Snakes and Roses
Chapter 1: The New Girl
'Look at all the filthy Mudbloods,' thought Tom Riddle in disdain, although he kept an expressionless face. Out of all of the incoming first years, hardly any of them were Pureblood witches and wizards. They seemed smaller and more frightened than the first years from earlier years. He watched with the other students to see where they would be sorted and cheered along with his fellow Slytherins when one of the first years had been sorted into his house (this was for the sake of appearance and to avoid suspicion), yet remained silent when a first year was sorted to another house rather than booing with the rest.
"Schlosser, Eira," Professor Dumbledore called out. Tom fought the urge to sneer. Although Albus Dumbledore was favored by nearly everyone, he hated the man with a passion. Dumbledore was a kind wizard but he seemed to always know when Tom was up to something.
Dumbledore looked down at the young first year girl and smiled, his gold hat and robes pleasantly accenting his long auburn hair and beard. The girl was on the taller side compared to her classmates with long dark brown hair. She sat on the stool, waiting for the Sorting Hat to be placed on her head.
'She looks more like a Muggle than a witch.' Tom noted the girl's pleated gray wool skirt, white tights, black Mary Jane shoes, and pink sweater that were visible beneath her long black robes that dragged the ground, practically swallowing her. The Sorting Hat was placed on her head and it sank down to her nose.
"She's probably going to be a Hufflepuff," jeered Oliver Craven, a fourth year, to his friends that happened to be sitting beside Tom.
"SLYTHERIN!" the Sorting Hat boomed so that the entire Great Hall could hear. Whispers began immediately. Even Tom could not suppress the feeling of surprise when the Hat was removed from the girl's head and she skipped merrily to the Slytherin table. Tom followed the girl with his eyes as she sat down with the other first years at the Slytherin table on the opposite end from him. This made it impossible for him to hear anything she was saying, however she seemed very pleased with her decision.
'Stop getting fixated upon a first year,' Tom chided himself. 'It's her first day in a Magical World, which is probably the most amount of magic she has seen in her entire life judging by her Muggle attire. She may be more than she seems.'
Tom did not join in the Slytherin House festivities as many of the other students had. Being a Prefect, he did not see it as proper to indulge himself nor did he find it very pleasurable. He also did not wish to bring attention to himself. He did, however, watch the party from the balcony overlooking the Common Room from the wing his bed chamber was located. The students drank butter beer that someone had brought and pulled crackers, releasing streamers and confetti, along with ridiculous-looking hats. They played music from the wizard radio that another student, a third year whose name Tom could not recall, had brought and danced, cheered, and chanted. Some stood in groups chatting away, laughing and joking. Among them was the young Schlosser girl. She continued to wear her hat and robes even though nearly everyone had already changed. She seemed happier and bubblier than anyone else in the entire Slytherin House, resembling a weak Hufflepuff more than a clever Slytherin.
The Schlosser girl must have sensed that someone was staring at her because she looked up. When she caught sight of him she grinned and waved. Tom smirked and gave a small wave to be polite and to play the part of the "responsible and mature Prefect."
"Watching the Schlosser girl?" Tom turned to face a third year boy, Alabaster Smeath, his golden blond hair on the longer side and his cool, blue eyes watching the girl closely.
"What interest is it of yours?" Tom asked him.
"She's a filthy little Mudblood," Smeath sneered. "The girl is practically bragging about having Muggles for parents! She is also very chipper and far too friendly to be in this House."
"She was sorted into this House, so there must be a reason why she is here," Tom replied before entering his bed chamber.
When the party had ended and the four other boys who shared his room went to bed, Tom laid in his bed, thinking about the Schlosser girl. He disliked the girl for being so proud of her Muggle heritage; however he could not bring himself to hate her just yet.
Tom had watched the Schlosser girl for two weeks now and had come to the same conclusion as so many other Hogwarts students: she did not belong in Slytherin. She was perky, loving, kind, and seemed unable to say a bad word about anyone. She was clumsy and forgetful, she was often caught daydreaming, and she did not seem clever like the other Slytherins. Her personality resembled that of a common Hufflepuff more and more each day, making everyone wonder why she had been sorted into Slytherin.
Tom had learned her schedule and followed her when he had free periods, studying her, trying to find the tiniest inkling that would allow him to understand why she was in Slytherin. As he studied her, the more he loathed her. She did not deserve to be in Slytherin!
One night, he caught the young Miss Schlosser out after hours. She was leaving the girl's lavatory and she looked like she had been crying. Playing the part of the "kindly Prefect" he let her off with a warning and escorted her back to the dormitory. He never found her out of the dormitory after hours, although he still found her looking as if she had just been crying. This did not bother him. He assumed that she was being bullied by the other Slytherins for her absurd behavior.
He also observed that she did not have any friends in Slytherin. She was friends with a first year girl named Veda Swanson and a first year boy named Balthazar Finn from Gryffindor, a second year Hufflepuff girl named Jayden Paige, and a third year Ravenclaw by the name of Ulrick Schultz. She had Potions with Swanson and Finn, Herbology with Paige (she had advanced Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts; it was rumored that she would be taking Divination a year early because she supposedly had "the gift" of foresight and prophecy), and she knew Schultz from Quidditch (he was a Beater and she came to practices to watch and better understand the wizarding sport as he had overheard her telling her friends in the library one afternoon). She seemed to highly admire Schultz and he seemed to rather like the Schlosser girl. He dotted on her and taught her everything he knew of Quidditch. After a month, nearly the entire student-body believed that the two of them were dating. She seemed happier during this time and Tom no longer found her crying.
On a late October night, Tom was sitting in Slytherin's Common Room studying when he heard a gasp from the stairwell leading to the girl's dormitories. He looked up to see Schlosser, her hand over her heart, looking relieved. Apparently his presence had startled her. He noticed that she was dressed in a nightgown and was carrying a pillow and blanket under her arm.
"What are you doing out of bed, Miss Schlosser?" he asked her.
"I always come down here to sleep," she said softly, walking cautiously towards the armchair opposite him. "The Harris girl always snores so loudly and the Ellery girl sleepwalks. I come down here late at night when everyone is in bed to sleep peacefully."
"Do you not get along with the other girls?" Tom asked. She shook her head. "Well, if you always sleep here, don't let me stop you." The Schlosser girl walked over to the couch and carefully placed her pillow against one of the arms. She laid down and pulled the blanket neatly over her. Tom returned to his studies.
"My name is Eira Schlosser. What is your name? If you don't mind me asking."
"Tom Riddle," he answered, not looking up from his textbook.
"Why do you hate me, Tom Riddle?" Tom was truly startled by this question. He stared at her, trying not to look dumbfounded. The Schlosser girl, Eira, stared back with her innocent, dark brown eyes. She had asked him that question in all honesty! He played his part as a good, studious Prefect yet she saw right through him!
"What do you mean, Miss Schlosser?"
"Exactly what I asked you. You hate me. I know you do. Just like you can talk to snakes, I can read people's auras." Tom was having an even harder time than usual to hide his true feelings. "Your aura is very dark. Auras tell a person what everyone's true hearts are and they can even tell what makes them different or special compared to other people. For example, all of my friends have good, pure hearts, or as pure as they come anyway. You try to play the part of a 'good student' when your heart is full of so much evil.
"I have never seen anyone with such a dark aura!" Eira Schlosser continued, sounding excited and somehow sad at the same time, bolting up into a sitting positon. "It's as if you have never been loved nor have you ever felt love. Despite this, you don't seem to be miserable. Deep blues would be in your aura if you felt any misery, but your aura is blacks and grays; full of hate and anger." Tom stared at her in stunned silence as he regained his composure, keeping his face emotionless.
"You do realize that I can give you a detention for slander," Tom said calmly. Eira Schlosser smiled faintly at him.
"I really don't care if you hate me, especially seeing as to the fact that you hate everyone," she said just as calmly as him. "I just want to know why." Tom thought for a moment, debating on whether he should tell her or whether he should just keep quiet.
"You really want to know?" he asked finally. The young first year nodded. "As you have said, I seem to hate everyone. It is not necessarily that I hate everyone; I just do not care for anyone but myself. I do have things that I dislike or hate about people; however I do not take the time to decide whether I truly hate anyone. For example, I dislike the fact that you seem very proud to be Muggle-born and that you do not resemble a true Slytherin at all, yet you are in Slytherin House." The girl nodded solemnly, seeming to take everything in.
"I can't bring myself to hate people," she said quietly. "I do have things that I dislike about people, but I don't hate them for it." Eira looked up at him, smiling faintly. "I don't even hate you even though your aura turns darker when I am near you, reflecting your inner feelings of dislike for my attitude. I could never hate you for something like that.
"Goodnight, Mr. Riddle," she said suddenly, snuggling down farther into her blanket. "I will see you in the morning at breakfast." She gave him a pleasant smile, rolled over so that her back was facing him, and was sound asleep within fifteen minutes.
'Why did I tell her about my true feelings for everyone? I must have let my guard slip,'
thought Tom as he cleaned up his books and headed off to bed, feeling frustrated and angry with himself. 'Stupid girl.'
"Good morning, Mr. Riddle!" a young girl's voice said very loudly and brightly. Tom looked up and was slightly surprised to see Eira Schlosser standing in front of him. It was Saturday, so she was not wearing her robes. Her hair was in pigtails and she wore a black skirt and black tights, her usual Mary Jane's, and a green sweater, looking more like a Muggle than usual. Normally she ate at another table, but today she seemed to have decided on eating with him at the Slytherin table. Tom glanced around and noticed her friends at the Gryffindor table looking shocked and confused.
"Good morning," Tom said, playing his part as Prefect for the sake of the other students.
"May I eat with you?" He gazed up at Eira.
"Why? Wouldn't you rather eat with your friends?" Tom asked, returning to his food. "I do not expect to be very good company."
"I have the whole day to spend with them," Eira said nonchalantly, sitting down in front of him and piling her plate with buttered toast, scones, bacon, and eggs. "I want to talk to you." She filled her goblet with milk.
"About?" Tom inquired, already dreading allowing her to sit down.
"About you." Tom looked up at her for the second time that morning, confused.
"Me? Why would you want to know anything about me?" Eira swallowed the bit of toast she had been eating and took a sip of her milk.
"To try and understand you," she replied. "I want to know why your aura is so unique." Tom sighed, trying to cool his annoyance.
"What do you want to know?"
"Where did you grow up?" Tom was silent for a moment.
"In an orphanage," he said tonelessly. Eira seemed surprised.
"Did you ever know your parents?" Tom shook his head. "Was it a wizarding orphanage?"
"Muggle," Tom corrected. "I have lived there since I was a baby. My mother died and I was named after my father. That is all I know of my parents." Eira nodded, looking a bit sad.
"How old are you?"
"Fifteen. I am a fifth year." Eira smiled.
"Yes, but some people have already had their birthdays, so I was curious if yours was earlier in the year or later."
"What about you?" Tom wasn't actually interested; he was just trying to keep up his part as a respectable student. Eira sensed this and her faint smile broadened to a grin. "Where did you grow up?" Eira shrugged, still eating her breakfast.
"Everywhere. My parents work for a nature magazine, so they travel the world photographing and writing about animals, insects, plants; anything that has to do with nature. I also have a little sister, but she hasn't shown any signs of being a witch."
"Are you one of these students with a birthday early in the school year?"
"I am still eleven, but my birthday is in two weeks." Eira was silent for a moment as she finished her breakfast.
"When did you first learn that you were a wizard?" she asked.
"I knew that I had abilities that the other children did not have, however I did not learn as to what I was until Dumbledore came to tell me about Hogwarts," Tom answered carelessly.
"When did you first learn that you could talk to snakes?" (She asked this in a hushed voice so only he would hear.)
"I don't remember. I believe that I always could. What about you?" Eira seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before she finally spoke.
"I started realizing that I had magical powers when I was about nine, but I have always been able to see auras."
"I have never heard of anyone with this ability. I'm not even sure if it is real." Eira laughed.
"Do you want me to prove it to you?" Tom stared at her. There was so much determination in her dark eyes he couldn't bring himself to say no. He nodded. Eira grabbed his hand and closed her eyes tightly.
"What are you doing?" Tom asked.
"Shhh!" Eira hissed. "Close your eyes! When you open them, you will see what I see when I look at people." Tom, believing she was being foolish, decided to play along. He closed his eyes, ignoring the stares of the other students. After a few seconds he began to feel very warm and his eyes started to burn. Eira released his hand and he opened his eyes. He saw Eira, but she seemed different; more bright and colorful. There was a radiant array of colors shinning from her, forming a sort of outline of light.
"What do you see?" she asked.
"Colors and light coming from you." Eira giggled. He knew he must look ridiculous because he could not hide his astonishment. "Are the colors and light the aura?" Eira nodded.
"What colors do you see? I can tell you what they mean."
"Your aura is full of shades of yellow, there is some light blue and there is a bit of white."
"The yellow is happiness and joy, the light blue is calmness, and the white is peace." Tom gawked at her, feeling what he believed could possibly be respect for this young first year.
"Can you see your own aura when you look in a mirror?" Eira nodded, her smile disappearing.
"I don't know if you would want to see your aura." She took his hand again and within seconds the colorful "light" disappeared and his vision returned to normal.
"I also saw another color in your aura, but it was very small." Eira stared at him, confused. "It was black. A very dark black." Her eyes grew large and she seemed frightened. "What does that mean?" She was silent for a long time, avoiding his questioning gaze.
"It's the reason I am in Slytherin," Eira whispered. "It is a part of myself that I try to keep buried and hope to someday be rid of completely." She stood, said goodbye, and hurried over to the Gryffindor table to join her friends.
Chapter 5: Christmas Party
Tom stood near the door of Slughorn's office, waiting for Eira to arrive at the Slug Club Christmas Party. She had insisted that he go on ahead to the party once he was ready and that she would meet him there. He had already been at the party for thirty minutes. Slughorn had said hello to him and had introduced him to a few of his friends from outside of Hogwarts that had joined the party, but Tom hardly remembered any of that. He was so anxious for Eira to join him he could hardly stand still.
'What if everything this morning was a ruse?' Tom wondered, his worries beginning to take over his mind. 'What if the dress or shoes didn't fit? What if she decided not to forgive me after all?'
He nearly leaped out of his skin when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned and his breath caught in his throat. Eira stood before him in the clothes he had bought for her looking more beautiful than ever. She had two gold antique combs pushed into her long hair, one on each side, she wore a gold necklace with an emerald and matching earrings, black silk and leather shoes, and a green and gold Medieval ball gown made of velvet. She beamed at him.
"Do I look alright, Tom?" she asked. Tom smiled.
"Turn 'round so I can see all of you," he instructed. Eira slowly spun around. She looked like a porcelain doll! "You look beautiful." Eira's normally rosy cheeks reddened with a blush as she gave him a shy smile. Tom took her hand and led her into the room. People stopped and stared at Eira as she walked with Tom to the middle of the room where people were dancing. He listened to the music that was being played by the live mini orchestra and then led Eira in a waltz.
"I didn't know you could dance!" Eira said, looking astonished. Tom gave her a sly smile.
"I can do many things, Miss Schlosser." They danced a while more, than Eira asked to sit down for a bit. Tom left Eira in one of the armchairs that was against the wall opposite the buffet table to get some eggnog. As he was leaving the buffet table with two glasses full of eggnog he was stopped by Slughorn.
"Tom, my dear boy," he boomed, his face a bit red from the brandy he was drinking in a crystal glass that he held in his right hand. "I saw you with that young Schlosser girl. Did she not have a date either?"
"No, professor," Tom said quickly, trying not to let his impatience show. "Miss Schlosser is my date." Slughorn stared at him for a moment as he processed this information. He laughed heartily and slapped Tom hard on the back, causing Tom to spill some of the eggnog that was in the glasses.
"You finally found someone you liked well enough to take to one of my parties!" he cried joyfully. "Well done! She's quite pretty and not too bad with magic either." Tom nodded and said a quick thanks before hurrying away from the tipsy professor to rejoin Eira. Eira was giggling when Tom handed her one of the glasses of eggnog.
"Sorry it took so long," he muttered, sitting in the empty chair beside her.
"It's alright," Eira assured him, taking a sip of her eggnog. "I rather enjoyed it."