Hello, and welcome to Balancing on Demarcation! The first book in a series that latched onto my mind, and refused to let go. This is not your typical OC story, and I will try to keep as many characters as I can IC. Despite this, there will be deviations from it, as this is- of course-, an AU story. However, I will try to keep it paced in such a way that it doesn't make you want to scream at the computer.

While this is an AU story, I will be keeping to most- if not all- important events in the HP timeline. I want this story to meld with it, not take over. If that makes sense.

I do have other accounts you can contact me on for progress on chapters, which are located on my profile.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series, or anything in this story that comes from that world. I only own my original characters, and a few twists that I decided to put in here.

Summary: Book 1 in a series. Willow lives in a time where the wizarding wars are far behind them, and the golden trio are just important people to know on her history final. However, when she is sent back to 1944, she finds she has to shroud herself completely in her Slytherin guise, and do everything she can to keep the Dark Lord's suspicions away from her. She can sense the wild darkness underneath his mask, and it calls to that part of her that she has to keep hidden for her sake. However, Tom knows there's something else about her other than being from a future that he wants to know about. His interest is piqued. Can she survive?

I'm in a room full of snakes, and they know I'm here. Some are vipers, and they look at me with fiercely intelligent eyes, assessing me. Others are harmless hognoses' that are all show, but are so cowardly even other snakes look down on them. Still others are coral snakes, difficult to pin down until in a situation which requires them to fight. However there is one, and I can feel it's eyes burning into the side of my skull. It's a king cobra, one of the more- if not the most- intelligent ones in here, and I can feel death lingering around it like a second skin. It has no qualms with causing it if you are in it's way, and you neither want to gain it's interest, nor it's wrath.

Fucking Anthony. If I see you again, you better run for your life.

24 hours earlier

Willow could hear Anthony's raised voice from the other side of the door-his Gryffindor hackles quite obviously raised-, and stared at it for a moment. Violet- who stood beside her, her hand resting comfortably within Willows- looked up at her curiously.

"I'm debating." Willow said in answer to the look the much younger girl gave her. Violet comprehended this quickly, and a smile quirked at the corner of her lips. Though four years younger, Violet's smarts, and advanced learning, catapulted her into Hogwarts at just the age of 7. Having an eidetic memory, she had more than enough reasons in her mind to back up Willow's cautiousness.

The yelling stopped, and Willow cocked her head to the side before deciding she had waited long enough. Unfortunately as she opened the door, she immediately found that she was quite wrong as a thick yellow substance along with an alarmingly red spell careened her way. Her hand shoved Violet back quite violently to get her out of the way, which she would have apologized for in her own special way if it hadn't been for the fact that as soon as the spell and liquid mixed, she couldn't move, let alone speak.

She caught the alarmed brown eyes of both Anthony- who's hands were raised in a way that indicated he was the perpetrator-, and Sophie before her entire body started to cramp.

Fuck!

It only got worse, but the bright side is, her vision turned a bright red before it could go on for too long, and she lost consciousness.

The first thing she was aware of was how utterly sore her body was. It felt as if she had gone a few hundred rounds of catch the snitch with Kara. Except that there was sunlight spilling in towards her through the window. That wasn't right. Sunlight couldn't get in through the windows, which made her become extraordinarily aware of her surroundings even with her eyes closed. She feigned sleep while her mind raced, and she nearly made a noise of surprise when she remembered what had happened just before she had passed out.

Probably the infirmary then. Fucking Anthony. When I get my hands on him...

The sunlight seemed to be trying to make it's goal to try and blind her, so she weakly pulled her hands over her eyes to rub them as she pushed up onto her elbow.

"Oh, you're awake!" Willow froze at the unfamiliar female voice before slowly opening her eyes, letting them adjust to see...a stranger. Being a Slytherin by nature, she managed to keep her surprise down to a widening of her eyes, and a slow blink.

Who the fuck is this?!

"You gave us quite a scare. You just appeared out of no where in the middle of Professor Slughorns release of his class! Then you just wouldn't wake up." Willow took this all in quietly as she studied the woman. Her clothing was reminiscent of the normal school healer, but slightly different. More...conservative. Plus, Slughorn? The name gave her a vague sense of familiarity, but that's it. Like someone she'd heard of in passing but paid no mind to. This was making her extremely uneasy.

"How-" She coughed violently, and was immediately presented with a glass of water, to which she drank, to the frustration of her Slytherin distrust. When she felt her throat was at least a bit better, she spoke again, her pride taking a hit when it still didn't sound right. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost an entire day! Around 20 hours though, to be more precise."

Anthony.. Your neck and my hands are going to meet. Violently.

"I'm sorry, but...who are you?" It was past time to find out what was going on. It might have just been a step in from St. Mungo's, but something wasn't right, and all her instincts were telling her be extra-cautious. However, her suspicion was only raised when the woman faltered. Willow casually fingered her sleeve, glad to find her wand still strapped in its carrier, ready to flick out at a moments notice.

"I'm Madam Marchbanks, and-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Her head flicked to the side in obvious relief. Clearly she was expecting someone, and when she turned around to give what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, Willow's stomach turned. Something was very wrong.

The door opened and an elderly man, with a slightly younger, but still quite a bit older than herself, man came through along with two aurors- again, Slytherin here. She could spot one miles away. The two elder men looked extremely familiar to her, which was quite annoying really when she was uncomfortable, because her mind felt like it was clawing to get all the information she could get, but this information was like black fog. Clearly there, but unable to be caught, while being left with a vague sense of alarm after it's gone.

The slightly plumper man, in more...important looking- give a girl a break, her brain was running a mile a minute and had no time for fancy adjectives- clothing spoke first, and when he finished his introduction the black fog suddenly turned solidly into a memory. Of portraits to be exact.

"Hello there, my name's Headmaster Dippet-" Fuck. "and this is my colleague, Professor Dumbeldore." Shit. "You surprised us quite a bit my dear." An auror shifted, and Willow's eyes flicked to him before swiftly going back to Dippet. "I mean," He chuckled "It's not everyday, you get a visitor from a different time." I'm so fucked.

"It's not everyday I get thrown back in time, either." A weak attempt at humor. Dippet laughed, Dumbledore chuckled, the nurse was gone, and the aurors just stared.

Fuck strangulation, Anthony, you'd be lucky it I let you live that long.

"It is extremely illegal-" Started the shorter of the aurors, which immediately made a flame of anger wash through her body. Her right eye twitched twice, and she sat up a little straighter before Professor Dumbledore waved them off with a chuckle, "Now I'm sure she didn't do this intentionally, right dear?" Headmaster Dippet was nodding his head, and Willow took the chance to nod hers as well.

"I really didn't. I'm as surprised as you are."

"I doubt that." The auror stated drily. "There's a reason there's limitations on time-turners-"

Willow cut him off, her voice only slightly tightened. "I was not using a time-turner."

The auror sighed "There's no use lyi-"

Willow drew herself to her full height, which was barely anything sitting down on a bed with them standing, and shot him her best withering Slytherin honed glare which stopped him mid-sentence. "What need would I have to lie?" She made sure to leek haughtiness into her words, as if he were an imbecile.

Headmaster Dippet laughed "Oh yes, definitely a Slytherin." The shorter auror looked like he had swallowed something sour when his partner shot him a look to shut him up. Definitely a Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore coughed, and Dippet nodded, as if to himself. "Yes, Yes, well would you like to tell us how you did come to be here."

Gladly. "An idiotic Gryffindor boy decided to throw an unfinished potion at the doors along with a spell as I was walking in." The annoyed frustration was clearly heard in her voice, but she was keeping track of the Gryffindor auror's body language. It had stiffened almost to ramrod straightness, as if he were holding back insults. It was childish really, but it gave her a bit of equilibrium to still be able to play with his emotions a bit, especially since he had made assumptions about her, and automatically placed her down for the guilty party without hearing her side. She hated that.

The other auror was watching her with something close to amusement in his eyes.

Slytherin or Ravenclaw.

After that, they proceeded to ask her many questions about the liquid, the spell, and the immediate after effects. The Gryffindors voice was tight as he put in certain things, and he seemed to be barely holding onto his insults as he tried to poke holes in her story. It was fine, she parried him word for word with the advantage of gaining calm while he was getting worse. At one point he suggested Veritaserum, to which his partner reached over and slapped him over the head, and Headmaster Dippet looked at him like he just skinned something soft and fluffy right before his eyes.

When they were through, the calmer one- Ravenclaw, she had determined- said "We at the ministry will do our utmost to figure out what happened to you so we can send you back."

Willow looked at him, before cocking her head to the side slightly, just remembering something she should probably be telling them. "You should probably wait to send me back."

The Gryffindor was just about to pounce on her like a dog with a bone when she held her hand up, effectively cutting him off. "Believe me, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me."

"Then why are you saying such things, my dear." It was Professor Dumbledore. Intelligence sparked in his eyes. He was assessing her.

Willow looked straight at him. "There are people who will be seeking me. They are like lions scenting blood that way." Another barb. She really couldn't help herself. "They will find out what happened, and then they will find a way to come here. Really, the best thing I could do for right now is simply wait for them."

Professor Dumbledore stared at her silently.

"You have that much faith in your friends?" The Ravenclaw was studying her now, as if she had done something interesting that he had not expected.

"A genius 12 year old, a bookworm that doesn't know the word sleep, a guilty gryffindor, a merciless Slytherin to heap the guilt onto him until something gets done, a hot headed red-head who won't appreciate I'm missing, and a loyal almost-man who can procure almost anything?" She allowed a confident smirk. "They'll be here." She was flaunting, she knew, but she wasn't taking any chances. Let them believe it was her ego. She didn't need to play hop the timeline only to find her people had already gone back for her. That would be highly inconvenient.

They allowed it, much to the protests of the Gryffindor, but gave her a time limit. Her people had to arrive within a year, or they would have no choice but to send her back. This was made with the possibility of mistakes made by her people, as was pointed out of the Gryffindor- who's name she learned was Alfred once his partner yelled it at him. That almost made up for the headache she had. Almost.

Afterwards they discussed whether they should reveal whether or not she came from the future, and decided for it when Willow pointed out that no true Slytherin in their right mind would believe a story come up with on the fly without proof which would only cause problems within her house while she was here. They gave her a warning not to change anything, Alfred making it very clear what would happen to her if she did so, and left her to the Headmaster and Professor on her own.

Headmaster Dippet asked her everything he needed to know about her schooling, which she told freely, because- as far as she knew- nothing major had changed in that way. Professor Dumbledore watched her the entire time she spoke, though it wasn't unkindly nor with skepticism as she expected. Merely curiosity. She hoped it would stay that way. There was no need for him to go poking around where he wasn't wanted.

"And so Willow will be staying here with us for a school year!" Headmaster Dippet exclaimed.

The girl in question was currently standing in front of the podium in her own Slytherin uniform. The differences were glaring. Shorter skirt, relaxation on shoes- which meant heels-, lower neckline- though not so low that it showed cleveage-, and no socks. Unlike other Slytherin girls she could see, her hair wasn't in any kind of intricate bun, but simply hung around her shoulders, swinging freely with her movement. The judgment in their eyes was plain to see, and she met each one head on as she found a seat near the middle that would suffice. However, she did not dig in to the meal. She waited, patiently, and was rewarded as the first question was hurled her way. One that was typically Slytherin.

"Are you a pure-blood?"

The question came from a curly haired witch with her eyes narrowed at her. Willow wasn't allowed to tell anyone her last name, but this she could at least answer. She allowed a smirk to quirk on her lips. "Yes." It was said in such a way that brooked no argument, but not so final that it sounded irritated. The witch pursed her lips, before nodding shortly.

After that, others joined in with questions. She learned that the witch before was named Walpurga Black, whom she had not heard of before, but wisely kept her mouth shut. The witch had an immense amount of pride, along with a set of lungs that she wasn't afraid to use as Willow found out when a boy tried to talk over her.

A shadow fell over her, and she caught herself before she tensed. The table fell quiet, giving away that the person behind her was respected, if not feared. Which, of course, meant that she had to poke a little at them. Taking a slow drink of her juice, she turned, and pinned the boy with an unimpressed stare with a quirk to her eyebrows. Her face was saying 'who are you and why do I care?'

He smiled in a way that made it seem as if he were humoring her, and- if she had not seen the flash of anger in his eyes- she might have believed it.

"My name is Tom Riddle." The black fog was back, telling her that she needed to remember this name, and remember fast, but she kept it from her expression as she accepted his hand and allowed him to faintly press his lips to her knuckles.

"Willow." She replied back without inflection.

"I am sixth year here as well, so I can help you if you find need of it." There was a message in that sentence, but she couldn't pin it down. A slight narrowing of her eyes showed him that, she knew, but she didn't care. Something about him was throwing her off. She slipped her hand back to the table.

"I will keep that in mind." There, an acknowledgement of him, though she was sure it was not what he wanted, nor the kind of deference he was used to. His lips easily pulled into a mask of kindness as he nodded and walked away. Turning back around, she noted the slightly tense atmosphere as some regarded her again, and some barely covered the fear around their faces. Interesting.

She was walking back with a group of Slytherins, listening to Walpurga boast about her lineage when a memory slammed into her, and almost caused her to gasp aloud. As it was, the muscles in her shoulders and upper back tensed. She remembered the name he had told her, but only because her and Kara had talked about his hypocrisy one day.

Tom Riddle was the name that Lord Voldemort had in his school years. The one who caused two wizarding wars in his name. Fuck. Her mind scrambled to get all the information on him that she could remember when she connected the dots to Proffessor Slughorn- who had been lingering in the back of her head- in her mind. Slughorn had fought in the final battle against him, and was the head of house. There hadn't been a picture to accompany his small biography, so she hadn't immediately noticed him in the great hall before. With effort, she managed to pull a side of her brain back to the conversation with Walpurga to make sure that she wouldn't be caught with her mind so far away. Walpurga was now talking about how muggles were a curse on this planet- Willow had to make sure not to roll her eyes- and so she went back to gathering all the information she could from the lesson she had about him years ago.

Dammit. Violet would be useful right about now.

When she walked through the portrait, she noticed an atmospheric change, and immediately set all her thoughts aside, in favor of being conscious of everything around her.

She was in a room full of snakes, and they were aware of her.