A/N: So here's chapter 2! It's shorter than my last one by 1,000 words (lol)
Enjoy! X3

Red, snake-like slits for eyes. That was the first thing Kris noticed upon her entrance. It was hard to imagine that the figure before her ever held an even remotely human appearance. Voldemort lounged regally in a big, cushioned chair, his hands resting on the arms, fingers curled slightly. He wore loose, black robes with the hood thrown up to hide what Kris knew from Harry as a bald top. Voldemort's lips were thin and his nose was practically nonexistent. From both Harry and Ginny, Kris knew that Voldemort had actually once been good-looking as a teenager. Looking at the monster before her, Kris failed to believe her friends' word. It was disconcerting how his eyes were glued to her face like he was searching her eyes for something. What exactly, Kris was at a loss. The Dark Lord swiftly took in her profile, no doubt noticing how she stepped cautiously and with obvious effort. Merlin, she hated how weak she felt—she was defenseless and facing Lord Voldemort of all things!

Pinching the bridge to her nose, Kris realized that Madam Pomfry had mended the damage to her poor bones and even cleaned the blood off her face. Her attire, however, was still caked with blood but, luckily, someone had thrown a sweatshirt over her ruined blouse. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, taking in the low ceiling and sparse accommodations. Kris had never been in the room before but, considering how it lacked furniture other than the few chairs facing Voldemort, it did not appear to be one used often. Alecto and Amycus sat side by side on a short bench and they both greeted their most hated mudblood with milk-curdling sneers of disdain. There were no other exits besides the door Snape was currently closing behind them. This worried Kris. If she decided to make a run for it, she would pretty much be screwed. Then again, the wizards in the room would have about the same amount of difficulty hitting the weakened Kris with a spell as they would squashing a snail with their foot.

"Welcome, Kristen." Voldemort greeted amicably enough. Kris's lips twitched when he called her by her full first name. she hated how girly her name always seemed to her—not to mention she was named after her mother whom she detested. Kris had the urge to correct Voldemort and tell him to call her "Kris" instead but managed to quickly suppress the insane desire. Why the hell would she tell the freaking Dark Lord to talk to her using a pet name?!

"Ohaiyo, Mr. Dark Lord sir." Kris said with a sluggish salute and a droll, mocking smile. It was Voldemort's turn for his lips to twitch and Kris was shocked that he did not kill her right then and there. Snape tensed at her side and both Alecto and Amycus jumped to their feet, outrage coloring their faces tomato red.

"You insolent mudblood—" Alecto roared, reaching for her wand.

"I'll skin you alive—!" Amycus snarled, his wand already in his grasp and pointed to Kris fiercely.

"All I said was hello." Kris muttered. "And all hell breaks loose." She made no move to defend herself and stared at the Carrow twins coldly, her eyes revealing no fear. She had already prepared herself for death and had gone through torture fat too many times to fear it any longer. "People really must not like me. Oh, the woe! And I just live to please."

"Calm yourselves, Alecto, Amycus." Voldemort ordered in a raised, commanding voice. His eyes did not leave Kris though and that made her fidgety. She did not like being under his demonic red gaze. It was uncomfortable not to mention creepy. It was like he could see into her soul… and that freaked Kris out. "Both of you may leave; I'm finished with you. Severus, escort the Carrows out."

So that… that left Kris alone with the Dark Lord. Part of her was uneasy while the other part estimated that her chances of survival just raised drastically… but no, she could not allow herself to taste hope and then have it squashed cruelly. Snape nodded and the Carrows, after shooting murderous glares Kris's way to which she waved cheekily, stalked out of the room, the door slamming behind them.

"You may sit." Voldemort announced as if Kris needed his permission before she would do a thing.

The girl made no move to take a seat before him. For one, she believed she would have a much better chance of living if she was standing behind the chairs so she could duck for cover if necessary and she, for another, she also did not want to be closer to the man who had murdered Harry's parents. "Nah, that's alright. There's a nice draft where I am."

"I insist." The insanely pale (emphasis on "insane") man said through his teeth (he had teeth? How weird! For some reason, Kris had imagined the fearsome Dark Lord without humane features such as teeth). "You should not be standing, wounded as you are."

Kris almost laughed. Voldemort concerned for her wellbeing? He was either trying to charm her or he just wanted a reason for her to move closer. Or he wanted to shock her into losing a grip on her mental barrier. She could feel his mind brushing the edges of hers but he did not gain access to her thoughts and memories. He did not seem to be trying to get in all that hard—it was more like he was testing her than anything else.

Frowning, Kris considered sitting. She honestly did nto know how much longer her legs could hold her weight. They were already shaking with the strain and she could feel the injury from Amycus's curse aching nonstop. If she could just rest… sighing, Kris cautiously stepped over the seat furthest from Lord Voldemort and warily slid onto the cushions, involuntarily shivering when she lifted her eyes to meet those of the man who was the cause for all her physical pain (besides herself). Voldemort may not be the one who pointed the want and muttered the words that instigated her torture but he was the one who made it possible for such things to occur on a daily basis at Hogwarts.

Kris sat rigidly, her eyes occasionally sweeping the perimeter of the room in a failed attempt to find something that could prove useful should the evil man before her try to attack. Her fingers clasped tightly together, she met his stare steadily, hiding any fear she may feel welling up inside. They sat silently for a while and Kris could feel the pressure on her mind build as Voldemort tried to dig in only to fail time and time again. His expression remained the same calm one however, despite how frustrated he must have felt with Kris's mind being impenetrable to him.

"You're wearing dead worms, you know." Kris finally commented airily, intent on getting to whatever the Dark Lord wanted—her death, most likely.

Voldemort smirked slightly and leaned back in his chair, malevolent red eyes fixed on the girl. "What are you talking about?"

"Your robes." Kris clarified with a sharp bob of her head and a bored wave of her arm. "Silk, aren't they? A pity so many poor worms had to be slaughtered to make them for you." The girl knew that she was probably getting on the all-powerful Dark Lord's nerves but she did not care. What could he do to her that had not already been done? Other than kill her, that is, which she was prepared for.

Voldemort just stared at her unblinkingly. Finally he asked in a low voice, "Do you know who I am?"

Is he trying to intimidate me? Kris just looked at him incredulously. For some reason, she got the feeling that his intent was not intimidation but purely curiousity. That was… crazy though. For one, how could Kris possibly know him personally and, for another, why would he even care? "I thought you were Voldemort—you know, the guy trying to take over the world? But you're not acting much like I thought you would. If I must speculate on your true identity, I'd hafta guess an iguana named Alfie."

"How did you think I would act?"

"well, to begin with, I'm still alive and currently not writhing on the ground in pain." Kris shrugged insouciantly. "So that's a plus, I suppose, but unexpected to say the least."

"You thought I would kill you or torture you." It was impossible to tell what the man was thinking and Kris's eyes narrowed in response.

"No, I still think you will. It's just a matter of when at this point. Since I'm still relatively unharmed, I can only assume that you're after information. Let me save you a few hours of torture and tell you that I'll never reveal a thing to you. Not that I know much, but still." Kris was secretly proud of herself for remaining so calm. Some part of her was worried that she would be unable to act as she usually did before the Lord Voldemort but was glad that her head remained cool and her thought collected and controlled.

"If that is what you expect will happen, why are you so indifferent?"

"Because I'm prepared for death and used to the cruciatus curse."

"'Prepared for death'?" he smirked, his hand lifting to touch the corner of his eye as he continued to star at the Ravenclaw. "Do you not fear your own demise?"

"Unlike you, I have accepted the inevitability for an end, as everything should."

Voldemort's eyes flashed and narrowed. Kris swallowed when she realized that she had stupidly revealed what she knew of the Dark Lord's character. Harry had informed her of what he had seen in his meetings with Dumbledore and from that Kris had learned of Voldemort's past as Tom Riddle. She knew about the horcruxes Harry, Hermione, and Ron were searching for and she knew of Voldemort's fear of and end.

"You… show me the back of your neck." His voice was icy and it had Kris frozen stiff. His hand had fallen to form a light fist on his lap.

Kris hesitated. What the hell could he want to see her neck for? She was uncertain as to whether or not she should show him but… where was the harm? If she refused, he would eventually get what he wanted but only after enormous pain on her part. The Dark mark was placed on a person's inner forearm so he could not be planning on marking her. Still, Kris did not know if it was a good idea.

Mouth twisted in a frown, Voldemort lifted his wand and uttered, "Imperio."

Immediately, a mental fog clouded Kris's thoughts and a sweet, charming voice suggested that she do as Voldemort asked. A goofy smile on her dreamy face, Kris felt her own fingers move to collect her long hair and brush it to the side. Still smiling stupidly, she got up and stepped careful over to the cloaked man, forgetting just who he was. Turning, she gave him a view of the nape of her neck. The voice echoed in her head, telling her to stand still even as she felt the point of a wand being pressed to the skin on the back of her neck. Words were muttered that Kris vaguely recognized as revealing spells and then…

Kris was herself again. Stifling a horrified cry that threatened to escape her, she jumped and groaned when pain shot throughout her body. Quickly, the Ravenclaw skittered back to her seat, arms clutching her stomach. "What the hell?" she demanded, eyes wider than they usually were. If he thought that she was upset with being under the imperius curse, he would be wrong. She was simply shocked. Voldemort had had absolute control over her physical body and all he had her do was show him her neck. What had he expected to find? Whatever it was, did he find it? Subconsciously, her hand rose to cup the back of her neck, feeling for anything out of the ordinary. It seemed normal.

"I was looking for something." Voldemort told her.

Scowling, Kris curled her fingers into white-knuckled fists and held them stiffly on her knees. "And did you find it?" she asked gratingly.

"No. you may go."

Kris's jaw almost dropped in surprise. "What? That's it? No torture, no killing? Just and imperius and strange questions?"

Something in his expression shifted but Kris could not put a finger on what exactly. "Are you saying you want to stay?"

"Merlin, no!" Kris hopped to her feet so quickly, she stumbled and had to use the chair to support herself. "So… I'm… just allowed to go? You're sure?"

"I can kill you if you want." He snapped, expression darkening. "Do not test my patience, little Ravenclaw, because it only extends so far."

"Maybe the nargles really do like me." Kris muttered, aware that Voldemort could hear her as she moved to leave. "Because something crazy just saved me." She kept her eye on the Dark Lord, not trusting him to actually keep his word and do nothing when her back was turned. Perhaps his goal was to feed the waning hope inside Kris and then cruelly squash any hope left inside her. It was a horrible idea by Kris was wary nonetheless, eyeing the man suspiciously as she made to leave.

"I expect you back here tomorrow directly after your classes end." Voldemort said, his words flat and drained of all emotion.

Kris sighed. What did he want from her? There was no way in hell she was returning again if she could help it. If she had to, she would hide in the room of Requirements or escape into Hogsmeade. If she was desperate, she would elope and leave the castle behind. She would not risk everything by returning to Voldemort. With that conviction in mind, Kris turned around and left, unafraid. He would not hurt her from behind if he expected to see her the next day, that she was certain of.

The halls were empty as Kris passed through. Usually the Ravenclaw enjoyed silence but at that moment, she only thought it was eerie. Kris had been walking awhile before she realized that she was instinctively heading in the direction of the Ravenclaw dormitories. Deciding that it would probably be best to go back to the hospital wing considering she was still weak and barely able to walk and hold herself up. Madam Pomfry would most likely like to look at her wound and treat them again anyway and, although headstrong and stubborn, Kris was not stupid enough to think she could handle her immense injuries on her own. So, she spun to start in the opposite direction only to freeze. Before her, on the wall she had just passed, was a pair of double doors, intricately wrought and divided into four sections like the school logo. The two doors were sliced into four separate squares, each depicting a beautifully carved symbol for each class house: A snake for Slytherin, lion for Gryffindor, raven for Ravenclaw, and a badger for Hufflepuff.

Intrigued, Kris inched closer. She had never seen the doors before even though hst was positive that she had passed through the same corridor dozens—if not hundreds of times before. "Like the Room of Requirements…?" she voiced quietly, announcing her train of thoughts to the darkness that filled the hallway. Inspecting the door up close, Kris noticed that there was no knob, no handle to open the doors. Kris failed to reign in her curiosity and it got the better of her. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers against the delicate iron-workings and let out a wail of terror when the door literally sucked her arm in, quickly dragging the rest of her reluctant body with it. Her voice echoes throughout the hallway only to fade and leave everything silent.

Come, meet your destiny, Kristen Kelly. A voice so painful to the ears, it made her feel like someone was driving a wrench into her skull. It ripped through her brain, the words barely registering through the fog of pain clouding her thoughts. Everything was black and, even though she knew she was screaming, nothing penetrated the consuming darkness but that horrible, horrible voice. For your future at the moment is not here in this time but in that that has already been.

Kris just wanted it to end. The agony was like nothing she had ever experienced before—including the cruciatus curse. This pain was not just physical like the cruciatus but also mental, attacking her brain mercilessly. Her brain was being torn out, her heart and lungs squeezed until they stopped working, her body and soul severed… she just wanted it to end

And then it did.

And then there was… nothing.

Severus Snape, headmaster of Hogwarts, paced his office tensely his hands clenched together behind his back. He glanced up on occasion to look at the portrait of an incredibly old-looking man with twinkling blue eyes and a beard as long as Snape's entire arm. The man in the picture moved and Snape seemed accustomed to such actions being taken by a picture.

"And you're saying I should do nothing?" Snape demanded incredulously, finally freezing in his pacing to turn on the man in the picture frame.

"No, not nothing." The bearded man denied, pausing in his cheerful whistling. "Watch and pay close attention to their interactions. Tell me, how did Miss Kelly react upon setting her eyes on Tom?"

"I already told you, that insolent witch acted as she normally does, unafraid and with a disrespectful attitude. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Hmm… I suspected as much." Eyes twinkling thoughtfully, he pulled long, elegant fingers through his unruly beard.

Snape's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me something, Dumbledore." He accused, irritation lacing his words. "Why was the Dark Lord so keen on becoming acquainted with Kelly, of all people? She's no one special unless you count being connected with Potter." He spat the name with all the venom he could muster. "And you and I both know that the girl will reveal nothing, being a strong Occlumens. So what is your real interest in all of this?"

Dumbledore teased the corners of his half-moon spectacles thoughtfully. "And Tom? How was he?" the man queried, completely ignoring all of Snape's questions.

Gritting his teeth together, Snape glared at the previous headmaster—whom he had killed under the man's orders. "Very… strangely, Dumbledore, but I could be wrong. It was like he expected Kelly to know him outright." Not to mention he stared at her like a starved wolf, deprived of the basic necessities of life for years only to have it dangling in front of him in the form of Kristen Kelly. But Snape could not say that… no, the old Potions Master knew it was a ridiculous notion even as he thought it. "And there was amusement in his eyes when Kelly spoke, if you can believe that. He even told Amycus and Alecto to leave when they threatened the girl. It was all very unusual. I had expected the Dark Lord to publicly torture and murder the mud—muggleborn."

"I see…" Dumbledore was smiling softly.

"If you'll see fit to bring me up to date on these matters, I'm waiting." Snaped said tersely, falling into the headmaster's seat and curling his fingers into fists.

"Yes… I think you should be aware of this story." Dumbledore nodded. "It is one I cannot tell Harry despite it being a very important piece of Tom Riddle's history."

"And what does Kristen Kelly have to do with it?"

"Everything, Severus, for, you see, destiny is a tricky subject and Miss Kelly's destiny is far from an easy one—if she's willing to accept it."

"Enough with the riddles, Dumbledore." Snape snapped impatiently, leaning forward in his seat and clasping his hands rigidly together. "Just tell me."

Dumbledore sighed like he was oh-so disappointed at having his fun ruined. "To be blunt, somehow Miss Kelly finds her way fifty years into the past where she meets Tom Riddle himself. I do not know when this happens but, from what you have told me, I know it has yet to occur."

"What?" Snape cried, jumping to his feet. "How is that—why is that possible?"

"I know not, Severus, all I know from Miss Kelly herself as she explained it to me in my past is that she found a door in the castle that transported her to Tom's time at Hogwarts. No time turners were involved as they were all destroyed a few years ago when Harry went to the Department of mysteries. Something literally ripped her from her own time and placed her in an unknown world. As I was informed, this process is very painful."

"So you met Kristen Kelly fifty years before she attended Hogwarts?" Snape clarified. Dumbledore nodded. "And she met—meets—The Dark Lord as a teenager?"

"Correct. Actually, it was the way she initially acted around Tom that confirmed my suspicions on the boy's character."

"'Initially'? So she did not always treat him with caution?"

"Over time, Miss Kelly's views were altered, I suppose. They became something close to what you and I would call 'friends.'" Dumbledore stated mysteriously.

A/N: so how was it? Good, terrible, meh? Reviews, pweeeazee!
Originally, I had planned on writing Voldemort's point of view during his meeting with Kris but I quickly scratched that. I didn't want to reveal too much so quickly! However, I wanted to find a way to get the information I wanted across so that's where Snape's talk with Dumbledore came in.
Tom Is gonna be in the next chapter, don'tcha worry!