Chapter 1- Meetings and Bargains
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except my original characters and concepts. This means, anything that you recognize, I probably don't own.
"Italics"-French"Normal"- English'normal'-thought
He stepped gracefully through the door, smirking as he turned every head in the room. It took a moment to for them to go back to their previous. He knew that he was handsome, at 6 foot even with dark brown hair and icy blue eyes and his charisma was legendary at Hogwarts. What really caught their attention though was his magical aura. It was hanging heavy in the air, telling everyone there that he would be a dangerous person to get angry. He was Tom Marvolo Riddle.
-Break-
A young girl sat huddled in the back of her cage. She couldn't believe that her Uncle would do this. It violated every rule that the family had ever established. He was supposed to take care of her until she found Him. She smirked to herself depreciatingly. Then she would be His to use and abuse as he pleased.
Her dark violet hair hung limp and tangled in her dull lavender eyes. Even just a few days ago, those eyes would have been filled with laughter and warmth, but not so now. Her caretaker had given her up. She had no one. Today she would be sold.
A sudden pulse hit her and she shot up, hitting her head on the top of her cage, bringing tears to her eyes. She pushed them away and searched out the cause. Her eyes began to sparkle with glee when she found the cause. It was Him! He was here! Her eyes narrowed with determination and concentration as she began to plan. She would be leaving with Him today if it was the last thing that she did or her name wasn't Circe Sylvanni-Venier!
-break-
Tom browsed the items for sale, and saw nothing of interest except for a few books that he knew that he could buy elsewhere for cheaper. That was when he felt the tug on his magic. It was playful and light but insistent, pulling him in the direction of the area where animals were for sale. He frowned and continued following the tug and found himself in front of a cage that was covered and hidden in a back corner of the room.
Irritated by this point, he ripped the cloth from the cage and glared at the beaming smile aimed at him. "Oh good, you are here! I wasn't sure if you would come or not." When all he did was continue glaring, her smile faltered and she stuttered, "I am sorry that what I did upset you, but I really need your help. My name is Circe Sylvanni and you are going to take me home with you today."
He looked down at her coldly. "And what makes you think that I will do any such thing? I should just kill you here and now." She stared up at him pleading. "Please, you are the only one that can overrule my uncle's decision. You are my bonded and I need you to take me with you." Tom raised an eyebrow. "What kind of creature are you?"
She smiled at him. "Oh, I am not technically a creature. The females of my maternal family were cursed by a vampire back in the 1300's because Léonie Vernier refused to be his mate. With his dying breath he cursed us so that we would know his pain. Thus, we are now considered magical creatures, although we are not technically."
He looked at her violet hair and lavender eyes dubiously, and she shrugged. "We are actually a lot like vampires because of the curse. I suppose that we could be called a sub-species of vampire, if you wanted. We burn in the sun as well, although not as badly as a real vampire and if we cover up really well then it is okay." She looked up at him pleading anxiously, "Please. Please go tell my uncle that he needs to come over here and let me go and then you need to take me with you. Please."
He looked at her blankly before beginning to walk away. "I really have to do no such thing. I don't need you. You need me."
"Wait! Do you not want to hear about the benefits for you?" He paused and turned back to her. "I'm listening."
"Absolute loyalty. I would never be able to betray you. You would be able to call on my magic like it was your own and," she paused, smirking as she noticed the light in his eyes. "You would have a form of immortality." He stepped back over to the cage and looked down at her. "What do you mean a form?"
"Well, you could still die from a spell gone wrong or being poisoned with certain substances or such, but old age and illness would no longer be a worry for you. Think about it." she whispered seductively. "And all you have to do is bond with me and keep me near you for a while. After a few years, we will be able to be apart for some time before having to come back together. And since you own me, you shouldn't have to pay a cent for me. I know English law and your accent betrays your origin."
He was silent for a few minutes as he though over her proposition and she sat patiently and waited. He looked at her pensively before finally replying. "Alright then. We have an agreement. Be aware though that if you don't give me everything that you promised or do something stupid that you will die." She nodded eagerly. "What's your uncle's name then?" "Giovanni Vernier. He'll probably be wherever the women are. He is a pig," she spat, disgusted.
Tom turned and left, ignoring the last part of her sentence.
-break-
As soon as he was out of sight, she sighed and leaned against the side of her cage. She had finally found Him and she would be getting out of here. Yet, there was only a small sense of relief. He seemed power hungry and …practical, she decided was a good word for it. She would need to remain useful in order for him to treat her well at all, that much she could tell.
'At least he seems the type that will ignore me rather than abuse me. He will be too caught up in his own schemes to pay me much attention. And that's not so bad. That's actually pretty good. Better than my mother ever had.' And with that depressing thought, she settled in to wait for the return of her uncle and Him.
-break-
Tom searched idly for Giovanni, asking the patrons from the area if they had seen the man. It was not until he met an older lady with several male slaves around her that he finally located him.
"Oh yes. Him. He's probably around the bar. That's where he has been flirting with us ladies for the past few days. Quite the flatterer that one," she sighed dreamily. "He's tall and blonde with blue eyes," she continued, rambling and lost in her daydreams.
Tom carefully hid his disgust and nodded at her graciously before heading over to the bar and finding Giovanni exactly where the woman had said he would be. He had a drink in hand and was flirting with a young red-head, who was giggling madly. With an irritated sigh, Tom continued toward the bar and claim what was supposedly his.
-break-
He knew that today would be a bad day. Giovanni Vernier had woken up that morning and knew that something bad would happen to him today. It wasn't at all unusual that a wizard had a bit of precognition and his was telling him that something bad was going to happen.
However the day had been going marvelously so far. He already had several women that he had promised to meet tonight and nothing had happened with Circe. She had been perfectly obedient, and tonight she would be sold at the auction and would no longer be his responsibility. It wasn't long before he completely brushed the feeling from that morning away, dismissing it as a brush with pessimism on his part.
It was only a few hours later that the feeling hit once again, this time much stronger than the last. If something was going to happen, it would be soon. He stood by the bar, flirting with a beautiful red-head and was just about to offer to buy her another drink when another man approached.
The young man smiled charmingly at the woman, who giggled and fanned herself. "I apologize madam, but I must steal this man away from your charming company as I need to speak to him of a matter of some importance. I hope that you will not hold it against me?" He asked, kissing her hand. She laughed and shook her head, giving them both a suggestive smile and wink before taking off.
Giovanni returned the looks before looking over at the young man who was now standing by his side looking impatient. "And how may I help you? I don't believe that we have ever met before?" The young man gave him a board look and put a hand out. "My name is Tom Riddle and to be able to have this conversation we are going to need one more person."
Giovanni gazed at him, confused. He had first thought that perhaps he was a member of one of the mafia bosses that he owed money to, but no. He was an Englishman, as his accent revealed. "What? Who are you?" Again, his only answer was an annoyed look. "I've already told you and I won't repeat myself. If you want to know anything then will continue this conversation where the third party may also speak".
Giovanni continued to follow him, confused until a spark of suspicion filled him as they headed toward the human section of the market. "What the hell is going on here? I demand to know right now." Tom whirled around and pulled his wand out of his pocket.
"You will shut up and do as I say right now. I told you that we will hold this conversation elsewhere and so you will stay quiet until we reach said spot if you want to remain in one piece," he hissed. Giovanni stared into his icy blue eyes and realized that he would carry through on his threat. He wisely closed his mouth and continued to walk in silence to where he knew that his niece was.
Giovanni knew what had happened the moment that he laid eyes on the uncovered cage and the way that Circe's eyes light up at their approach. The cage had been under very heavy notice-me-not charms and no one should have been able to go near it…not unless she had called them.
He stopped dead, a hollow, "No…" was his only response to the situation. She smiled maliciously at him and he flinched, knowing that he deserved it. "Oh yes. You thought that you would get away with this, but it seems that Lady Fate has decided to take things into her own hands. You should have known that this would not work."
Giovanni shook his head despairingly. "It's not that I really wanted to sell you into slavery, it's just that I needed the money. You can understand that, right?" He begged looking at them both. "You would have sold me knowing that such a thing would kill me. Forgive me if I do not care to understand your motive."
"I couldn't care less about this. You will hand her over to me now, along with her wand," he added idly, fingering his own. "This has gotten out of hand." He glared down at her. "You are quickly becoming more trouble than you are worth." Circe whined softly and pushed her hand out through the bars. "Please. Please! I'm sorry! Don't leave me here! Let me go!" She cried hysterically at her Uncle.
Giovanni looked at her, astonished, while Tom watched her, frowning. "You will shut up right now and cease this pathetic display. If you ever do it again, I will kill you." She stopped abruptly, pulling her hand back and stared up at Tom with watery eyes. "I…apologize," she said softly, her voice heavy with accent.
Giovanni watched with greedy eyes and said, "Since she is your bonded, I'll cut you a deal. I'll sell her to you for half off her original starting price. 500,000 Galleons." Circe made a soft sound of protest when Tom held up a hand to stop any comments and she sat back, leaning against the bars.
"As per English law, if a magical creature claims any witch of wizard for a mate, then they automatically own them and it is registered at the ministry. She's mine. This charade has gone on long enough. Unlock the cage, now." Giovanni glared at him. "Those laws do not apply here! She is a French citizen!" "The nationality of the creature does not matter." He ignored her flinch at the statement. "All that matters is the nationality of the witch or wizard being claimed."
When it looked like Giovanni would continue to argue, Tom growled in frustration and pulled out his wand. "I could kill you and make it look like self-defense. No one would say a word. Now, unlock this cage, or you will be sorry."
"You won't give me anything for her? I need to pay my debts, you don't understand!" Circe hissed at him and her eyes glowed. "Do not bother my bonded with such things! You got yourself into this mess, get yourself out of it!" "This never would have happened if you had just allowed me access to the family vaults!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and sneered at him. "And let you squander the family savings? I think not."
Giovanni turned bright red and pulled out his wand, a curse on the tip of his tongue before he was abruptly disarmed by Tom and hit with a bludgeoning hex to the leg. "Never mind. I'll just take care of this myself." A quick spell and the lock fell to the ground and the door swung open silently. Circe hesitantly crawled out of the cage and skirted around her uncle who was on the ground crying out in pain and hid behind Tom.
He roughly shook her off and she quickly apologized, before looking herself over and cringing. "May I retrieve my wand? It is in his pocket." Tom strode forward and ignored the man's flailing arms and reached into his robe pocket and retrieved a wand made of African Padauk. "Odd wood," he murmured, looking it over. Circe gave him an odd look, but asked, "May I have it? I would like to clean up before leaving. I am a frightful mess." Tom pocketed the wand. "No. You may have it back when I find out if you are really trustworthy or not."
Circe felt a jolt from the curse, punishing her for her bonded's lack of trust in her. "Ah, I see. That makes sense." They both stood still for a moment, the only sound was Giovanni's whimpers and moans. Fed up, Tom grabbed her arm and began dragging her toward the exit. She stumbled before regaining her balance and walking quickly to keep up. "Do you have somewhere to stay yet? I still have my room in my hotel if you need one." Tom glanced back at her, ignoring the stares that they were getting from others in the room. "No, not yet. Where were you staying?" "L'hôtel Domain de la Cade in Paris."
Disgust crossed his features. "Why are you staying in a muggle hotel? Are you not a pureblood?" Circe looked at him, hurt. "Of course I am. I am very proud of my family line, but that is the nicest hotel in the area, muggle or not. And I like muggle things. They are interesting." Tom glared at her. "They are not interesting, they are vermin, begging to be killed." Circe looked at him eyes wide, but stayed silent.
No more words were exchanged until they reached outside and Circe glanced around, taking in the stars and moon and reveling in the cool night air. "Do you know where the hotel is?" "Yes. Hold on." Circe hesitantly put her arms around his waist and with a crack they vanished from the site of The Auction and arrived in an alley off to the side of L'hôtel Domain de la Cade.
AN: Okay people, I hope that this will be the only author's note that I ever post in a story. If I have comments to make, I plan on putting them on my page, so go there if you want more info. on each chapter. I know that my character is kind of a Mary Sue. I'm sorry, but I tried to eliminate as many of those traits as I thought I could without then having to change Tom's personality and that was what was important to me. This story for me was about exploring what I could do with what I could arrange with his original personality, as best I could write it. She had to be kind of incredible to catch and hold his attention for any period of time and that was my reasoning.
Reviews are nice, but I don't really expect any. So, review if you want to. Flames will be accepted, I could always use a laugh. This is more for my own fun than anything really. Suggestions are also great, but I won't promise to include them, as I already have a sort of plan. Suggestions for the eventual outcome of the story would be amazing though. Updates will also be random. It will be whenever I have the time and energy. I hate typing up my stories, so yeah… So, I think that's all you need to know for now, so have a great day!