget.  She had to move on.

            When June rolled by and everyone said their farewells, the Hogwarts Express took them back to London.  King’s Cross was crowded with muggles and wizards.  There were students greeted their parents who gave them hugs before leading the home.  She also noticed that Tom was standing alone, staring back at her from across the station, but neither moved.  Soon a strict-looking woman with graying hair stood before him.  He, too, left. 

            When everyone was gone, hours had passed by and she realized that she had absolutely no idea where to go.  Her orphanage was in Manchester.  She wasn’t even sure that Mrs. Carter would allow her to reenter after leaving without a note.  When Professor Wilkes took her away from there, she thought it was for forever.  She thought she could stay there all year long, but that wasn’t the case.

            Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat caught her attention.  She turned around and saw Mrs. Carter.  The woman showed no emotions and had a piece of parchment in her hand.  Confusion plagued her until she came to the conclusion that Mrs. Carter must’ve been informed by the headmaster to pick her up.

            “Hello, Mrs. Carter,” she greeted, softly.

            The woman gave her a nod and began to exist.  She followed closely behind, not wishing to end up lost in the busy city.  She was led into a train where three hours of awkward silence settled between them.  Mrs. Carter did not ask about where she had been, nor did it look like she cared.  She hoped that the headmaster had explained the situation to her.  Perhaps after everyone understood her, the name calling would finally stop.

            “The freak’s back!”  A rumble of hurrying feet and squeals greeted her before the door was even opened.  Perhaps it was only an unachievable dream.  No one would even give her a chance to speak.

            Without a word, she dragged her trunk up to the girls’ room where her bed and desk looked completely untouched.  A thin layer of lightened the old, already-faded mahogany desk.  When she finished unpacking, a pair of twin girls peeked into the room.  She has never seen them before and as she observed them, they whispered amongst themselves for a brief moment before turning their attention back to her.

            “We heard you saw a vampire,” they said simultaneously.

            She was shocked and confused.  “What?”

            “We heard you saw a vampire,” they repeated.

            She hadn’t misheard, but she was still confused.  Vampire?  She had written a thirteen inch paper on vampires, but she had never encountered one, herself.  “I’ve… never seen a vampire…?” 

            “I told you Barry was lying!” the left shouted at the right.

            “No, you didn’t!” the right one shouted back.

            “I did, too!”

            “You did not!”

            “Did, too!”

            “Did not!”

            “Did!”

            “Not!”

            She groaned at the increasing noise level and got under her cover, with her pillow shielding her head from the racket.  The day was too tiring to deal with this.  She wondered when the orphanage had acquired them.  They couldn’t be any older than eight, but they were much louder than they looked.

          “Wake uuup!”  She gasped at the sudden weight bouncing on her stomach.  “Wake up.  Wake up.  Wake up!”

            She wanted to tell them to stop, but something incoherent left her lips, instead.  Wiggling a few times, she finally managed to tip the girl off balanced and on to the floor.  They were also much heavier than they looked.  That hurt…

            “We want to see him!”

            One grey orb peeked from under the pillow.  “Who?”

            “The Devil!”

            It retreated back under.

            “Come on!  Show!  Show!”

            “Go away.  I don’t know the bloody Devil!”

            The two girls gasped.  “You said a bad word!”

            They looked at each other with devious grins on their faces.  “If you show us your Devil powers, we won’t tell Mrs. Carter.”

            She gave them a flat look.  “I don’t care.  Tell her.  Just leave me alone.”

            Pouts began to take shape on their red lips.  They identical blue eyes widened and watered.  “Please…?”

            “No.”  Perhaps that was the worst answer to give them because seconds later, she became a human trampoline, once more.  “Off!  Off!”  They continued.  She was going to end up with internal bleeding if they didn’t stop.  “Fine!  Now, get off!”

            They grinned widely before sliding off her tortured body.  Their eyes sparkled with anticipation.

            “Wingardium Leviosa!”  She waved her wand, from under the covers, at Emily’s stuff bear.  It floated from the pillow two bed’s away and over to the twins.  With another wave, it performed a little jig for them.

            They clapped, happily.  “Can you make it talk?”

Before she could answer, a small gasp tore her attention from the girls and toward another girl under the threshold.  The teddy bear immediately fell to the ground.

            Katherine stared at her in shock and horror.  “You really are possessed by the Devil!  Mrs. Carter!  Mrs. Carter!”  Her loud and frantic footfalls slowly faded as she called for the caretaker.

            Dread filled her as she realized that she had made a horrible mistake.  Being able to perform magic would only confirm the rumours about her.  They would never understand nor believe that there were many people just like her.  They would never understand that there was nothing wrong with her.

            Fortunately, when Katherine returned, only Emily stood by her side.  Mrs. Carter either didn’t believe the brunette from all the previous telltales or she already knew.

            Ria spent the rest of the evening listening to Katherine and Emily talking about her and the twins whispering for her to show them more of her “Devil’s powers.”  A small, persistent headache formed from the constant chatter around her.  She didn’t know whether it was better when they all left her alone, or to actually be, in some way, involved with the other orphans.

            This summer was going to be a long one…

Chapter Two

            Even though the bed was extremely comfortable and the privacy was wonderful, she couldn’t sleep.  So much has happened.  No longer did she have to endure the endless gossip from the other orphans.  No longer did she have to educate herself with the same books over and over again.  She could leave the past behind her – Christine does not matter anymore.  No one will know the truth, here – no one.

            Never in her life has she ever imagined that magic was real.  It was not a lie that many odd things have happened.  Nothing, however, could compare to having her first friend.  Granted that he did not verbally confirm it, his reply sent her into a positive direction.

            Tom Riddle was a strange character.  He did not behave like any other children she knew.  His quiet and mysterious aura were refreshing compared to the constant pointless chatter.  It was, however, still very unnerving to be around him.  He was even more withdrawn than her!

            She shook her head, clearing all unnecessary thoughts, and picked up one of the thick books that were on top of her small trunk.  “Hogwarts, A History.”

            “How can you allow these filthy mudbloods to soil our school?” a pale man clad in a black robe hissed a brunette man.  A locket with a picture of a snake jerked forward with every angry gesture.  “Our magic will be extinct within a century!”

            A brunette woman in gold tried to pacify the enraged man.  “Salazar, I’m sure you are merely exaggerating.”

            “He is merely making an excuse!” the brunette man roared. 

            “Indeed.”  The witch with long black hair already looked tired of the row.  “Helga, would you like to accompany me to the kitchen?”

            “Of course, Rowena.  Anything to get away from this childish nonsense.”

            The two witches shifted into a raven and a badger before disappearing off.

            “Look what you have done!”

            “Me?”

            “You’ve chased away my angel.”

            Glower petals began to fall from the purple sky.

            “Go through yourssself into the river, Chrissstine!”

            What?!

            She sat up, confusion muddled any coherent thoughts.  Bloody Hell…  A soft breeze played around with her mussed hair. “That teaches me to read something so dramatic before sleeping.”  Her head fell back on to the pillow.

~*~

            “Good morning, Tom,” she greeted.

            He glanced at her from his spot on the armchair.  “Professor Dippet had instructed me to give you a tour of the castle and to help you get caught up with what you have missed.  Professor Wilkes will be taking you to Diagon Alley for your wand and uniform, later.”

            She nodded back at him.  “The dungeons are rather chilly…”

            “Then I advise you to wear a coat.”

            His cold demeanor was rather disconcerting.  “I’ll be fine as I am.”

            “Let’s get started, then.”

            The tour was unbelievable awkward.  He spoke in monotone and only to say which room they were passing by.  They did, however, bump into Professor Slughorn who was the Potions Master.  Professor Dumbledore also greeted us.  He was the Transfigures’ professor and the Gryffindor Head.  Both were jolly wizards – very friendly and approachable.  There was something very unnerving about Professor Dumbledore’s sparkling, crystal blue eyes, however; they were mischievous and looked as if they stared straight into her soul.  It was as if he knew what she had done.  Does magic entail being able to read minds?

            After getting a small muffin for breakfast, Professor Wilkes came into the Great Hall and brought her to the Headmaster’s Office where the flooing network was still activated during the holidays.  “Repeat after me, now.  Diagon Alley!”  A roar of green flames consumed him.

            She took a deep breath, threw the floo powder into the flames, and repeated those two words.  “Diagon Alley!”

            The only fortunate thing about this method was that it wasn’t as bad as apparating.  It still left her disoriented and covered in soot, but Professor Wilkes had the decency to keep her upright, this time. 

            He led her straight to Ollivander’s Wand Shop.

            “Are you still alive in there?” Professor Wilkes called out.

            “Still as rude as ever, Robert.”  A man with a wild shoulder-length white hair stumbled out from behind several shelves of boxes.  “Ah… you have brought me a new witch.  Come stand over here.”

            She complied wordlessly.  People in this world seemed to all be quite eccentric. 

            Her grey orbs followed the enchanted measuring tape in fascination.  When it was done, it fell to the dusty wooden floor.

            “Try this.”  He forced a wand into her hand.  “Six inches, ash, and the core from a dragon’s heart-string.”

            The wand laid motionless in her hand.

            “Well?  Go on.  Give it a wave.”

            She complied, but the wand remained useless.

            Ollivander snatched it away and quickly replaced it with another.  “Twelve inch, oak, unicorn’s hair.”

            A stream of mud spurted from the wand, covering countless boxes in the gunk.

            “Eight inches, cherry, unicorn’s hair.”

            “Six inches, elm phoenix feather.”

            “Seven inches, maple, phoenix feather.”

            “Ten inches, cherry dragon’s heartstring.”

            She felt her hand began to tremble.  Countless wands had been tried, but each were quickly replaced with another.

            “Perhaps this one.  Nine inches, cherry, phoenix feather.”

            The wand ignited at the end.  She thought it was going to be taken away again, but the fire grew and began to take form.  A small phoenix flew upwards, hit the ceiling, and disappeared without a trace.

            “Ahh… it seems that it has chosen you as its owner,” he spoke.  “Take good care of it and it will take good care of you.”

            She gave him an uncertain nod.  His words puzzled her.

            Professor Wilkes led her out of the dusty shop and into a much cleaner shop – Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.  Madam Malkin took her measurements in a similar fashion to Ollivander’s.  The black school robes with the Slytherin symbol, winter cloak, gloves, and pointed hat were quickly made.  They also visited the cauldron shop for a size 2 pewter cauldron, brass scale, telescope, and crystal phials, along with a notebook, scrolls of parchment, and ink from the stationery store.

            Before long, they were back in the castle where even the chilly dungeons warmed her frozen limbs.  Perhaps Tom was right, after all – she should’ve worn a coat.

            “Tom, I’ll trust that you will do your best?”  Professor Wilkes grinned.

~*~

            “You’re getting it all wrong.”  He was not amused.  The unlocking spell should have been one of the easiest spells to master.  For the past two hours, all she was able to accomplish were the pathetic illuminating spell and its counter.  Does she have no talent at all?  “Try it, again.”

            She squinted her eyes in concentration.  “Alohomora!”  Instead of unlocking the door, the spell left a scorch mark on the knob.  “Alohomora!”  The entire door burst into flames.

            Tom groaned in displeasure.  “Aguamenti!  Reparo!  It’s the wrist.  Rotate and point.”

            With a huff, she tried again.  Several more tries later, she finally managed to unlock the door.  Next came the levitation and stupefying spells.  By the time she had stopped setting everything on fire, it was already dinner time.

            The two made their way to the Great Hall, which held only a handful of students.  She was mesmerized by the plates and plates of food that magically appeared before her.  A bit of mash potatoes, peas, and pumpkin juice brought joy to her nearly empty stomach.

            Tom decided that she was completely hopeless without a bit more study on theories.  He recommended the library or the book “Magical Theories” that was sitting on her trunk.  She was more than happy to comply with his suggestion.  He seemed to be quite masterful with the techniques, but his teaching skills were definitely lacking.  His eyes made her nervous and with every mistake she made, she became less focused.

            Not only did she finish “Magical Theories,” she spent the rest of the night looking through “The Standard Book of Spells” and “The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self- Protection.”  Her determination got her through the night, but as sun beams penetrated through the window, she was ready to pass out.  Her vision was blurred with fatigue and her head felt heavy.  Maybe a bit of sleep before meeting with Tom would be good…

            “Wake up…” someone called out.  “Ria, wake up.”

           She shot up and slammed into something hard before falling back down.  “T-Tom…?”  He was glaring at her, rubbing his forehead.  “Sorry…  How did you get up here?  I thought the stairs were enchanted to keep boys out.”

            He scowled at her.  “Professor Slughorn disarmed the spell for the rest of the holiday, so that we can communicate quicker and better.  Go get ready, you’ve already missed breakfast, but there is a little more time before lunch is over.”

            Hunger wasn’t the first thing in her list of priorities.  She still felt completely exhausted.  “Have you eaten, Tom?”

            An odd look was sent her way.  “Yes.”

            “Do you think w e can stay here to practice?  I’m not really hungry and it’s really comfortable here.”

            Tom looked doubtful, but with a sigh, he nodded.

            “I’ve tried quite a few spells, last night.”  The corner of her lips began to curve upward in her excitement.  “Would you like to see?”

            He nodded, once more.

            “Wingardium Leviosa!”  Her notebook rose smoothly into the air.  “Accio notebook!”  It flew into her lap.  “Diffindo!”  It split into two.  “Reparo!”  It mended itself.  “Engorgio!”  It grew.  “Reducio!”  It shrunk to its former size.  “Orchideous!”  Flower burst from the tip of her wand.

            Her eyes sparkled happily, waiting for Tom’s reaction at her achievement.

            The other orphan was surprised – even amazed.  How did someone like her learn so many spells in one night when she could barely cast one, the night before?

            Perhaps she had expected an expression akin to anything positive, but it was not going to happen.  Tom was far from happy at her performance.  He did not like competition.  He would have to work harder to keep his place as number one in his year.  No one was going to outdo him – especially not this pathetic, little girl.

            “Tom?”  He glanced at her.  “Thank you.”

            A small smile graced her lips, but he ignored it.  “You’re welcome.  Perhaps a break will be good.  You look tired.”  He stood up from the chair he had occupied.  “I will see you later for Potions.  You can read about Herbology and History of Magic on your own.  Tomorrow, we will try a bit of defensive magic.  Be sure to read – ”

            “A Guide to Self-Protection,” she cut him off.  “I’ve read it.”

            He gave her a curt nod and left.

            She watched him leave in dissatisfaction.  They seemed to have been alright, yesterday, but he appeared to be upset with her, now.  Was he unhappy because she overslept?  Such behaviour had never been a problem, before.

            Back then, if anyone was upset, they would merely ignore her while speaking out their grievances.  She would always know what was wrong.  With Tom, she was left guessing.  Nothing seemed to make him happy. 

            On a whim, she decided that her life goal was to make him smile – to make him happy. There was no way she would let the chance of having a friend slip through her fingers.  Maybe she will be able to find her own happiness on the way. “It’s a bit lonely, right now, though…”

            Sleep refused to put her out of her misery and she refused to dwell in it any longer.  She can take this time to make another friend; someone more amiable; someone who won’t make her head spin in circles.

            The Great Hall still had a couple of students who were talking amongst themselves.  They were from another house.  She took a few steps forward with every intention to talk to them, but…

            “Do you see that girl, over there?”

            “She looks nice, who is she?”

            “You don’t want to talk to her.”  Another joined in.  “She’ll be nice at first, but when you’re not looking, she’ll destroy all your toys.”

            “Yeah!”  Christine piped up.  “Look at my doll!  She cut off all her hair and then tore it apart!”

            They all stayed away from her.

            “It’s her!” one whispered.

            “She killed Christine!” another whispered back.

            “She’s the devil’s child.  Even Mrs. Carter is afraid of her.”

            Didn’t they know that she can hear them?

            “Look, freak!”

            Maybe it just didn’t matter to them.

            “Hey, freak!” they shouted before running off with a scream and giggle.

            Maybe it was just a game to them…

            None of the newer residents really believed in the stories, anymore.  She has faded into a rumour before turning into a myth.  They all wanted to see if anything was true.  She felt like Mary I of England.

            “Excuse me, I was wondering if –”

            “What do you want?” the girl snapped at her.

            “Didn’t you know that Slytherins are not welcome in the Gryffindor table?” her friend joined in.

            “Go back to those traitorous snakes,” she sneered.  “Oh, wait.  They’ll probably only pretend to like you.”

            Her eyes widened.

            Here, too…

            Without hearing anymore of their taunts, she ran off.

            Snow fell gently around her.  It was so beautiful, but…

            “I’m such a bloody idiot…” She mumbled.  “Not only am I still alone, I’m alone and cold.”

            Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.  This wasn’t the change she wanted.  Nothing has changed!  She was in a foreign place in a foreign world.  She was still alone.

            Alone.  Alone.  Alone.

            She let out a loud scream from the bleachers.  The few people outside gave her odd looks, but not one cared.

            “What are you doing?”

            Her head jerked towards the voice.  “I can ask you the same thing.”

            “At least I wasn’t screaming like a lunatic.”

            “Do you like it here?”

            Tom took a seat beside her.  “UI like it here better than the orphanage.”

            “What is so great about this place?”  She glared at the people below her.  “The people behave the same way as they did at my orphanage.”

            He suddenly stood up.  “Those muggles will never amount to anything close to what we are!” he shouted at her. 

            “Muggles?”  She tilted her head.

            He sighed and sat back down.  “People without magic.”

            “What is so bad about them?  They’re just as hateful as the next witch or wizard.”

            “They’re ignorant fools who will never amount to anything.”  She watched his eyes grow darker and darker.  “They’re completely oblivious about the world they live in.  With a wave of a wand, they can all drop dead and never realize what had happened.”

            “A wave of a wand…” she repeated to herself.

~*~

            “Porcupine quills after taking it off from the fire,” she muttered to herself.  “Porcupine quills after-“

            “You’re going to over boil the potion if you don’t take it off the fire, now,” Tom warned.

            Her eyes widened and she quickly did as she was told, then dropped the porcupine quills in.  The potion gave a soft hiss as they fell in.  They waited a few minutes for it to settle.

            Tom gave it a long stare before nodding.  “You’re quite adept at Potions.”

            “As long as I follow the instructions, I should be fine.”

“Then let’s try Transfigures,” he stated, while taking out a caged owl.  They had retrieved the owl from the Owlery before going into the Potions classroom.  “Fera Verto!”

            The poor owl gave a shocked hoot before changing into a goblet.

            “Reverto!”  It changed back to its former state.

            She repeated the motion – three taps and point.  Nothing happened.  “Fera Verto!”  Still nothing.  “Fera Verto!”  The owl’s form finally began to distort, but it didn’t turn into a goblet.  It looked like it had been hit by the ‘Engorgio’ spell, but it quickly changed.  The head bloated until the eyes were bulging out.

            “Reverto!”  Tom looked rather alarmed, now.  It was supposed to reverse whatever she had done to it, but there was no effect.  The owl’s head continued to inflate.

            Soon, the cage became too small.  Feathers stuck out of the cage.  The beak was crushed against the metal bars.  Parts of it littered the floor.

            “Tom…”  She began to step backwards with Tom half a second behind.  “Tom, why is it doing that?”

            The boy finally concluded that it was not going to stop growing.  Only one thing can result from this.  “Protego!”  It was only seconds after, splattered of owl brain hit the invisible shield that encased the two of them.  It didn’t, however, protect them from the stench.

            He looked over at the terrified girl beside him.  Her eyes were wide – pupils dilated.  There was a slight tremor going through her body.  “Evanesco!”  The cage and remains of the owl disappeared, as if they were never there.  He looked at her, again, but the glaze in her eyes was still present.  “Ria?”

            There was no reply.

            “Ria, it’s gone.”

            Still nothing.

            “It was only a bloody owl.”

            Her lips began to tremble.  “It’s not just the owl…  This al –”  Her voice cracked.  “This always happens to me.  Nothing ever goes right.  Everything around me breaks!”  Tears finally began to fall.

            Tom was at a loss for words.  He was great at spells, even better at keeping a calm demeanor, but what was he to do with a crying girl?  “Let’s go to the common room.”  Maybe leaving the Potions room would be a good idea.

~*~

            “Tom, will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” she mumbled once Tom led her up to her room.

            “It is improper for me to stay.”

            “Please?”  She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.  “I really don’t want to be alone, right now.”

            Tom was desperate to leave, but the look she was giving him was making him feel pity towards her.  If it was only until she falls asleep, it should be alright.  The professors do not often check up on the students in the holidays and they were the only ones left in Slytherin.

            “Move over, then.”

            She gave him a small smile before wiggling off to the right.  “Thank you.”

            He placed his wand on the bedside table and allowed himself to get comfortable, but realize that only one pillow was present.

            “Sorry, I like to cuddle.”  She showed him the bag of fluff in her arms.  “Here, I should be alright with you here.”

            The fluff hit him in the face.  He scowled at her, but only saw the same smile on her face.  “Good night, Tom.”  He continued to stare at her.  She looked as if she was already asleep.  He debated whether he should leave now or not, but just as he began to slip away, thin arms wrapped around him.  “Not yet,” she mumbled.

            It wasn’t apparent if she was actually asleep, but she managed to trap him.  It was impossible for him to leave without waking her up, thus leading him to stay until she was asleep again.

            This, however, wasn’t terribly uncomfortable.  Unlike the cold of sleeping alone, it was very warm here.  His eyes were slowly closing.  Her deep breathing was lulling him to sleep.

            Before he knew it, he followed her into the land of dreams.

Chapter One

“Red is for Apple,

Blue is for Ball

Cats in the Chapel

Dogs and the Dolls”

“Laughter’s in the air

Smiling faces everywhere

I can only dream

Of the things that we could share”

            Colours exploded with every note that left her lips; colours that splattered on paper and colours that burst in front of her vision.

“I can only dream

of the wonders in the world

I can only dream

 of the miracles unfurled”

“Here is where you’ll find

That a lost girl’s left behind

Here is where you’ll find…

            Grey orbs stared at the painting in front of her.  It was no longer of childish dreams.  There were no pictures of houses and people.  The innocence that had persisted until the death of Christine had all but disappeared completely.  None of the children spoke to her since that day – if there were, they would leave immediately after.  The old told the new of the happenings and each time it was repeated, more and more gore snowballed into the story.  There was little truth behind it now.  It has been six years since that day and she was the only child left in the Orphanage who had personally witnessed the event.  Mrs. Carter, formerly Ms. Caroll, is the only other person who knew.  But who truly knew what happened? 

            Christine was propelled off her that day.  A young girl who had not yet turned five could possibly have the strength to push with such force.  They blonde had collided with the glass cabinet door that was across the room.  The impact may have been the cause of death, but it may also have been caused by the large shard of glass that protruded through the small girl’s bosom, nearly severing her into two.

            Had any of the witnesses found evidence, she would have been confined in the prison for the rest of her life.  None, however, was found.  Most believed that she had sold her soul to the devil who was actually responsible for the death.

            What they did not know was that she had felt a force surge through her body and burst out from her finger tips.  It was not unlike the other times when things had shattered around her during times of anger.  Everyone blamed it on the poor quality of the products made during the total war economy, but she knew better.  Something was terribly wrong with her.

“Merry Christmas,

I can see that you’re happy

Merry Christmas,

Did you get your puppy?”

“Happy Birthday,

Please don’t give me the cold shoulder

            She sighed and placed her head on the cold wooden desk.  Today marked her eleventh birthday – a decade and a year she has endured at the Orphanage.  The only good thing that had happened was that Mrs. Carter’s fear of her seemed to be more beneficial than not.  She never had the caretaker’s kindness, but now her requests were going somewhere.  Green, reds, and blues of various shades sat on the desk, lining a portion of the wall.

            “Expecting a present, freak?”

            Another sigh escaped her lips.  “Do you not think it is getting old, Barry?  If you want more of a selection to choose from, there is also monster, demon, spawn, and fiend.  Would you like anymore?  Have I enhanced your vocabulary by three folds, yet?”

            The boy who was a mere year younger looked rather confused.  It was no wonder, though.  She may be the only resident who put the small library of torn books to good use.  No one but the patrons could be blamed, however, because all of them were either about the history of Great Britain or the life of the royals.  They were not entirely uninteresting to her.  They kept her occupied when inspiration refused to strike.

            “Look what I got, this Christmas.”  A small toy puppy was shoved into front of her face.

            “Please keep your childish objects away from me,” she spoke in monotone.

            He frowned.  “You’re just jealous!”  With no more to say, he ran off with his fake mongrel.

            A moment passed by before she turned back to her artwork.  The mountains looked one-sided, the ocean was faded, and the trees were lifeless.  The painting was suddenly one of the ugliest things she has ever placed her eyes on.  Pale, lithe fingers gave a small twitch before they folded upon themselves.  Just looking at it gave her an ashy, bitter taste in her math, not unlike the flavour of Barry’s voice.

            Unfortunately, nothing she painted looked right to her and she eventually gave up on accomplishing anything for the rest of the day.  Who knew that one disgusting, little boy could’ve single-handedly ruined her Christmas and birthday?

            There was nothing to do now but stare at the ceiling, remapping every crack and bump.  The bed she laid on had long since gotten lumpy and the pillow was completely flat.

            Tap.  Tap.

            Her head perked up at the foreign sound.

            “Not those bloody birds, again!  You’d think that after one gets eaten, they’d all stay away.”

            Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

She finally made her way to the curtained window to satisfy her curiosity.  Behind the thick fabric was a brown barn owl.  Her hands placed themselves on the glass, ready to slide it open.

            “Don’t open the window!”  She stared and quickly pulled her hand away, but noticed that the caretaker was not speaking to her – wasn’t even in the same room.

            “Hello,” she greeted when it flew in.  The owl hooted quietly as it dropped a letter in her hands before settling on the bedpost with a hoot.  “What’s this…?”

            “HOGWARTS SCHOOL

            Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Armando Dippet

Dear Ms. Ria,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts

            Another piece of parchment fell from the envelope.  It seemed to be a list of books.

            Rapid footsteps growing louder made their way toward her.  She scrambled for a piece of paper and painted her answer in bold black.

“Yes, I wish to attend.”

            She gave the owl the letter, patted it on the head, and sent it off, just seconds before Mrs. Carter appeared under the threshold.

            “Did one of those infuriating pests come in?”  The woman, with frazzled hair, had a rolling pin in her hand.  “Did they come in?”

            “No,” she replied.  “Nothing has come in.”

            Mrs. Carter gave her a suspicious look, but with several quick glances that confirmed no unwanted vermin were present, she departed.

            Silence settled upon her, once more.

            Witchcraft and wizardry?  She may not have gone to school for a proper education, but magic?  Not only was that hard to imagine, she foolishly replied to the letter.  She sent a message by owl in broad day light!  Was this the first sign of insanity?

            Taking a deep breath, she halted all the thoughts.  Why couldn’t magic be real?  It would surely explain all the irrational occurrences.  Vases do not usually explode on their own and piano keys do not play themselves.

            “Those birds were so odd,” a voice came from behind the door.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it before.”  Right before the door opened, she stuffed the parchments under her pillow.  She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.  “Maybe she called them from the Devil.”  Emily’s voice quieted the moment she was inside.

            “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s true,” Emily’s best friend, Katherine, stated.  “She didn’t even come to supper today.”

            “Don’t you think we’ll turn into a freak, too?”  Emily’s voice turned urgent.  “Mrs. Carter said she served one of them to us.  That’s probably why she didn’t come down to eat.”

            “You don’t think they’re poisonous, do you?”  Katherine joined Emily’s panic.

            “Don’t be daft, kitty kat,” Barry sneered.  “Mrs. Carter said it was a… an Olf.”

            “Olf?” another male voice joined in.  “I don’t know what an Olf is, but I think you’re a bloody oaf.”

            Barry frowned.  “I’m not an Olf!”

            Kevin rolled his eyes.  “Never mind.”  He shifted his eyes at the still form.  “Should we really be speaking about this in here?”

            Emily waved her hand, dismissively.  “She’s probably down there, right now.”

            “Down there?” Katherine repeated.  “But she’s right here.”

            “No!” Emily exclaimed in exasperation, but immediately clamped her hands on her mouth, giving the form a quick glance.  “That’s not what I meant, you idiot.  You know how Jason said she sold her soul to the Devil.  Her soul is probably down there, now, talking to Him.”

            They all froze when the form turned and sighed when no other movement was made.  Exchanging a nervous look, they retired to their own beds.  All the girls were careful to not turn their backs on the corner bed and all the boys checked their locks.

            Ria turned in her bed again before opening her eyes.  She laid in the darkness, staring aimlessly at nothing.  “Come take me away, soon,” she whispered.  “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

            Tap.  Tap.  Tap.

The window between her bed and desk showed an owl-shaped shadow through the crack in the curtains.  She slipped out of bed and crept to the window.  It flew in the moment the frame was pried open.  “You’re not the same one from a few hours ago.”

            It hooted, but something odd began to happen.  The form distorted and enlarged.  The clawed feet turned into toes.  Feathered wings became fingers.  When everything changed, a man stood in its place.  Strands of tawny brown hair covered his moonlit hazel eyes, giving them a mysterious glow.  “Hullo!” he said in a hushed voice.  “You haven’t packed, yet?”

            Grey iridescent eyes blinked up at him.

            “Oh!”  He hit his forehead with his palm.  “Right!  Right!”  He retrieved a wooden stick from inside his maroon robes.  “How much of this is yours?”

            She pointed at her little corner where a small trunk lay.  The fingers also hovered over her desk, which no other children wished to touch, lest it had been cursed.

            With a flick of his wrist, her possessions flew and settled in front of them.  “Anything else?”  Red hair swept from side to side.  “Well, that’s not much…”  With another flick, the items shrunk.  “You won’t be needing the desk, where you are going.”  He turned to look at the pale orphan girl when silence met him.  An inevitable chuckle escaped his lips.  “Quite incredible, isn’t it?”  The smaller head rapidly bobbed up and down, wonder still on her face.  “Alright, then.  Off we go.”  The head repeated its movements.  “If it wasn’t so late, we could’ve flooed at Mrs. Jensen’s house, but I wouldn’t want to wake an old lady up from her beauty sleep.  Just hang on to my arm and don’t let go.  Apparating is always an odd sensation.”  She hung on tightly.  “Have you written your note to the caretaker?”

            “She won’t care.”  Her voice was soft and rather melodic to his ears, but the tone was forlorn.  “Can we go, now?”

            “Yes, of course.”

            A loud ‘crack’ rang through the air, waking the entire orphanage up.

            When her head, heart, and stomach stopped scrambling, her feet touched the ground, but her legs collapsed under her.  Sharp gasps pushed her chest in and out.

            “Perhaps I should’ve warned you, but it’s a good sign that you’re not reseeding your supper.” 

            “Didn’t have any,” she forced out before climbing on to her feet.  Warning?!  He said it was going to be an odd sensation!  What she felt was far from just odd.

            He frowned at her.  “That’s not healthy, but never mind that.  There will be plenty to eat at Hogwarts.  It’s unfortunate that this is the closest we can go with apparating, though.  It’s not that far.  Come along this way.”

            The walk to the school gate was disappointingly unmagical, but the sight of the castle left her speechless.  It looked as if she was in a fantasy land.  Even the pathway from within the gate gave shivers of delight down her spine.

            “Welcome to Hogwarts,” he said as the castle doors swung open.  She openly gaped at the Great Hall.  “Off to the Headmaster’s Office we go.  You will have time to explore tomorrow morning.”  They made their way down numerous halls and up dangerous moving staircases, before stopping in front of a stone gargoyle.  “Wolf’s Bane.”  The statue shook for a brief moment and spiraled upward, revealing another set of stairs.

            “Ah…  Professor Wilkes,” an elderly man with long white hair and beard greeted.  “I see you have retrieved our young witch.”

            “Did you expect anything less of me?”  The wizard grinned.

            “Professor Dippet.”  She was surprised that she didn’t see the young brunette boy.  He seemed to be glaring at her.  “I’m wondering what the purpose of my presence is.  If it is alright, I’d like to rest.”

            “This wont’ take too long, Mr. Riddle,” the headmaster reassured.  “Miss…  Ria, I apologize, but I could not find your family name.  Would you like to enlighten me?”

            She frowned and shook her head.  “Mrs. Carter never gave us one.”

            “Did you not have any type of identification on you?”

            “She has never told me,” she replied.

            “Any heirlooms?”

            She slid her hand under her shirt and pulled out a silver locket.  “Mrs. Carter said that this was on me when she found me in an alley.  It doesn’t open, though.  I’ve tried just about everything short of breaking it.  It doesn’t come off, either.”

            Several creases appeared between the elderly man’s eyebrows.  “Would you allow me to try?”

            She was a bit hesitant, but nodded nonetheless.  The moment his hand touched the metal, a sizzle sounded and he instinctively retracted his hand.  An angry burn could be seen on the pad of his fingers.

            “An enchantment…?” he whispered while pointing his hand on the burns.  “Alohomora!”  

           “Yes.  Yes.”  He produced an old tattered hat and beckoned her to sit in the arm chair beside the boy.  It was, then, placed on top of her head; or rather it seemed to consume her down to the shoulders.

            “Ah…” it spoke in her head, causing her to give a small jump.  “Such an unusual child, you are.”

            “Hello, Mr. Hat.”

            “Hello, child,” it greeted back.  “I see that there has been so much, yet so little, you have seen and experienced.”

            “Can you read my mind?”

            “That I can, but do not worry.  No secrets will be revealed by me to anyone.  I am merely here to sort you into your correct house.”

            “Is it possible that you know who I am – who my parents are?”

            “I have a good idea of your origins, but I shall not interfere with what fate has presented.  Let us get on with the sorting now.”  There was a momentary pause.  “You seem to like following your own beliefs rather than follow the conventional ideas.  There is a thirst for knowledge within you, but when it comes to obligated learning, you are reluctant to comply.  However, quite a bit of bravery is within you, but you prefer to be on your own.  There is also a rather large chance that you will allow your orphanage mates to come to harm – a Slytherin behaviour rather than a Gryffindor.  Yes, I believe that you shall fit nicely in…  SLYTHERIN!”

            Two sets of claps followed the announcement, but Tom Riddle was not amused.  He knew exactly what would follow.  Headmaster Dippet called him after dinner was over.  He said that there was a new student who was in a similar situation as his.  The only reason why he complied was because he wanted a good impression with the professors.  He did not, however, expect the student to be such a tiny girl.

            “Wonderful!” Professor Dippet beamed.  “I was hoping that the two of you end up in the same house.  Miss Ria, Mr. Riddle here is also an orphan who is not quite sure of his heritage.  Perhaps the two of you will end up as the best of friends.”

            The two children looked at each other and immediately knew that it was never going to happen.

            “Here are your classes,” he handed her a piece of parchment.  “You do not need to worry about them, yet, as classes do not start until January 2nd.  Go explore, but the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden.  There will be proper punishment for any rule violations.  Regarding your textbooks, we have already acquired them for you and are currently sitting in your dormitory.  If you have any questions you may ask Mr. Riddle, Professor Wilkes, or myself.”

            “Thank you, professor,” she said.

            He smiled at her.  “Off you go, now.  Good night.”

            “Good night, professors,” the two eleven-year-olds reciprocated.

            They walked down the hall with an awkward silence between them.  “Tom, Happy Christmas.”

            A scowl marred his pale, perfect face.  It was ugly.  “What is so happy about Christmas?”

            She was taken aback by his harshness.  “Not much, really, but I want it to become happy.”

            He glanced at her, but said nothing in return.

            “When is your birthday, Tom?”

            “Does it matter?”  The scowl deepened.

            She pursed her lips in annoyance.  The people in her orphanage were not good conversationalist and neither was her housemate.  Change has to start somewhere, doesn’t it?  “It doesn’t matter, but will it kill you to satisfy my curiosity?”

            He didn’t reply.

            They arrived in front of a wall in the cold dungeons.  “Salazar.”  A dark passage appeared behind the stone wall.  The Slytherin Common Room was beautiful.  Green and silver ornaments lined the walls while chandeliers lined the middle strip of the ceiling.  Black couches sat in the middle of the room with complementary green cushions.

            She tried to resist the urge, but the childish part that has been dormant for so long took the opportunity to leap forward.  Her feet moved before her mind could comprehend what had happened.  “It’s so comfortable!”

            Tom stared blankly at her, glad that everyone else was already asleep.  His brown orbs focused on the small red-head snuggling against a pile of cushions.  “The girl’s dormitory is that way,” he interrupted and pointed at the left set of stairs.  “I will be going to bed, now.”  He didn’t wait for a response, but a question stopped him on the very first step of stairs.

            “Will you be my first friend, Tom Riddle?”  She had an odd look on her face.  The concept seemed to be as odd for him as it was for her.

            He turned to look at her before turning back around.

            “My birthday is on New Year’s Eve.” 

Prologue

            “Ouch!  Ria threw a brush at me!” a little girl exclaimed.

            “Ria, stop bullying Christine!”  The caretaker, Ms. Caroll, was scurrying around in the lobby, trying to make things perfect for the childless couples who were planning to adopt a cute little girl or boy before Christmas.  “If you don’t start behaving, no one will adopt you!”

            “No one wants you!  No one wants you!” all the children chanted.

            “I don’t see any of you being adopted,” came a soft retorted.  “And I can’t see why, liars and bullies are very likeable these days.

            Strands of green sprouted on to the tattered piece of paper.

            An odd distorted ring that ended off with a buzz rang through the air.  “Oh!  That must be Mister and Missus Clark!”

            The door opened to reveal a man and woman who had snow white hair, wrinkled skin, and brittle bones.  The pair looked far too grail to tend to themselves, let alone a hyperactive five-year-old.  Their feet moved slowly, shuffling along.  “Hello, Ms. Caroll,” Mrs. Clark tittered.  “Oh, these children are all so cute!”

            “Would you like some time to look around?  Perhaps all the children had unknowingly become commodities on a shelf.  “Children, line up!”

            Rich brown coated another portion of the paper.  White blotches soaked into the page.

            “Stop painting for a moment and come here!”

            Colourful hands wiped across the equally colourful blouse.

            “How many times have I told you to stop doing that?!”

            Tiny feet padded across the room.

            “You have to keep your clothes clean!”

            Each of the children was scrutinized under eyes clad with glasses and prodded with bony fingers.  The two muttered amongst themselves after each examination.  “This one is cute.”  Mrs. Clark chirped.  “She’s different from the rest.  A bit dirty, but she’s a special one, that she is.”

            “No one wants her, though!”  Christine refused to let it go.  “Our cook says she is no good!”

            Mrs. Clark squinted at the silent girl, staring into light grey eyes.  “Perhaps you are right,” she mumbled with a nod.

            The lips of the girl twitched, but no words were spoken for her own defense.  Those light grey orbs followed the elderly woman who moved down the line.  “Ah… Perhaps you, then.”  She turned to her husband.  “This girl has a quick mind.  She will go far, wouldn’t she?”

            “I’m sure she will, dear.  I’m sure she will,” he replied.

            Ms. Caroll smiled widely and clapped her hands.  “Christine is a brilliant choice!  I will go fetch the papers, now.  With a few signatures and a small fee, Christine will officially be your daughter.”

            The blonde girl with sky blue eyes gave a little twirl of joy.

            “Isn’t she a little angel?”

            Suddenly, the tiny feet tripped over a small bottle and tumbled over.

            Red splattered across the floor and wall. 

            The white-laced dress dripped with the red liquid.

            Fat droplets of tears fell down soft, pale cheeks.

            “Christine!”  Ms. Caroll cried out when she spotted the little girl on the floor.  “Ria, how many times have I told you to never leave your things lying around?!”

            “She was in my corner,” the red-head spoke up.

            “There is no your corner.  This room is for everyone!”

            “Then why can’t I play on the piano?  Why can’t I go on that play mat?”  She pointed to a variety of sections in the room that she had been prohibited from touching over the years.  “You allow everyone else to play there.  Why can’t I have my own corner?”

            “Because you break everything you touch!” a brunette boy, Johnny, exclaimed.  “You broke Suzie’s dolly, my train set, and now you’ve ruined Christine’s dress!”

            She narrowed her eyes.  Those were not her fault.  They destroyed their own toys!  Now, there wasn’t even any red paint left and she doubted Ms. Caroll would spend any money on her.

            Before any words could leave her pale, pursed lips, a small vicious body pounced on her.  Small claws dug into her face, leaving smears of red in their trails.

            “Christine!” several voices cried out at the same time.

            The red-head struggled against the blonde.  “Get off me!  GET OFF ME!”  The weight was suddenly flown off her followed by the sound of something shattering.  Screams did not take long to deafen her.  She slowly sat up, hair mussed and heart racing.  More red flooded her vision.  It was much darker than the paint she had and not as thick.  And unlike the washable paints she had, this one was permanent.

Favourite Themes

The Traveler by tenchfroast

Ancient Page by ismywb

Photoboard by bendelaney

TumbleDesk by fieldnote

The Musician by themusician

Bygone Era by ninjineer

The Minimalist by by minimalistco

Stargazer by reddishness

Inkhorn by inkhorntheme

TumblOS by mia-caro

Chalkdust v.2.0 by mia-caro

xxx by roboweed

Invitation Only by ninjineer

Thinking of You by kaithmarie

A Cup of Cherry Blossoms by laceandlies

Lacey Doll by laceandlies

Luxury Notes by gilbitron

Vintage Scrapbook by thenightingaleandtherose