Not Alone


Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah.


First Day

Tom was roused by someone shaking him. He immediately grabbed their arm and twisted it, angry at being woken up. Stupid orphans never learn to leave me alone, he thought before someone thumped his head and growled, "Let go! We have to wake up. It's breakfast then lessons, idiot." Tom opened his eyes a crack and peered bleary-eyed up at the boy leaning over him. Mulciber stood there, half dressed in black robes with green and silver lining and trim. Tom stared confused for a second before realising he was no longer at the orphanage. He released Mulciber's arm and stared in wonderment at the emerald green drapes that surrounded him. He was really there, at Hogwarts. At home. For once in his life Tom felt happy to be up early in the morning, leaving the warmth of his soft bed and finding freshly pressed robes next to his bed on a chair. The all black robes with Hogwarts crest had changed overnight. His tie had become emerald green and silver striped, with similar trimmings around the cuffs off his jumper. His cloak now had green silk lining and a silver trim around the edge. The Hogwarts crest had disappeared and in its place a silver snake embroidered to form the letter 'S' on an emerald background beneath a banner with the name "Slytherin". Tom smiled happily to himself as he put on his new robes. He was proud to be in Slytherin, they were clearly the most powerful house. He remembered the words of the Sorting Hat the night before "Slytherin, ambition blazing". Tom knew he wanted to be great. He knew he was better than he seemed. He was intelligent, had good taste, he was charming, cunning and knew he was destined for great things. He was certainly the greatest Slytherin that had ever set foot in the grandiose dungeon common room of the Slytherins.

Tom ambled down the passageway to the common room a short while later, having briefly agonised over what books to pack in his bag. He did not know what lessons he would have today and wasn't sure he would have time to run back after breakfast. Eventually he shrugged and stacked all his books in his bag, heaving it off the floor and onto his shoulders. Grace was bouncing on the balls of her feet at the entrance to the boy's dormitories, her hair wild and curly around her face, making her head seem twice as large as it really was. "Where have you been? What's taking you so long? It's our first day, Tom! We can't be late!"

Tom gave her a withering look and sighed, "I'm hardly late, Grace. It's barely 7.30. Classes don't begin until 8.30, Rookwood told me," he quickly cut her off as he saw her mouth open to no doubt exclaim that he didn't know that, "besides, I think it is better to be on time and make a good first impression rather than rush and be there hours early but looking…well, worse for wear," he smirked as he eyed her untamed curls and lopsided tie. "You're really not very good at tying ties are you?" he muttered as he yanked her tie from around her neck, tying it properly before handing it back to her, "You'll never get it over your head unless you do something about your hair. Honestly, it's a rat's nest, Grace!" he scolded her gently.

Grace blushed and began a long rambling tirade about how her hair had always been like this, thick, black masses of ringlets and waves that refused to be tamed as she struggled to force a brush through the tangle. Tom snatched the brush from her hands and ignored her yelps of protest as he attacked her head, forcing his way through the knots until her hair hung in loose waves around her head, falling just below her shoulders. Grace sat on one of the black leather chairs pouting as she complained that she'd have a headache all day after he pulled at her hair so much. "Well if you bothered to brush your hair a couple of times a day it would be much nicer. Yes it's thick, yes it's difficult but as you can see if you just brush it, it can look quite nice," he lectured her, "now pull it into a pony tail, put your tie on and we'll go to breakfast looking respectable." Tom smirked as he looked at Grace's face, her tiny mouth pouting as she pulled her hair up and stretched her tie over her head. He may have conceded that she was nice and funny, but if he was going to have a friend, she was going to live up to his standards of dress and behaviour. With her hair pulled away from her face Grace looked remarkably different. Her features were normally dwarfed by her massive eyes and forest of curls but with her hair out of her face her nose and mouth became more prominent, balancing out her eyes and making her quite pretty. Tom nodded with approval as she sarcastically presented herself for inspection and both of them stifled giggles as they left the warm, green glow of the Slytherin common room and followed the steady flow of students along the dungeon corridors to the Great Hall.

They took their place at the Slytherin table, sitting in the group of other first years. Marcella and Franny immediately commented on her hair, Franny lamenting at how her thin, blonde hair hung limply and straight from her pony tail while Gracie's fell in voluminous waves and curls. Marcella flicked her long braided hair around, complaining that there was little she could do with it. Grace kept attempting to join in the conversation but each time she opened her mouth one of the other two was already off on a rant about some hair product. Gertrude stared at them sullenly from across the table, her rust coloured frizz untamed, hanging in wisps around her face, her dull brown eyes magnified by her glasses. Tom gave Gracie sidelong glances, smirking at her struggle to converse easily with the girls. He was sitting next to Avery, conversing with the boys over what subject they would have first. Malfoy insisted that they always gave first years Transfiguration first, as it was hard and they wanted to scare them into working hard. Rosier quickly cut him down and retorted that his brother had Charms first thing Monday morning when he had been in first year. Avery turned to Tom and said excitedly, "What do you want first, Tom?" Tom simply smiled and replied, "Breakfast." The boys broke into laughter as food magically appeared on the plates.

As they were finishing their breakfast an enormous man with a thick bristly walrus-like moustache was moving along the table handing out pieces of paper. He waddled down the table and when he reached the first years gave them a beaming smile and took a deep breath, his gargantuan stomach sorely testing the buttons on his emerald velvet waistcoat, "Well! You lot must be the first years! Welcome to Hogwarts, and of course Slytherin!" he winked and chuckled as if he had told a brilliant joke, "You lucky children have me first up! I'm Professor Slughorn, of course. Yes, I teach potions, very interesting stuff! Certainly hope you lot of Slytherins uphold our good reputation? Yes, I was a Slytherin myself you know, that's why I'm the Head of House now. Yes, we won the House cup every year I was at school! We've won the last three years, you know, got to keep up our winning streak, eh?" he chuckled again as he handed out timetables to each of them, "And the last one, Rosier, Angus? Well, that must be you, my boy!" he smiled down at Rosier. "Well, hurry along to potions kiddies! Don't want to miss a minute!" he called as he continued to waddle along down the line, stopping to chat to some students fondly, ignoring others completely.

Tom studied his timetable, eager to begin his magical learning. He glanced across to Grace's timetable, lying in front of her, the corner in danger of dipping into a pitcher of cream, and saw that they were identical. That was good; at least he wouldn't have to put up with lots of new people if he could sit by her. Grace finished her scrambled eggs and toast and turned to Tom, beaming, "Blimey this place is brilliant. The food is spectacular!" Tom was silent at this but he smiled in agreement, pondering over how brilliant it all really was.

"Come on," he muttered, "let's get to potions. Get good seats." Gracie teased him for being Mr Eager on the way back to the dungeons. They found Slughorn's classroom without much difficulty, it was in the corridor just past their common room. The cold dungeon room was a mixture of creepy and comfortable. On the shelves that lined the walls there were a number of small animals and unidentifiable objects floating in jars filled with various coloured liquids. Offsetting this disturbing feature was the warm fire that blazed heartily at the front of the room behind a large desk draped in green with a box of candy lying open next to a potions book. The room was filled with long desks that lined each seated two students. Two cauldron stands were set upon each and two green-cushioned stools sat beneath each desk.

Tom made a beeline for the front of the classroom and Gracie followed him, an excited skip in her step. They set their bags down next to the desk and pulled out the cauldrons that had been weighing down their bags. They set their ingredient kits down next to the cauldron stand and Tom began to read the introduction of his shabby, second-hand copy of Magical Drafts and Potions. His copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi lay on the desk next to Grace. She blushed in embarrassment, she had not thought to bring her Herbology book, but it seemed so logical that she should have now. Potions obviously used plants often. Her own copy of Magical Drafts and Potions lay unopened on the desk. It was much glossier than Tom's and the spine was stiff. She blushed harder at the fact that she had brand new books when his had obviously been bought cheap. She didn't want to feel superior to her friend. Tom hadn't seemed to notice her embarrassment, but unbeknownst to her, he had noticed her belongings. The feelings of jealousy he harboured against her intensified as he heard the cracking the spine of her book made as she opened it for the first time, smoothing the page and skimming through the introduction.

Tom's musings were cut short as a chuckle erupted from the back of the room, "That's the way! That's the way! Ahh, Slytherins, always eager. Of course we pride ourselves on it!" Slughorn quickly waddled to the front of the room, taking his seat at the green-draped desk in front of the hearth-fire and began to sing, "Most cunning are our noble friends in Slytherin, their great ambition and determination always brings them to the win…" he chuckled again, "Of course you two wouldn't have heard that one. No, no, that was from the year I came to Hogwarts." He stared around the room satisfied and smiled at them widely, taking a piece of candy from the open box and popping it into his mouth. "Mm, delicious. Crystallized pineapple, it's my very favourite. Yes, I remember old Ambrosius Flume of Honeydukes well. He was a Hufflepuff, sadly. He would have done so well in Slytherin. Brilliant potion maker, very talented. No doubt it's contributed to his uncanny ability to blend flavours in the most pleasing way."

Tom and Grace were soon smirking and stifling laughter as Slughorn regaled them with tales of his former students and how he, personally, was always directly responsible for their later fame and glory, even if he had the most minor intervention in their lives ("Oh yes! Delfinious Kensington, high up in the Ministry of Magic you know, yes, I got him an interview there. He had dropped Potions by the time I started teaching here, sadly, but I filled in for Professor Merrythought a few times in his sixth year, yes, struck up quite a relationship"). Slowly the rest of the class filled up. The Slytherins had potions with the Gryffindors and Grace noticed a distinct coolness between the two groups. Mulciber and Rosier took their seats at the desk next to Tom and Grace, Avery and Malfoy behind them. Dolohov and Lestrange sat together, as did Franny and Marcella, leaving Nott to reluctantly sit next to Gertrude Bulstrode. Lestrange gave him an apologetic look and mouthed that next lesson they would sit together. The Gryffindors sat at the back of the classroom, seemingly trying to put as much distance between them and the Slytherins as possible until Slughorn called, "Come now, children! Move up, plenty of room, you want to be nice and close for your first lesson don't you!" Grace heard Malfoy mutter behind her, "They should stay at the back, filthy mudblood lovers shouldn't even be here." Grace noticed Tom twitch at the comment, but she remained silent, confused but eager to hear what Slughorn had to say.

It turned out that Potions was not as simple as reading the ingredients and adding them to the cauldron. By the end of the lesson most people were panicking, Slughorn had them brew a simple boil-curing potion. One of the Gryffindor boys had gotten up to get some extra ingredients and knocked his cauldron over, pouring the half finished concoction all over Nott and Gertrude. The two of them shrieked as ugly, painful looking boils erupted all over them. Slughorn bustled over to them, tut-tutting as he examined them, "Oh dear, up to the hospital wing, I think. Yes, Malfoy, you take them up, will you? It's on the fifth floor; just tell Madam Gosling that I sent you up. She'll get you two fixed up quick smart." Slughorn smiled at them comfortingly. He waved his wand, muttering Evanesco and making the potion disappear, causing the first years to gasp and some applauded. "Now, boy," Slughorn addressed the sheepish looking Gryffindor boy sternly, "you simply must be more careful! Honestly Henley, I don't want to be unnecessarily harsh, but I'm going to have to take a point from Gryffindor. Remember son, be careful."

The lesson was largely uneventful after that, with no pair being able to produce the potion correctly, except one. Tom's and Grace's potion was bubbling away merrily, a bright shade of magenta, just as the book described. Others were not nearly as successful. Dolohov and Lestrange's had a concoction the consistency of cement the colour of Pepto-Bismol stuck in the bottom of their cauldron. A pair of Gryffindors had produced something that was spewing thick white fumes all over the dungeon that smelt strongly of vomit. "Dear me!" lamented Slughorn as he went around vanishing the failed potions, "You lot really must read the instructions more carefully! It clearly says to turn counter clockwise three times before waiting five seconds and then turning clockwise twice. Only Mr Riddle and Miss McDermott have produced something worthy of being called a potion! Ten points to Slytherin, you two. Well done! I have a feeling you'll both be naturals in my class." Slughorn smiled indulgently at them as he issued a paper on simple cures for skin imperfections due in one week. Tom and Grace were both beaming with pride and Tom seemed to be sitting even more ridiculously straight than normal, and Grace's normal slouch was definitely less pronounced than normal. They smiled happily to each other and packed up their books.

Tom listened smugly as Grace was fondly rehashing everything they had done right where others had made mistakes as they walked back along the dungeon corridors. Before they rushed to their Charms lesson on the fifth floor they dropped their Potions things and the books they wouldn't need that day in their common room; the cauldrons were awfully heavy and weighed down their bags. Enlisting the help of Rookwood, who was lounging on one of the couches reading a book about something called "Quidditch" they managed to make it to Charms with a couple of minutes to spare, rushing into the class and finding the other Slytherins already there. The Ravenclaws were the other House present in the class. Grace and Tom were relieved to see they were not the last ones there and several seats were still available. Rosier and Franny had saved them both seats in the front row and waved them over just as a kindly looking wizard in deep blue robes strode into the room. "Quickly, quickly, students! I'm sure you all want to get going with some wand work!" he looked around enthusiastically at them. The room immediately began buzzing with excited whispers. Tom drew his wand slowly out of his cloak's pocket and stared at it lovingly. He had been fascinated by it ever since he had bought it at Ollivander's wand shop in Diagon Alley. Grace smiled as she saw the loving look on his face, "It's a very nice wand," she said. Tom looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, yew. 13 and a half inches with a phoenix tail feather core. Ollivander said it was a very powerful wand and would do great things." Tom seemed in awe of it as he stared it. Grace drew her own wand from her pocket and showed it to Tom. He took it in his hands and smiled, maybe it was true that the wand chose the wizard because Grace's wand seemed to embody her. It was quite short, only around 8 and a half to 9 inches. The wood seemed to be ebony, dark as her hair, the grain going in a swirling wavy pattern, reflecting her wild, wavy curls. "What are its details?"

"Ebony, 9 inches and a unicorn tail hair, springy. Ollivander said it was a strong-willed wand and very powerful if wielded by one with a strong-willed mind," Grace said rather proudly, "he said I must be very strong minded to be able to master it," she smiled smugly. Tom smiled and handed her back her wand. It truly did fit her personality. It was even springy, she always seemed to be bouncing everywhere, he thought as he chuckled softly. "What are you laughing at?" Grace enquired looking slightly hurt; she'd taken his laughter as derisive. Tom smiled at her to reassure her.

"I was just thinking how well it suits your personality. The springy thing…well, you always have a bounce in your step," he explained and she blushed brightly, the freckles across her nose disappearing as blood flooded her face. At that moment the Professor quieted them and began his introductions.

"Now, students, I am Professor Willoughby. This is of course Charms. It is here you will learn rudimentary wand work. Charms is perhaps one of the most basic, but most useful areas of magic. It covers everything from basic levitation," he muttered an incantation and made a Ravenclaw girl's purple quill float off the table, receiving awed applause, "to very complex pieces of magic that are far beyond any school student, such as the Fidelius Charm, which will hide any place completely, making it only accessible to those who have been told of its location by the 'secret keeper' of the hidden location. It is in this classroom you will learn the magic you use most often. Today we are going to being with a very simple, but very useful spell you will no doubt use many times. The Lumos Charm will produce a light from the end of your wand, providing an instant source of light. To perform the Lumos charm you must flick your wand down, then up quickly," – Willoughby demonstrated, jerking his wand slightly – "and say lumos, be sure to place the right emphasis on the first syllable. It should be loo-mos, second syllable nice and quick. Let's see you lot have a go." Willoughby waved his wand, drawing the curtains and putting out all the lights in the room.

The class was soon filled with muttering and wand waving. Franny got so frustrated with her wand that she shrieked shrilly "LUMOS!" and jerked her wand sideways, sending a spray of electrical sparks across the room, giving slight shocks to anyone they touched, causing a series of yelps. Willoughby shouted into the darkness for them to be careful, "It's down and up! No sideways movements, students!"

Tom looked around in the darkness seeing random flickers of light appear at intervals around the room. He turned to the side Grace was on and said, "Shall we try?" Grace nodded, then, realising Tom couldn't see her replied, "All right then. Let's do it together. On the count of three, "Tom muttered his agreement, "one…two…three! Lumos!" the two of them exclaimed, jerking their wands down and then up.

Two beams of light shot across the classroom, catching the face of a Ravenclaw boy looking like a dear in the headlights of an oncoming car and Mulciber looking so frustrated he was just shaking his wand up and down angrily. Willoughby jumped up and exclaimed, "LOOK! Everyone, look at Riddle and McDermott, they've got it! Perfect Lumos Charms! Have five points for Slytherin each! Now to put out your wands, jerk them upwards and say 'nox'." Tom and Grace obeyed and their wands extinguished themselves. By the end of the lesson most students had managed to light their wands and extinguish them. Willoughby gave them three charms to read up on and practice before the next lesson, the Levitation Charm, the Lockpicking Charm and the Repairing Charm. The day passed in much the same way as the morning had. After break they trudged down to Herbology where they received more welcomes and collected willow sap, which was useful for treating colds. Professor Beery gave them a paper on the medicinal properties of sap in common trees.

History of Magic was next, which was taught by a ghost who shocked the class, producing shrieks from the girls when he floated in through the blackboard. Unlike the other teachers, Professor Binns gave only the most rudimentary of introductions and launched into a long, boring lecture on the history of wizard-goblin relations. Tom was the only one who managed to take satisfactory notes during the class as Binns' voice had a soporific effect on everyone, including Grace. Her notes diminished significantly throughout the lesson, becoming less and less detailed, until they became small comic strips about goblins stealing wands in several different ways. Binns set them a foot long essay on the restriction of wand use by magical creatures.

Following lunch they had double Defence Against the Dark Arts. Tom and Grace had been looking forward to this all day, however they were sorely disappointed. Professor Merrythought did not give them any exciting tasks or stories. Instead he made them copy a study plan for the entire year, telling them everything they would study, and then gave an overview of what would be studied in each year of their schooling. After that he had them copy down definitions of the Dark Arts and what was included underneath them. The lesson disappeared quickly and was thoroughly dull. Mercifully, Merrythought gave them no homework. As they left the classroom to return their things to the common room before dinner Tom turned to Grace and said, "Oh well, it'll get better. He was just introducing everything; next lesson will be much more exciting." Grace latched onto this, cheering up significantly and bouncing down to the warm, green glow of the Slytherin common room.
That night Tom and Grace were so exhausted that once they had done Beery's essay, half of Binns' and practiced the Levitation Charm (both of them successfully levitated their copy of The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)) they could barely mutter goodnight before dragging themselves to their warm, four poster beds and collapsing in their warm emerald green bedding.


There's Chapter three. It's really long… Please Review!!!