Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Harry Potter!

Even as a student, Tom Riddle thirsted for knowledge and years later when he became the greatest wizard of all time, his thirst for knowledge had not wavered or dimmed in the least. If anything it had only grown like a gnawing hunger in his gut that could never be sated. It was one of the many reasons the dark arts had caught his attention in the first place. Dark magic was always changing, evolving, and because of that anyone who excelled in the dark arts had an automatic edge above everyone else. The people on the light side were restricted by rules and morals; Voldermort did not have such a problem and it was one of the reasons he remained so powerful and why he had lasted as long as he had.

It was his need to know everything which had him looking over a folder full of information about one Hermione Granger. He must have read the file at least ten times as he looked over every little detail. To know your enemy, or to learn how to corrupt them, you needed to know everything about them no matter how small the detail may seem at first glance. She was the brightest witch of her age; he could give the little mudblood her credit despite her lineage. Her test scores rivaled what his had been when he attended Hogwarts. If she had been in his year, well she would've made a wonderful death eater. Her brilliance alone would have caught his attention back then.

Another thing he locked in his brain was the fact that every single time he tried to finish off the Potter boy, she was there in one way or another. The 'boy who lived' would no doubt be dead by this point if it hadn't been for her. Yes, she was the key to destroying Harry Potter and the magical world. With her by his side they would reshape this world in order to mold it the way they wanted. It was the way it had to be. The prophecy had made it abundantly clear either he corrupt her or end up dead, forever no resurrection death. Voldermort had worked too hard to get where he was today and no boy was going to stop him now.

At first he wanted to kill the girl. He figured if she was out of the way the prophecy would be void, but when he tried, and he had numerous times, nothing happened; he couldn't seem to do it. It was almost as if his magic failed when he tried to kill her. He could still feel the magic in his body, but he could not channel it. Sending someone else to do the task was not an option either; he had tried, but when he went to issue the order the words got stuck in his throat. After a lot of thought and hours of research, Voldermort realized it must be some sort of clause in the prophecy. The girl had to live; she needed to make a choice and with that choice the fate of the entire magical world would be sealed. Obviously if she made the choice now it would be to fight for the good, to do the right thing. Ms. Granger had yet to taste the dark side, but when she did, the dark lord knew without a doubt Hermione would never go back; it just wouldn't be possible. He knew better than anyone the lure of dark magic.

Voldermort sighed as he finished reading her file yet again. He realized what must happen next, but he was not relishing the thought of actually having to go through with it. To be in the body of the 'boy who lived'? To once again be trapped by the walls of Hogwarts castle? The last thing he wanted was to suffer through his teenage years for a second time, but choice did he really have? In life you always had to do things you would rather not and for Voldermort this was one of those things. Besides, the bright side to this situation was the fact he may be able to recruit some of the students to the darkness. Everybody loved Harry bloody Potter and they would follow him blindly without asking questions. All he had to do was make them believe they were doing something noble, pure, and good. Manipulating them would be easy and by the time anyone realized what had happened it would be too late.

"Nagini," He ran his hands along the length of his beloved pet. "Bellatrix is going to look after you while I am away."

The snake hissed as she complained about his choice and the dark lord laughed lightly, a sound only Nagini had ever heard. "You know I would take you with me if I could, but you would have to stay in the chamber of secrets with the dead basilisk. It is better if you stay here. I know Bellatrix is not your favorite person, but you'll have plenty to eat with all the muggles she has locked up in the basement and you can roam without fear of being seen. You need to watch over this body Nagini. When I possess the Potter boy this body is going to be in a sort of magical sleep. I will have no way of defending myself should someone discover my body. You are the only one I trust to keep watch over me until I return, whether or not if I return to this body or in another."

The snake curled around his body as he once again picked up the folder and began to read. He wanted to be prepared for anything and everything. Very soon he would start the most important mission of his life and he could not imperio someone to get what he wanted this time. For the first time in many years, Tom Riddle had himself a real challenge and a part of him was excited to see what would happen next and how many people he could break.

TBC…

AN: Hi everyone, I am sorry if this chapter sucked, but I haven't been feeling well as you all know. The next chapters will be better I promise.

Please R&R like always!