A/N: Hey gang! Welcome back to Utopia! Thank you for the amazing reviews so far and keep them coming! I have a lot of this planned out in my mind so I hope that no one is disappointed in the way it goes! But that is far in the future, lets get on with this chapter!

Orion,

If the student you wrote me about is Sorted into Slytherin, I will consider her.

T.R.

Artemis did not whine. However, she may have written a letter to Albus saying that under no circumstances would she be riding the Hogwarts Express to school. She was cheerfully reminded by said professor that since she had met a student already, it would be highly suspicious if she did not appear on the train, especially if he chose to look for her. So maybe she did whine a little. Internally. Never out loud of course.

Thus, Artemis was sullenly sitting alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"Are you sulking?" Orion poked his head in the door, "And can we sit with you?"

"I'm not sulking," Artemis snapped.

Orion put his hands up in a defensive manner, "Sorry, love, just teasing you." Artemis sighed and stood to open the door all the way. In filed Orion and two other boys. The regal looking blonde was clearly a Malfoy which meant that the tall, dark haired boy was Tom Riddle. Once they were inside, Artemis took a seat next to the door. Orion and the Malfoy heir sat down across from her, leaving Tom the seat on her left.

"Well Orion, I think I'm at a little bit of a disadvantage. I'm sure your friends know my name yet I don't know theirs," Artemis said pleasantly.

During the introductions to Abraxas Malfoy and Tom Riddle, Artemis felt a faint presence slip into her mind. Watching Tom from the corner of her eye, she kept her mind blank and thought only of superficial topics that a seventh-year witch would be thinking.

Tom was surprisingly pleasant, almost to the point of completely unnerving Artemis.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Pierce," he said conversationally when the other boys delved into the finer points of a Quidditch game from their sixth year.

Artemis's gaze flickered to Orion when he leaned over to close the door, never interrupting the flow of his conversation. She shifted uncomfortably at the thought of being in an enclosed space.

"Did I do something to cause you discomfort Miss Pierce?" Tom inquired curiously.

Smiling at him, Artemis shook her head, "Please call me Artemis. You're making me sound old." Internally, Artemis was cursing her lapse. If Tom was still in her head, he would have felt the uncontrolled spike of fear that she just experienced. She would have to be much more careful.

"Artemis," Tom inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement of her request, "What made your parents decide to send you to Hogwarts?"

"My parents are dead. I had previously attended Beauxbatons however with Grindelwald spreading his influence, Hogwarts is safer." A bold-faced lie, but one that she had discussed with Albus.

"I'm sorry to hear that about your parents." While said sincerely, Artemis inferred that Tom merely said what he did because it was an expected response.

Artemis responded, "It's alright. Like I told Orion, they died a long time ago."

"Any siblings?" Abraxas asked curiously, flitting into their conversation, "Orion has a huge family but Tom and I don't even have siblings."

Feeling the curious stare from Tom on her left, Artemis shook her head, "My sisters and brother died years ago. Again, I told Orion…I'm the only Pierce left."

"Sorry," Abraxas said apologetically, "I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a small smile. She leaned forward, "So you were talking about Quidditch?"

The two boys across from her grinned, launching into a discussion about Quidditch at Hogwarts. They discovered that she had played Seeker when she had attended Beauxbatons, Abraxas and Orion excited started discussing the possibility of joining the Slytherin team, pending Sorting into Slytherin of course.

Tom rolled his eyes when Quidditch came up, pulling book out of his bag to read instead of participating in the conversation of his compartment mates.

When Orion had written to him about a new seventh-year student that he met in Diagon Alley, Tom was intrigued yet highly skeptical that it would be someone he could use. Initially, Tom was confident that he was correct in his assumption. Artemis Pierce was rather average in her skills from what Tom could ascertain when he first entered her mind. Her thoughts were typical of a teenage witch. He refrained from scowling. According to her, Tom was the handsomest followed by Orion then Abraxas. How irritating.

As he inconspicuously interrogated her about her background, Orion leaned over and shut the compartment door. Instantaneously, uncontrolled and paralyzing fear rolled through her mind before iron shields snapped into place. The force of the shields coming down shoved Tom out of her mind, causing a period of momentary disorientation.

Venturing back, he gently touched her mind again. While he didn't find any resistance in the forefront, Tom delved a little deeper and found the shields. Withdrawing for now, Tom observed the witch beside him. She was what many would consider beautiful. He could appreciate her looks. Long auburn hair was pulled back into a bun with small braids interwoven throughout. Loose pieces had fallen from the bun to frame her face and hang in her eyes. An interesting shade of hazel, Tom could see the intelligence behind them. The way Artemis observed her compartment mates was precise and critical. She was slender with modest curves. When she had stood to greet them earlier, he had noted that she was much shorter than he.

Tom was unaffected by the looks of others. Generally, such thoughts were distractions from his end goal. Though he could admit to himself that Artemis was pleasant to look at. He found that he liked her eyes the most. A strange thought for him.

The secrets locked behind the shields in Artemis's mind enticed him. If she was Sorted into Slytherin, she would be highly considered. The strength of her shields alone could prove useful if he could bypass them. To do that, she would have to trust him completely so when he did push through her shields and she was alerted to it, Artemis would show no resistance.

A plan was forming.

From her spot in front of the teachers' table with the first years, Artemis spotted Orion, Abraxas, and Tom taking their seats at what she assumed was the Slytherin table. Whispering among themselves, they didn't notice Artemis watching them.

"Pierce, Artemis."

Albus had called her name. His eyes twinkled as she sat down on the much too small four-legged stool. As the hat slid down over her eyes, the last thing she saw was Tom's dark eyes riveted on her

Her first thought was that she couldn't believe the Sorting Hat still covered her eyes like it had when she was a first year. A faint chuckle echoed in her mind.

Many feel more comfortable to be hidden from prying eyes during their Sorting. Now, Artemis Pierce. Hard to think that you are still alive. I did not think I would have the privilege of Sorting you again. It has been quite a while since I have been placed upon your head.

I'm sturdy.

Indeed, you are. You have seen so much suffering since you left Hogwarts. To be sold for money into torture and experimentation by your own parents…I grieve for you.

Can hats grieve?

Hush now, dear Gryffindor.

I need to be in Slytherin this time around.

Of course you do. Everyone has a little of each House inside them, but there is always a House that someone will do best in. This time around, it happens to been Slytherin for you.

Can I ask a question before you Sort me?

Always.

Would I even have been considered for Gryffindor this time around? After all that happened…

Dear Artemis, your heart will always have the strength and loyalty of a Gryffindor…even with your struggles. You cannot be faulted for abandoning your sister's line. Your protection of your other descendants is inspiring.

I should be. I belong in Slytherin.

No matter what House you are in, whether it be the first time, this time, or the last time, you will always have the courage and heart of a Gryffindor. But this time around, for the sake of your mission here, better be SLYTHERIN!

Artemis felt the hat slip off her head, revealing a curious looking Albus and a silent Great Hall.

"That was quite a long time for a Sorting," he said pleasantly, "Ten minutes is a new record I think. Best hurry along to your table."

Artemis could feel her ears burning as she walked to the Slytherins. Ten minutes talking to the Sorting Hat? It certainly didn't seem like it had taking that long. This was not what she need for it would surely bring more scrutiny from Tom Riddle.

Orion scooted over on the bench, allowing her to squeeze in between him and Tom. As her leg brushed against Tom's, a spark rushed through her. Eyes wide, it took all her willpower not to jerk away from him.

She looked up at him to find that Tom was staring at her. As their eyes met, an odd look flitted across his expression before his face melted back to the pleasant mask.

"So, over ten minutes under the Sorting Hat," Abraxas trailed off, "Have a lot to talk about?"

Artemis shrugged and replied, "I knew nothing about the Houses here. I asked the Sorting Hat to give me information before I was put into a House I knew nothing about."

Orion nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense. We never explained each House to you. I can see how you would want to know first."

The conversation drifted away from the topic of her Sorting, allowing Artemis to assume a passive role nodding when needed. Silence once again fell over the Great Hall when the headmaster stood.

"Welcome students to another year at Hogwarts! A reminder that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Caretaker Strauss has asked me to remind you that magic in the halls is not to be used. Quidditch trials will be held the second week of school. Good luck! Prefects will show you to the dormitories after dinner," Headmaster Dippet said cheerfully.

Food appeared on the table before them. For Artemis, it was quite pleasant to be having more variety in her meals. At home, she had no need for fancy or delicious foods, choosing to instead eat based on needs alone if she felt like eating at all. It's not like she could die if she didn't' eat. Sometimes it was just a hassle. Eyeing the food before her, she tried to decide how to best go about the meal. Too much rich food would make her sick. She scooped some potatoes and ham onto her plate along with some sautéed vegetables.

Tom raised an eyebrow when he saw her scant portions.

"Even Abraxas eats more than that and we all know how he worries about his precious figure," Orion said through a mouthful of food.

Ignoring the insulted 'hey!' from Abraxas, Tom leaned closer to her, "Any reason why you don't have much on your plate?"

Artemis laughed it off, "I guess my stomach is still rolling from being up in front of everyone. I was worried I would trip and fall flat on my face. Did Orion not tell you how I broke my first wand?"

Straightening back up, Tom answered distastefully, "Yes he did."

"Wait, you snapped your wand?" Abraxas asked, "What'd you do?"

As Orion launched into the secondhand tale, Artemis resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"How are you a Seeker with no coordination?" Abraxas scowled.

Artemis stuck her tongue out at him and answered, "I am much more coordinated on a broom thank you very much."

As the conversation once again turned to Quidditch, Artemis heard a noise of irritation from Tom. She eyed him but the expression on his face never changed. His eyes, however, flashed dangerously.

Tom had many people fooled, but Artemis could tell that Orion acted differently when Tom was around in comparison to when they were in Diagon Alley. Both he and Abraxas acted as if they were treading lightly in his presence. Meaning that the two boys, and maybe others in Slytherin, knew that Tom was not as he appeared. Artemis mulled these thoughts around in her head as the boys lead her to the Slytherin common room. She resisted glancing longingly at the corridor that lead to the Gryffindor tower. She would not be able to explain that away.

As they descending into the dungeons, Artemis scowled at the thought of sleeping in the cold. She hated being cold. Residual feelings from the torture she experienced in her past, being cold never had any good results. Ever.

"What are you making that face for?" Tom inquired, breaking through the cycle of thoughts that Artemis was about to slip under.

"I don't like being cold. A dungeon seems counterproductive to being warm."

Filing away the tidbit of information she had just given him, Tom sighed, "I think you might be surprised. Not many of us would enjoy being cold either."

The surprising warmth of the Slytherin common room did little to soothe her fears. Feeling trapped, Artemis took a deep breath and strengthened her mind. She was stronger than this and she would not be defeated by the stupid dormitory.

"Have a pleasant night Artemis."

She watched silently as he disappeared into the boys' dormitories with Orion and Abraxas.

Defeat by Tom Riddle seemed much more likely.

A/N: Yay Tom has already made an appearance! Exciting isn't it? What do you think so far? Please please review! The feedback inspires me so much to write. As an answer to a hopeful review, sadly weekly updates are unlikely but hopefully I will be updating every two weeks. I would rather update less often and put out quality writing than rush myself and put out something I am not satisfied with. Other authors are much better than me and can update weekly but I am not that awesome! Stick with me though and I'll stick with it too! Until next time on Utopia! ;)