Chapter One: The Beginning of Seventh Year
All of the prefects were gathering in their personal cart on the Hogwart's Express. They each had their own cubicle, except the head boy and head girl, who shared a rather large one. There were the two benches that could easily hold six people each, a small round table in the center with two bowls filled with favorite treats of said students. At the back, right below the window, was a shelf with jars full of other snacks for the meeting.
When a fairly tall wavy black-haired head girl reached the cubicle, she noticed that three other prefects had already arrived. The only other female present had short cropped hair with hazel almond-shaped eyes, her nose slightly crooked over her thin lips. The shorter of the two males was slightly pudgy with beady gray-green eyes and shaggy brown hair just above his ears. The final person was tall with a slim figure who had slick black hair with a slight wave at the front and cold chocolate eyes. Stealthily, the head girl sneaked up behind the other girl who was too busy inspecting her prefect badge to notice, and poked her side.
"Geez Brawnie, you just scared the daylights out of me!" She swatted the giggling girl on the arm before giving her an affectionate hug.
"It's great to see you too Barb." The two friends sat down together, arms linked chatting idly about their summers apart. As more people filed in, the discussion switched to gossip and information.
"So who is everyone, what house are they in, and what is their status?" Branwen, the shyer of the two demanded. Pointing her finger in the direction of the shaggy haired boy, Barbara began the run down.
"That is Austin Crump, Hufflepuff prefect, mudblood." Nodding her head towards the slender boy, she continued, "And that is Tom Riddle, Head boy from Slytherin, half-blood." The head girl inspected her counterpart. She had heard of him, seen him around school and last year when she was a prefect. He was very intelligent, although withdrawn. He always seemed to have this particular group of friends he would talk to, but he didn't really seem all that close to any of them. He was the perfect student and gentleman, which unnerved Branwen greatly. She knew from her own life that the more people seem flawless, the more they are hiding- and he was just a little too perfect.
Her reverie was interrupted when Barbara let out a sharp gasp. Her friend looked up to see what the cause was, fearing it was the one person in the world she did not want to see. Instead, she laid eyes on a rather tall ginger-haired boy with light green eyes. She gave a questioning look to the girl next to her, who snapped out of it immediately.
"That is James Weasley, prefect from Gryffindor, pureblood, although his family is dirt-poor and fascinated with muggles." Barbara put on the air of most purebloods, making the other girl suspicious. Before she had a chance to interrogate her, they were approached by the boy in question.
"Hello, my name is James Weasley from Gryffindor, it is nice to meet you." He held out his hand towards Branwen, a big lopsided smile on his face.
"Branwen Black from Ravenclaw," She said taking his hand with a polite smile on her face, before introducing the girl next to her. "This is a distant cousin of mine, Barbara Lestrange from Ravenclaw." Barbara smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks as she took his outstretched hand. They held hands for a moment too long, telling Branwen all she needed to know.
"It would appear you two already know each other though." The other girl's eyes widened slightly, fearing her cousin would freak out and let the whole world know her secret. Branwen surprised her by standing up and pulling the unsuspecting redhead into a big hug. "Treat her right" was all she whispered into his ear, but it was enough to get a deep blush to cross his face. He looked down at her confused, but she simply smiled back up at him and winked. Barbara, who never thought things through, practically jumped on her dear friend, making them fall in a head on the seat behind them. James walked away, a grin on his face, to meet the other prefects present. When the girls finally stopped giggling, They noticed the person standing in from of them. They stood up, straightening their clothes and hair, before looking up at the black haired boy.
"Tom Riddle from Slytherin, head boy" He introduced himself, his hand politely outstretched, small smile gracing his lips. His counterpart and fellow prefect looked at his hand like it was a foreign plant they weren't quite sure what to think of.
"Branwen Black from Ravenclaw, head girl." She nodded her head politely as she introduced herself.
"Barbara Lestrange, from Ravenclaw. What do you want?" She demanded crossing her arms. Tom lowered his arm, eyes darkening slightly at the rude girl.
"I wanted to meet the head girl, as well as the prefects I will be working with this year."
"Well now you have, anything else?" Tom shook his head and grabbed Branwen's hand, giving it a chaste kiss on the knuckles. Branwen, who had gone into a sort of frozen state when her cousin first spoke, immediately snapped out of it and yanked her hand somewhat discreetly away. Tom ignored this and gave a slight bow.
"It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Black, Ms. Lestrange." He straightened and walked back towards Weasley, shaking his hand.
"He... He kissed my hand! The nerve of that guy!" Branwen furiously whispered wiping her hand on her robe. Although she could wipe away the little moisture from his mouth, she could not rid herself of the lingering burn that simple gesture had left behind. Barbara shot daggers at his back clearly outraged as well.
"That guy has some nerves!" She said back. Unbeknownst to them, someone had been watching both encounters, and was furious. Icy gray-blue eyes glared at them as the owner prowled over to them, until he was standing only a foot behind them. He cleared his throat, interrupting their angry whispers. Branwen stiffened as she turned, her usual serene mask in place. Abraxas Malfoy, her fiance, stood there, not bothering to hide his anger. Barbara simply returned his glare, but in a more subtle way.
"May I speak to you privately Black?" The tension in his voice made the people nearby look over to see what was going on. She nodded, false smile in place as she turned and walked towards the corridor. They walked to his personal cubicle and entered. The moment the door was closed, and curtains drawn, Abraxas slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. She scrambled as far away from him as possible as he yelled at her.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT BRANWEN?! You tramp, flirting with every guy in that room!" He slapped her again before picking her up by her throat, not giving her a chance to respond. He threw her onto one of the benches, jabbing his finger at her. "You are MY fiance, and you will start acting like it! Don't go behind my back and whore yourself off again, do you hear me?!" She nodded her head immediately, fearing another hard slap. He turned on his heal, combed his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath before walking out of the room and back to the gathering of prefects.
Branwen started hyperventilating and raised her hand to her throat. This was not the first time he had done this to her, but it didn't change how much it effected her. She sat there for a long while, walking down memory lane of how things used to be between them. Abraxas used to be so kind- maybe not the most affectionate person, but always a gentleman- until fourth year. Something had changed, and she was still trying to figure out what. Branwen still hoped the man she loved was still in there somewhere, and hoped she could get him back. If not, she knew what her life would be like, and she wouldn't be able to handle it.
The door opened and closed silently. She waited to be yelled at, hit, thrown, anything, but nothing happened. Slowly she turned and looked up at the head boy, whose face went from being impassive to a look of shock. His eyes scanned over her, taking in the new bruising, the tears running down her cheeks, her ragged breathing. Tom had never had to deal with a distraught woman before, so he was out of his comfort zone. Slowly, he sat next to her, waiting for her to speak- after all, women were known for constantly talking. When the silence stretched on, he finally spoke.
"Are you alright?" She looked at him as if her were some strange creature, an alien. She shook her head and let out a small, crazy giggle.
"You know, you are the first person to ask me that in years. No I am not ok... but there is nothing I can do about it." Her voice was just a whisper when she finished. Branwen closed her eyes, trying to fight back the flood of tears, but the moment Riddle reached out and grabbed her hand, the dam of emotions she had been holding back broke. She threw her arms around him and cried without restraint. Tom, unsure of what to do, just rubbed her back.
Branwen wasn't sure how long she sat there like that, crying on his shoulder as he comforted her. She could tell that he was uncomfortable with the situation, and tried to stop, to back up away from him, but he held her close until she was done. She pushed away from him and wiped her eyes, giving him an apologetic look. Once she was composed enough that Riddle knew she wouldn't break down again, he started asking her questions.
"What happened?" She stiffened, narrowing her eyes.
"I don't see how that is any of your business."
"Normally, I would agree. However, since you are clearly upset, it may affect your judgment, therefore your ability to be head girl." Branwen visibly bristled. How dare he question her capabilities to do her duties!
"I assure you, I am very capable to separate my personal life from my responsibilities! I have been doing so for quite some time, and I haven't heard any complaints!" She crossed her arms, daring him to challenge her. He nodded his head, stood and headed for the door. She panicked and grabbed his hand, forcing him to pause. He looked down at her fearful expression, reading the plea in her eyes. He nodded his head, acknowledging her request by looking out the curtain to see if anyone was in the hall. When the coast was clear, he slid out discreetly, leaving her to collect herself. Branwen stood, straightened her robes and hair so she looked presentable. She looked around for a scarf, and quickly wrapped it around her neck before she left the cubicle and headed back to the meeting.
The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful. The prefects discussed their shifts for making sure all students were in their dorms and not lurking the halls after-hours. They also listed off troublemakers to be on the lookout for. The last thing that was discussed was the new curriculum that would be given to the seventh years. None of them knew what exactly it was going to be, so they were throwing out guesses such as job preparation, home economics, spells for daily lives, and other off the wall things. Once the meeting was adjourned, the prefects spread out, notifying students of their arrival.
When the train came to a stop, students fought to get out. The "student police" as they were called, checked for luggage, pets, or even students that were left behind. Luckily, very little was left behind. They filed out and waited for the last carriages to arrive. Three carriages rolled to a stop in front of the small group. Abraxas Malfoy, Kerri Avery, Carlisle Davies, and Pomona Sprout climbed into the first carriage. Austin Crump, Barbara Lestrange, James Weasley, and Minevera McGonagall climbed into the second carriage, leaving the last one for the head boy and girl.
They approached their carriage slowly, both looking at the creatures driving the vehicle. Thestrals were beautiful in a morbid sort of way, since the only people who can see them are those that have witnessed death. Riddle paid close attention to Branwen's face, the expressions that ran across it as she looked at the animal. He held open the door for her, helping her in before climbing up after her. They lurched into motion as they rode to Hogwarts, their reprieve, home away from home. They stared out the windows, viewing the landscape under the full moon. Time passed in an uneasy silence before it was broken.
"So why were you placed in Ravenclaw?" a simple enough question, he thought, but for some reason, it made his counterpart bristle.
"I am in Ravenclaw because I am intelligent, and fairly unselfish." She huffed irritably. "Why are you in Slytherin?" A small smirk crossed his usually blank face. It held a sort of dark, ironic look to it.
"For my cunning personality, family legacy to uphold." The was he spat out the last part had Branwen raising one eyebrow, but he didn't explain any further. Instead he changed the subject by asking, "So how long has that been going on?" Branwen knew immediately what he was referring to and stiffened.
"I don't see why my relationship is any of your business." Riddle raised his hands in a defensive manner.
"I am not trying to pry, merely curious. Let me rephrase; has he always treated you like this?" Her face became melancholy as she thought back to how things used to be. She shook her head, but didn't speak afraid her voice would crack. Tom merely nodded his head in understanding, expression thoughtful. "Do you know what made him change?" His counterpart glared daggers at him, but not quite because of what he asked. She was mad he was prying, but angrier with herself for not having an answer to the second question.
"I have no bloody clue, not that you need to know any of this! Malfoy is my betrothed, and what happens between us is private! Not another question about it, or so help me, I will crucio your sorry arse until you become insane!" She yelled at him crossing her arms as she stared out the window.
They were silent the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. The closest they came to speaking again was when they noticed what looked to be a small town on the school grounds, but no actual words were exchanged. When they came to a stop, Branwen bolted out of the carriage in a whirlwind and headed for the Great Hall for the annual feast.
She walked in scanning the four long tables for her friend Barbara. The first years had already been sorted through and placed in one of the four houses, so the festivities were in full swing. She noticed a girl with a blue and gray scarf draped around her shoulders waving her hands at her, so she rushed over and sat down. Everyone was pigging out on their favorite dishes, chatting amongst themselves, or shouting halfway down the tables. Laughter rang throughout the hall, until Headmaster Dippet Stood at the podium up front and waited for the hall to quiet down.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts children. It is now time to head to your dorms, but before you do, I have an announcement to make. There has been a new curriculum added to seventh years schedule. As I am sure many of you noticed, there is a village on the school grounds now, where you will be living. Prefects will you please stand and lead your first years to their dorms. Seventh years, please stay behind and follow us to your homes for the year." When he was done speaking, the hall was in an uproar- prefects yelling to be heard over all of the students, questions, outraged remarks, excited comments being said all over the place. The students slowly filed out of the Great Hall into the corridors and off to their respective houses, leaving the seventh years behind. Professor Dumbledore stood and looked out over the students, a small smile gracing his lips with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Seventh years, this project is an experiment. We want your honest opinions on it at the end of the year. Please follow me to where you will be staying." Everyone followed the professors out to the grounds, apprehension in the air.
A/N: Chapter one is out! I hope you have enjoyed it. I did warn you that it has its... dark scenes, and this one is very mild compared to what will be coming in future chapters. Anyway! PLEASE Review and let me know what you think, give me your input! Next chapter Should be out shortly! My writer's block is gone at the moment, so I am taking full advantage of this! Enjoy and thank you so much for all of your support!
I want to give a shout out to Lorna Roxen and flute123 for being the first to follow my fanfic. That means so much to me! =)
