Chapter 1 – The Deal

Tom Riddle did his best to remain calm. It was hard because the Basilisk he released killed a Mudblood and every time he felt Dumbledore's eyes on him, Tom was sure that the Transfiguration teacher knew.

Tom raced aimlessly through the corridors, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, being tired of nervous pacing, he leaned against the wall, as he tried to calm his shallow breathing.

"A bad turn of events, isn't it?" asked a smooth voice nearby. Tom almost jumped out of his skin; he hadn't heard anyone coming.

Late afternoon sunrays fell onto a man in a black trench coat. He just stood there casually in the middle of empty corridor, a meter from Tom. It was as though he'd appeared out of thin air. He was tall and well built, with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting before," stated Tom, schooling his voice into polite calmness. He had never seen this man before.

"I am Prince," replied the blonde man with a small smirk.

"Prince of what?" asked Tom, disbelievingly. As far as he knew, and Tom was the best student, there was no royalty in Wizarding World

"Prince. Just Prince," said the blonde man nonchalantly. "But we're not here to talk about me. It seems that you have a little problem and I am the one who can help you."

It looked like this stranger knew what really had happened. On the other hand, he could be some Auror, trying to make Tom admit that it was him who had opened the Chamber of Secrets. Tom was a Slytherin and one of the best students; he wasn't stupid enough to tell this stranger anything.

"I didn't do anything that you would call a problem. Find the culprit if you like, but unfortunately, I can't help you." The boy schooled his face into one of concern and looked at Prince from beneath his eyelashes.

Prince smiled and Tom couldn't tell if it was a mocking smile or a lenient one. "So, you wouldn't call responsibility for the death of a fellow student a problem? That's a very interesting perspective."

Tom felt the blood drain from his face. His usually pale features became chalk-white now and he was fully aware of that. Prince looked through the window as if he didn't care about Riddle's reaction.

"You opened the Chamber, released the monster and it killed a Mudblood, as ordered." He turned and sniffled near Tom's face. "I can smell crime on you."

Tom was completely cornered by this. The stranger had no way to know or assume that this really happened. He could suspect that Tom Riddle had something to do with the accident, but nothing more. He decided that playing games was useless now.

"How can you help me?" he asked, defeated.

"Let's make a deal. I can predict that Hogwarts would be closed in the face of such terrifying fact as the death of a student. You will be sent to the orphanage and cease contacts with the Wizarding world. I can help you avoid all of that."

Prince was now looking at him and Tom had an uneasy feeling that these cold blue eyes were looking through his very soul.

"What do you want me to do in exchange for your help?"

"You will do everything I ask of you. Do we have a deal?" Prince raised his eyebrows and waited for reply.

Tom in his frantic state couldn't think of anything better, so he nodded. "Yes, now tell me what to do."

There would be time to figure out how to avoid anything this weird man would want him to do and still, there wasn't even proof that this Prince could be useful.

Prince extended his hand and looked at Tom expectantly. "I am your Prince."

"You are my Prince," he replied. It meant nothing and he felt relieved that this man wanted just an approval. What a shallow individual.

However the instruction given by Prince were very precise and Tom was surprised that he himself didn't come up with such a brilliant plan.

When Tom visited the Headmaster, Armando Dippet, he was convinced that he made a good decision anyway. Everything that Prince predicted was right. Hogwarts was about to be closed and he would be going back to the orphanage without any way to return. He couldn't let it happen so he waited for Hagrid to show up with his monster pet.

It was ridiculously easy to convince everyone that it was Rubeus Hagrid who opened the Chamber of Secrets and Tom cursed himself that he wasn't wise enough to think of it himself. He cringed inwardly thinking about being indebted to Prince, but the man ceased to visit him after that day. It was a relief.

The rest of the school year passed without any bad incidents and Tom could consider himself lucky. Not only had he avoided the responsibility, but he was idolized by everyone for finding the culprit. Any sense of guilt he could have vanished when he thought about being in the orphanage instead of Hogwarts. Unfortunately the holidays came quickly and he found himself wandering in a rich district of London.

Tom looked at the great houses and dreamed that one of them belonged to him. It didn't matter that they were Muggles; if he could afford a house like this, he would have to be someone important. A man with money and position.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked a familiar voice behind him. Tom turned around quickly to find Prince in his black coat, walking just beside him. "Tell me Tom, would you like to have one of those?" asked Prince, raising both hands as if to embrace the magnificent building.

"Yes, I would," replied Tom, trying not to hope too much. Would Prince buy it for him in exchange for just listening to the orders?

The blond man fetched a small dagger from his pocket. "Do you still remember our deal?" asked Prince, cleaning his nails with a dagger.

"Yes, my Prince. I do." To call him 'my Prince' and that's all. What a ridiculous deal to make.

Prince smiled and then explained that it would be wise to gain followers, as they walked down the street towards a nearby park. Tom had a similar idea, but hearing that it was actually possible for a poor half-blood to be a leader boosted his ego and poise.

"But how to gather them? I have nothing to offer them, beyond my prejudices towards Mudbloods of course. Do you think it will be enough? "

Prince sat on a bench, motioning on young wizard to do the same.

"I'm sure you can figure it out on your own, Tom. You're intelligent and have a strong belief. That's perfect for a leader. You will gather the weak, offer to show the right path to the lost, impress the lesser, and befriend the powerful ones. Some of them will come on their own, seeking a safe haven by your side."

Tom shook his head slightly, his thick dark hair followed the motion. "You make it sound so easy, but I was never a social person."

Prince smiled broadly and traced small ring that pierced his lower lip, with his index finger.

"You can impress them with your power and your knowledge. You may coat everything into the legacy of Salazar Slytherin, or make it your own conception. It should go easy in a house full of people convinced that their ancestry is the purest."

That was the great idea, thought Tom, but he wouldn't admit aloud that Prince had a brilliant theory.

He just nodded. "I will do that."

Suddenly Prince got up and swirled around. "Sometimes a great notion fills me with unspeakable joy," he said grinning. "Do you feel that too?"

Tom was confused with this abrupt change of mood. Prince looked around his forties and now he danced with joy like some teenager.

"I'm not sure. It's just a plan for now."

Prince adjusted his coat and smoothed his frilled, blue shirt that he wore underneath the trench coat. "It's not just a plan, Tom. This is what you want and this is what you will do."

Tom heard a car stopping loudly and turned his head towards the noise. When he looked back, the Prince was gone.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Prince is nt mine, he belongs to LEXX series which is awesome TV show. I just borrowed him, to let him do some evil things in Wizarding World :)

Big thanks for my beta-reader: The Stupid is Always Possible for awesome job :)