AN: R&R, etc. You get pixie sticks if you vote on who Vipra should get with. I will tally the votes, and change the plot as requested.
Vipra Merope Riddle sat in the last empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, staring wistfully out the window. She didn't really know how she felt about going to Hogwarts, but she knew she had to, because her father wanted her to.
Daddy Dearest wanted to control someone close to the Potter boy. Since it wasn't likely that he could win anyone in that position over discreetly, he had sent Vipra. Yes, Lord Voldemort had sent his darling little daughter to spy on the infamous Harry Potter. She didn't mind the spying part all that much. She was actually looking forward to it. What she wasn't looking forward to was the hiding. She was going to have to hide the birthmark on her lower back, which looked astonishingly like a Dark Mark. She was going to have to hide the fact that she was a natural born Parslemouth. And of course, she was going to have to hide her lineage. Oh, well.
Vipra was startled out of her reverie by the sound of the compartment door opening. There, in the doorway, was the exact boy she was supposed to be stalking. He looked about fifteen, her age, just like Daddy had said. He was accompanied by two others: one, a mousy looking with the curliest hair Vipra had ever seen, the other a freckle-faced red head. He intrigued Vipra, for she could sense absolutely no hostility whatsoever from him.
"Can we sit here? It's the only compartment with room," said Potter. He didn't seem violent, but she knew she couldn't trust him.
"Of course," she responded with a smile. She wondered how best to glean information from him. A quick mental probe told her that she should play on his pity. Perhaps she would even tell him a bit of the truth. Searching a little deeper, she discovered that seduction wouldn't be too bad either. She also saw that he cared deeply about the two accompanying him. Ah, she thought, get to the boy through the friends. Interesting. Loyalty is so betraying.
"I've never seen you before. Are you new at Hogwarts?" This came from the mousy one. Reviewing the information her father had given her in her head, she was able to assume that this was Hermione Granger. The smart one of the bunch.
Vipra put on her meekest face and stared at Granger's shoes. "Um, yes. I've been…home schooled for a while. It's my first year among more than a few other witches and wizards my age." She brushed her hair behind her ears in her best imitation of nervousness. It worked.
"Oh, you poor dear," Hermione said, reaching over to pat her knee affectionately. Vipra, controlling herself, did not stiffen. Hermione went on. "I'm sure you'll just love it at Hogwarts. Do you have any idea what house you'll be in?" Fighting years of training, Vipra tried to get her body to realize that this was not an attack, and that she was safe.
"I—I want to be in Gryffindor. It sounds a bit…nicer than Slytherin. I don't think I'd fit very well in Hufflepuff, and I'm afraid I'm not as book-smart as many of the other students will be. Home schooling and all."
Granger gave a smile and a nod. It was one of those sickly-sweet smiles that made Vipra feel sick to the pit of her stomach. She decided that she was not going to like the Granger . "Oh," said Granger, slapping her forehead. "I'm so sorry. I'm Hermione Granger, this is Harry Potter, and this is," she paused, and waved her hand in front of Weasley's gaping face, "Ron. Ron. Ron!" At this, he snapped out of it, and promptly wiped the drool from his lips. Giving an apologetic shrug, Granger said, "Sorry. This vegetable is Ron Weasley. He appears to be rather taken with you."
Weasley's—no, Ron's—ears turned bright red, and he attempted to stutter some defensive retort. Vipra was going to have to get used to thinking about them by their first names. She reached out to shake Ron's hand, and in doing so probed his mind. He was attracted to her. There was nothing ful about it, which confused Vipra. She had been with men before, usually on her father's order, and almost all of them had felt nothing but toward her. Suddenly, Vipra realized that she was expected to introduce herself.
"Um…" She cast her eyes downward again. Best to play on their sympathies. "My name's Vipra. Vipra…Riddle." She managed to choke out a fake sob, and dared to glance up at the three.
Po—Harry's face was going through such a rapid series of changes that it was hard for even Vipra to keep up. Hermione looked disgustingly sympathetic, and Ron… He looked as though he actually felt sorry for her. Not for the lineage, but for the way she was being treated by his friends. Vipra bit her lip, keeping up the façade, and probed slightly deeper into his mind. She could still sense no malice from him, more of a—she searched for the right word—protectiveness, as though he were worried about her. She had never known this to be felt toward her. Something about him felt…safe. No, she told herself sternly. This is a job. An assignment. Mustn't get emotionally involved. Can't get attached.
The awkward silence was finally broken by Harry. "Does that mean you're Voldemort's daughter?" At her tearful nod, he continued. "Does he know you're here? Do you have Dumbledore's protection? Where are your loyalties?"
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. "Stop interrogating her. Can't you see how hard it was for her to tell us, people she's just met, something like this?"
"It's alright," Vipra said quickly. "If I had as many people to protect as he did, I'd be asking the same questions." Turning to Harry, she continued. "The answers to your first two questions are easy enough. My father does not know I'm here. In fact, I'm not even sure he knows of my existence. You see, my mother's name is Nagini. She hid me from him. I do have Dumbledore's protection, as well as that of several Ministry employees. The answer to your last is more difficult. You see, I do not know where my loyalties lie. My mother told me great things about my father, but I have also heard terrible things about him. I have heard many of the same things said about you, Harry. I believe I will have to get to know the both of you before I make any judgments. Over the course of my life, I have learned not to trust many others. Forgive me for saying so, but I find humans to be the least trustworthy of any species I have encountered."
When she paused, Ron spoke up. "Umm…sorry, but… How exactly did they—were you, ah, born. I mean, don't humans and snakes…?" He trailed off, his meaning clear enough. Hermione looked shocked and disgusted.
Vipra chuckled morosely. "If you really want to know, I can show you—not like that, that's disgusting—but I doubt you'll find it…comprehensible. Many snake species are telepathic, and my mother transmitted certain…memories to me that you might find…interesting. It's really too complicated to explain in English. As I understand it, though, Harry is a Parslemouth. It's very easy to explain in those terms."
Harry, blanching, slowly shook his head. He still looked rather doubting, but his ever-betraying noble side was beginning to win him over. Hermione, on the other hand, looked rather disgusted at her answer to Ron's query.
"Well…I guess we can trust you, for the moment anyway." Harry held out his hand, and Vipra took it, staring into his emerald eyes. She saw mistrust there, alongside pain, sadness, fear, and something else. Longing? Yes, that was it. He longed to be in her position. To not have a world of expectations to live up to.
Shocked, Vipra pulled her hand back, and the group settled into a semi comfortable silence. When the snack trolley came around, Vipra ordered a couple of gummy rats, and ate them quietly.
As the train screamed to a stop, Vipra looked at each member of the golden trio in turn. She saw Harry, with his hidden desires. She saw Hermione, all smiles on the outside, but in reality a thousand times more complicated. She saw Ron, so kind, so loyal, and so interesting. Vipra's last thoughts before exiting the train were ones she did not think often. It's gonna be a great year.