Gemini

Prologue to The Other Kind of Evil

Chapter 1. Awake

"Tearing it back, unveiling me. Taking a step back so I can breathe. Hear the silence about to break. Fear resistance when I'm awake."

- "Awake" © Godsmack

A long, dimly-lit hallway stretched before him, a tall, pale Prefect with a superiority complex to match Hitler and cruelty to match the Grinch on a bad day. Dark hair and dark eyes matched Tom Riddle's dark heart, and even his appropriately coordinated dark shoes. His handsome features and brilliant mind were a welcome veil over his sadistic and manipulative nature, not to mention his plans of world domination and Muggle genocide.

That was at the front of his mind at the moment. It was New Year's Eve – his 16th birthday. Only one year remained before he could really take advantage of his awe-inspiring skills and begin his global conquest. The only thing that worried him was his mortality; something needed to be done about that.

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he nearly walked by it without a second glance. Tom noticed the conspicuous door and realized that the Room of Requirement had appeared as he passed by.

"But why?" he wondered. "I don't need anything, and I only walked by once."

Tom's curiosity got the better of him; perhaps someone else was in the room, and he could exercise his rights as a Prefect to punish them for being out of bed at this hour. He loved doing that. Even better, perhaps there was something in the room that he didn't know he needed yet, and he would be very sorry if he didn't get it while he had the chance.

He glanced around stealthily to make sure no one, including the castle's many ghosts, would see him, and entered the room without making a sound. No sooner had he closed the door when he felt a surge of disappointment. The room felt as though someone else had just left it. It was rather small and scarcely lit by the smoldering torches fastened to the stone walls. He re-lit the torches, illuminating the piles of old furniture crouched in the corners beneath heavy white sheets. Tom felt like he was being watched by four badly deformed polar bears.

The moment his eyes drifted to the center of the room, he felt his hopes rekindled. A huge stone slab embedded in the floor, through the thick carpet and the wooden floorboards, supported a rectangular stone box, roughly the size of a person. Ornate, serpentine carvings on the sides of the strange object were set with emeralds, tracing out the mark of Salazar Slytherin. With eager chills running all over his body, Tom pulled out his wand and began to examine the stone carefully. He was able to trace out a powerful charm keeping the box's heavy lid shut tight, and tried his luck at a counter spell to open it.

A dull thud and a hiss of air told him that it worked. Just as Tom positioned his wand to levitate the lid and see what sort of goodies were hidden inside, he gagged on the overpowering, coppery scent of fresh blood. He gave himself a quick examination and was glad to see that the blood wasn't his own. Tom hesitated before slowly lifting the stone lid and letting it rest on the floor beside him. He peered over the edge into the box and whirled around, swallowing hard to keep his dinner where it belonged.

The stone "box" turned out to be a stone coffin. An emaciated old woman in a thin, white burial robe lay at the bottom, in a clear two inches of bright red blood. When Tom's stomach could handle it, he took a second look inside and saw tiny white bones floating in the blood all around the eerie corpse. Her withered hands were folded across her abdomen; an ebony wand rested beneath her fingers. Tom spotted a large, oval-shaped ruby, the same hue as the blood, attached to a white gold chain wound three times around her neck. He thought it was common for both wizards and witches to be buried with their wands, but he found the presence of such valuable jewelry a little strange.

Tom was extremely unsettled by the dead woman's appearance. Her skin was translucent enough to show hundreds of dark, spidery veins traced all across her thin body. Her long hair was a milky white color, except for where the blood had stained it to a light brownish-red. His dark eyes roved over her face, and he was stunned to see that she looked like a teenager.

"Like many other women I have seen, this one is also quite beautiful," Tom thought as he stared at her. "Unlike the others, she is dead, and she is extremely creepy. The sight of blood has never bothered me before, but reeking gallons of it is completely repulsive…"

The mystery woman's white robe was over half soaked with blood, and additional blood stained the areas that suggested a violent struggle. Vivid red smears around her mouth and nose made her look even more grotesque. Tom wondered if the blood was all hers, or if someone else had "donated" it. He also wondered how long she had been there, why she was there in the first place, how and why she had died, and how in the world she got the body of an old woman and the head of a teenager.

More importantly, was she really dead? Tom would never admit it, but he was too afraid to touch her corpse to search for a pulse, and looking at all that blood made him feel sick. The idea of a Prefect such as himself finding a dead woman in an unknown room under such odd conditions was worse than interacting with a cadaver, though.

Tom cleared his throat and spoke. "Are you dead?"

No response.

"Talking to a dead thing is actually rather embarrassing, so if you are not dead, please do let me know."

She seemed as lifeless as ever.

Tom sighed deeply. Something inside him kept nagging that he had to be absolutely sure she was dead before he did anything else, and he had no choice but to listen to it. It suddenly dawned on him that this was a very Sleeping Beauty-like situation, except much more macabre.

"…I am not kissing a dead girl." Tom was so offended by the idea that he said it aloud.

The dead girl in question still gave no signs of life. The Slytherin glared down at her, shifting nervously as he wavered. Why did the dead have to scare him so much? One little poke and he would know well enough if she was dead. If he wasn't concerned about dropping it into the pool of blood, he would have gladly used his wand to do it. But Tom knew that if she was dead, his skin wouldn't feel any heat, and he could go back to the dormitory and never be curious again. Even as he extended his long, pale fingers towards her, he still hoped that somehow, there was something here of value for him.

One touch, cool flesh against cool flesh, and an explosion of magical energy radiated out of the stone coffin, washing over Tom as another sensation pulled him in. It felt as though something was being drawn out of him, leaving him tired and unsteady, but not in pain. He grabbed the edge of the coffin to support himself and looked at the woman lying below.

Her eyes snapped open, revealing two pitch black, lifeless orbs. Tom leapt backwards and hit the wall hard as the body was lifted up, like a puppet on invisible strings, until she remained standing on her own. He saw the blood swirling around her bare feet and trickling upwards to be absorbed into her skin. The burial robe's many bloodstains began to fade until the fabric was as clean and white as the day it was made. As the blood seeped into her, the woman's veins swelled and color rushed into her skin. Her twiggy silhouette began to flesh out to a healthy weight, and a rather shapely figure, too, Tom noted. After the wave of fresh blood had passed, her skin became light and opaque like white marble. Inky blackness spread through her gently wavy white hair and her eyes lightened to a pale, mossy green.

As Tom went on gaping at her, the woman slowly parted her lips and took in several long gulps of fresh air. With a shudder, the 16-year-old noticed enormous fangs protruding form her lips. Tom immediately confirmed that she was definitely a vampire, and that he definitely regretted disturbing her sleep. The pages of his third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts book flipped through his mind, reviewing what to do and what not to do when fighting a vampire. Tom's mind was practically buzzing with plans on how to defend himself and how to escape with his life in case she decided he looked a tasty treat.

The woman suddenly slumped to her knees at the bottom of the coffin and retrieved her dropped wand. After examining it as if she'd never seen it before, she stowed it inside her robe and looked around, accustoming herself to the new air and the presence of light. Her strange-colored eyes eventually landed on Tom, who had just gotten fully to his feet, and now stood frozen in the vampire's cold stare.

She spoke in a sharp tone: "Who art thou that hast awakened me?"

Tom wasn't quite sure how to respond to someone speaking so archaically. He wet his lips and decided to cooperate with her. "My name is Tom Riddle."

Before he could ask her the same question, she demanded, "'Tom Riddle'? What time is this that such a strange name should exist?"

He couldn't decide if he was happy to hear that his otherwise common name was unusual to her, or to be insulted.

"It is December 31st, 1941, but in about two hours, it will be 1942."

The woman looked shocked and furious as she snarled, "Do not toy with me, thou worm! 'Twas the year 960 when last I breathed clean air. Thy lie is impossible. Thou wouldst do well to heed my bad temperament and be honest."

"I-I'm not lying!" Tom spluttered. "It really is almost 1942. I would never be foolish enough to lie and anger someone like you."

With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "What dost thou mean?"

"I understand that any vampire is far more powerful than I could ever be," Tom replied silkily. "And an immortal such as yourself is more than worthy of my fear and respect. I mean no offense, but may I have the honor of knowing your name?"

She stared at him for what felt like hours before her lips curved into a smile that sent a chill up Tom's spine. "Thou may address me as Nyx. I fear that my memory hast depleted over time, and so I cannot recall any more. Hast it really been so long since I fell asleep? Dost thou give me thy word that tomorrow, it will be 1942?"

"You have my word," he said, nodding his head emphatically. He was extremely relieved that turning on the charm had finally gotten her to calm down. "Nyx… What an interesting name… I think I might be jealous."

Nyx looked suddenly distressed and looked away as she began massaging her temple gently. Tom heard her murmuring to herself, "My mind is unable to comprehend such a passage of time as this… The countless events I slept through… The many things I do not yet know… It is an intolerable thought!"

She turned to look at him full-on again and asked, "Wilt thou teach me about the world? I know not the first place to begin. My mind still rests in the year 960… It must be brought to the year 1942, or surely I shall not last in such a strange and unfamiliar place as this."

Tom considered her for a few long moments as thousands of thoughts raced through his brain. Finally, he said in the same smooth voice, "I would be honored to teach you whatever you like."

"Then thou hast my gratitude," Nyx said, smiling again, and sending another chill up his spine. She stood up and started to climb out of the deep coffin, but Tom quickly closed the distance between the two of them with one long stride, holding out his hand. She watched it curiously until Tom made a more obvious gesture for her to take it. With a satisfied smirk, Nyx placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her out of the coffin. Both noticed a peculiar sensation as their pale skin touched.

Nyx covered her surprise at the strange feeling by commenting in a much more pleasant voice, "I am pleased to see that chivalry hast not perished in these many years."

"I try to be as polite as I can, especially to women," Tom replied in a falsely humble tone. "…and especially when a woman such as yourself holds so much potential for me…" He couldn't help but measure Nyx by her usefulness; a powerful vampire would undoubtedly be a great asset to him, and judging by the markings on her coffin, she must have had some connection to Slytherin. With the hope that he would be able to "tame" her, Tom was sure that he would win Nyx's allegiance as well as any information she had to offer concerning his ancestor.

Tom led the vampire out into the hall and spoke as the door vanished into the stone behind them. "Forgive my apparent lack of creative planning, but I think it would be best if you stayed in that room for now."

"Then why didst thou lead me out of it?" Nyx inquired, looking at him like his brain has just popped out of his skull and landed on her foot.

"The room you were in just now is called the Room of Requirement. It changes according to the user's needs and wants," he explained patiently. "The Room stays as it is if someone is inside it, so the only way to change it is to do so from the outside. I am not sure how or why I was able to enter the room you were sleeping in, but you can certainly stay in a different room for the time being. Hopefully I will be able to think of a better living situation for you soon. Hogwarts is still a school, and although most students are currently away on their Christmas holiday, they will be returning in a few days. I do not wish to risk your discovery, but for the time being, you should be quite safe and quite unnoticed."

Nyx nodded in agreement. She had to admit that she was impressed with the young man's quick planning. She also felt a dark sense of amusement as she realized the Room of Requirement's true design. "What an ingenious way to hide me from the world…"

"How dost this room change according to thy will?" she asked aloud.

"You have to walk past it three times…" Tom explained as he strode by. "…and concentrate on what you need the room to become."

Right on cue, the door reappeared. True to his gentlemanly behavior, Tom held the door open for Nyx as she stepped inside and beheld a lavish suite. A sitting area with elegant black leather chairs and a massive black marble fireplace, a pillow-laden mahogany four-poster bed (plus a coffin in case that was what she preferred), a marble bathroom with golden taps… Nyx could hardly suppress her gasp of amazement.

"This wouldst have been very convenient in the past…" she murmured under her breath.

"Will this be suitable for you?" Tom asked politely from the doorway.

Nyx answered, "Yes, I think I shall be perfectly comfortable here. Once again, thou hast my gratitude for thy assistance."

The Slytherin Prefect smiled and said silkily, "Then I shall return in the morning with some breakfast for you…or would you prefer fresh blood to fresh eggs?"

The vampire laughed and replied with a smirk, "I shall be satisfied with either. But if thou wishes to offer blood, do not offer thy own. Thou wouldst be severely weakened if thou survived at all."

Tom laughed quietly. "I will keep that in mind. Good night."

He bowed out of the room and began striding towards the Slytherin dormitories. He wondered what would happen if someone were to stumble across Nyx, and with a dark chuckle, he came to the conclusion that she simply would have filled her appetite. Tom began to consider vampirism as another method of gaining immortality – just in case creating seven Horcruxes took too long.

Tom's initial hope that the Room of Requirement held something as valuable as the Chamber of Secrets for him seemed to have been met. Though he was disappointed at first, he was now absolutely sure that Nyx was just what he needed.

Disclaimer: Own not, profit not, sue not.

A/N to Other Kind of Evil readers: Hi there! Please don't throw rocks at me for not updating anything in months. I've had more issues with OKoE than Nyx does with, well, life itself, and I was 99 percent sure that I wouldn't continue the story at all because I was just so damn frustrated. I had an awful lot to say on the subject, so I won't repeat it here, but you can still find the link on my profile to my rant. I'm not nearly as upset about it now, but I still stand by what I said.

Anyway, this portion of the story is the part that I've been wanting to write very, very badly ever since I started OKoE. Because I'm still debating whether or not to continue it, I decided to go ahead and write this part as a separate, stand-alone fanfic that will make sense to old and new readers alike. The story will fit in with OKoE by the time I'm finished, and the characters are the same. (Come to think of it, I think Nyx herself is the only actual OC that I use in this entire fic. Well… There are two others, but…um…they don't count as separate people.)

Because this all takes place before the OKoE timeline started, you're only at a slightly better advantage than other people because you know that Nyx and Tom will not in fact end up living happily ever after, and you know that Nyx has SMS (even though she doesn't, yet). Everything else is brand new, though. XD Everything that occurs in Gemini would have been revealed in those flashback chapters I always talked about. Considering my issues with writing OKoE, I knew it would still be a while before I could get to this part of the story, and even then, I would have to trim it down and skip a lot of the best and funniest parts. That made me sad, so as you can see, I'm going for broke and writing the entire thing.

But, as I'm sure you also noticed, this chapter was only 2,800 words – A NEW RECORD! HOORAY! I wrote this entire chapter, form outline to finish, in ONE day. ONE DAY. It was BEAUTIFUL. Since then, I managed to write chapter 2 in 2 days, and chapter 3 in about 6 hours. I FEEL LIKE A NEW WOMAN! –sob- I can guarantee that every chapter will stay within the 5,000 word limit because I want to be able to update frequently and reliably, unlike with OKoE. (I totally understand why people were annoyed with the long chapters. They took too long and they were a pain. It won't happen again.)

So, please bear with me as I try to adjust my writing habits and with luck, I will finally complete a fanfiction without pussying out. I won't work on OKoE from now on; I might never work on it again. After I finish Gemini, I'll decide what I want to do. At any rate, thanks for being interested in what I write. I really appreciate it. :D

A/N to new readers: Assuming you didn't read the long A/N above, I just want you to know that 1. I appreciate you taking the time to read my writing and I hope you like it, and 2. don't worry if you've never read OKoE. You didn't miss much of anything related to the events in Gemini, so don't feel like you need to go read OKoE in order to catch up. OKoE takes place about 50 years after Gemini ends, and none of the events in Gemini have been revealed in OKoE yet. I wanted to write this part of the story as a stand-alone fic to make sure that anyone would be able to read it, not just my old readers.

Also: Kudos to my lovely betas, Tiff and Shan. :3 (Yep, they're still here.)

General Notes: For anyone who actually noticed this, Nyx speaks in Middle English, even though it technically started up after the year 1000. That was how I envisioned her speaking, so that's what I used, even though it's technically off. I wanted to make it obvious that she wasn't from modern times, but I didn't want to overdo it in case it confused anyone. (Meaning, I could have used even more archaic terms, but I chose not to.) I've had readers in the past who didn't speak English as their first language, so I wanted to keep them in mind, too.

Yes, Lady Gwen, I took a page out of your book and now I'm putting quotes and stuff with my chapters. I always thought that was cool, so now I'm doing it, too. (Finding good quotes is way harder than it seems. –dies- )

Speaking of Lady Gwen, the way I see Tom, he tries very hard to be very proper and formal as often as he can. Therefore, I try to have him use contractions as often as not ("I'm" versus "I am"), unless he's flustered, angry, embarrassed, etc. or when he's thinking to himself. (Or when saying the full words just sounds strange.) Also, in the actual books, he uses contractions very frequently, so I have no qualms about making him use them. I'm trying to keep Tom as canon as possible, even though the story seems like it needs a fanon Tom. Well, I dislike fanon, so don't worry about Tom turning nice just because he falls in love or some shit like that.

One other thing: I gave this an M rating because as the story progresses and Nyx and Tom become more comfortable around each other, you're going to hear some really choice language, among other non-child-friendly things. (Not to mention I swear a lot in the entire A/N section. XD)

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!

--- kavi - sama ---