Chapter 1
Winter, what a beautiful season. Cold, dry, so rough that only the toughest beings could survive in it. Tom loved winter. For him it was an obvious choice. Cold inferred distance and strength. It suited his house, it suited him. What didn't suit winter was that pathetic tradition of Christmas that everyone felt compelled to follow. What could be worse than a day where people were forced to be kind to each other, and give each other gifts? With disdain, he lifted his eyes to see the warm and colourful decorations that where placed everywhere in the great hall. It had nothing to do with the magnificent White Queen. He decided to cut his breakfast short and headed out.
As the cold wind was passing on his face, Tom smiled with satisfaction. His steps made a crunching sound as they left an oval shape into the ground. Snow had been falling since morning, and it was already deep enough to hide his entire foot. He probably wouldn't be able to go out tomorrow. He started heading towards the forbidden forest. He loved that place that most students had nightmares about. He had visited it more than once with his followers and even alone. Something inside of him always pulled him to cold and terrible things. He never questioned that instinct.
When he got half way there, he remembered that in this period of time snakes could not be found. His interest died a little. He missed his little creeping family; they were dearer to him than the people he referred to as he was going back to the castle, he took a detour to the Great Lake. He saw a figure standing on the lake. Puzzled he increased his pace to see who it was. When he recognized the person, he stopped deciding what reaction to put out.
Shirley Adler Elliot. After their little encounter in the library, Tom did his research on the mysterious girl. He was rather uncomfortable in the amount of similarities her past had with his. She was an orphan at the age of six and had been raised by her grandfather before he died when she was 10. She then lived in an orphanage as she had no one left in her family. She was a muggleborn and was amazed to found out that a place like Hogwarts existed. She didn't talk much and kept her distance from people. Even her close friends didn't seem to know much about her. That made her gain a certain respect from Tom, it also made her a difficult prey to catch. Excellent, He always loved a challenge.
He looked at her from afar, debating whether to go talk to her or not. She started moving on the frozen lake, elegantly tracing hyperbolic figures with her legs and throwing her hands in the air like they were bird's wings. She was ice skating. He frowned with disgust at the idea that someone was doing a muggle thing in this sacred temple of magic that he saw Hogwarts to be. He turned and decided to head back to the castle. He knew he couldn't speak to her without revealing the aversion her felt for her. They confrontation will have to be postponed for another time.