Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story. If I did, it wouldn't be called fan fiction.

Chapter one: Spente le stelle

She felt cheap. She felt used. She felt violated. But most of all, she felt stupid. How could she have been so blind? How couldn't she see how he calculated everything since that day? Her mother's arms around her offered no comfort. Her father's caress could not stop the tears in her eyes. Her teachers help and kind words had no effect on her confused mind. If only she had noticed before, if only she would have ignored that bit in her that told her to ignore the feeling in her gut; how many things could have been stopped?, she wandered.

"A nice way to start the New Year don't you think?"

Minerva gave a jump when she heard the voice. She had been so immersed in her thoughts she hadn't seen the boy get inside the room and sit down. She just sighted and went back to watching the pouring rain from her window.

"So not even the fact we share Prefect duties will make you talk to me?"

He was persistent, she would give him that. Then again, Tom Riddle had never known what it meant to lose. Somehow this boy got all he wanted, something that deep down she admired of him. Tom Riddle was the perfect mix, the calculating almost hypnotic stare of the Slytherin's, with a charming, bordering in innocent exterior. Minerva actually found him rather intriguing, a challenge, taunting her, daring her to go deeper into the mind behind the blue eyed stare. And the Gryffindor in her could not withstand from such a challenge.

"You seem troubled Minerva, what is it?" he said with what she recognized as concern, if such a feeling was possible in him.

"It's nothing Tom."

"Who do you know in the fronts?"

The question surprised her. She knew he was not talking about the wizarding world, for there was no war in it. But how could he know? How could he know the troubles of muggle England?

"How did you know?" she finally managed to ask.

"Just a guess, you seem to be worried about something. You are muggle-born, so I just guessed it must be something related to the war."

"How do you know of this war Tom?" It was common knowledge in the school that only pure-bloods made it into Slytherin, Tom being a very odd exception since he was Half-blood. The last thing anyone would expect a Slytherin to know was about what happened outsides of the limits of the wizarding world.

"I live in London," he said as his look departed from her to the carpet." St. Christopher's. It's a bit difficult to ignore what is going on when you are right in the middle of it all don't you think?"

Minerva was silent, not knowing how to answer this new information. Now it was her turn to watch the red carpet of the train compartment. He was beginning to surprise her already. It seemed looks could be deceiving.

"Did I say something wrong?" Eyes were back on her.

"No Tom."

"It seems my confession has left the great Minerva McGonagall, speaker extraordinaire, with out words."

Minerva blushed. He was right; she always had an opinion, something to say about everything. But for the first time she was at lost. Finally she decided to change the subject. A Gryffindor must show no weakness after all.

"Do you think this year would be as difficult as everyone says?"

Tom smiled, noticing her sudden change to a completely different theme. Minerva zero, Tom one, she thought.

"Probably."

"Are you worried about the O.W.L.'s?"

"I try to keep mi mind busy with other things." Now he was the one turning away. Silence, that uncomfortable silence that follows a dead end conversation, only the sound of the rain on small window. Minerva turned back to looking at the small droplets on the glass. After a few minutes she felt watched and turned to find Tom's eyes fixed on her, moving around her.

"What?" she asked suddenly.

"Nothing," he answered coming back to reality suddenly "just thinking." With this he turned his eyes away from her and began looking for something in his coat pocket. Miner vas straightened up and decided to go back to her reverie only to be disturbed once more, this time when se felt a foul scent coming her way. The source was a cigarette that Tom had just lit. The joy of this challenge was fading rapidly.

"Could you not do that here please?" she said in a stern and exasperated tone. The probabilities of Tom actually doing what she asked were small; he was after all a fellow fifth year and Prefect. He would probably ignore her. She never really understood why people liked smoking, the smoke, the smell the-

"As you wish." Said Tom as he put out the recently lit cigarette.

"What?"

"It bothers you, does it not? You can't open the windows because of the rain and neither of us feels like walking all around the train right? It's no problem really."

Minerva tried to keep her face as straight as possible; she couldn't show either surprise or smugness. Sure, she had just gotten Tom to do what she wanted; a Gryffindor had gotten a Slytherin to do what she wanted, but this was just a battle won, not the whole battle. As for being surprised, her pride didn't let her. Maybe there was more to him that what she could see in the outside. After all, hadn't he just shown to be a gentleman just now?

"You're not like others are you Tom?" she asked with a small smile.

"Meaning that I am the only Slytherin that is not swimming in Galleons?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I meant...well; none of the other boys would have put it out so easily."

"One must make certain sacrifices to claim the ultimate prize after all."

"What do you-"

"There you are!" Minerva was interrupted mid sentence by another fifth year with short brown hair and yellow, hawk like eyes when she opened the compartments door and sat right next to her. "I have been looking everywhere for you! If being a Prefect is going to make disappear from our sight all the time maybe I should consider sabotaging your meetings."

"I am sorry Xiomara; I looked around fro you but could not find you."

"Well we better tell Poppy before she has a fit...if she hasn't had one already." She got and began to pull Minerva with her.

"I will see you in school then Minerva. You to Hooch." Said Tom before she had been half dragged outside with a small wave.

"Good bye Riddle, you can try to brainwash her some other time." Xiomara continued to drag her out as she saw Tom smile at her one last time.

Well, this is a small chapter to begin with, just to set the story.In the next chapter there will be more students, and a bit more of inter-house fighting. Also there will be both houses reactions to the friendly chat. I hope it has been a good read. And for those of you wondering, the tittle is italian for "The stars have gone out".