Wow, I've never received so many reviews for just three chapters, thanks a bunch to everyone! Your support fuels my work, as you know. I'd like to thank anonymous reviewers Bre (I did sort of ignore one of the necessary life functions since I'm so very sleepy right now:) ), Katrina and QueenReeBee for the very kind reviews. Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, you made my day:) Well, I'm not really sure about this chapter, probably because I'm dead tired. I hope I didn't make a mess of it. Please tell me what you think and enjoy!

If you ever get close to a human
And human behaviour
Be ready, be ready to get confused

There's definitely, definitely, definitely no logic
To human behaviour
But yet so, yet so irresistible

Bjork-Human Behaviour

*

Chapter 4: The Vicious Kind

After that day, I tried my best never to find myself alone with Tom Riddle. I understood he could get me whether I was prepared or not, because not only was he a skilled wizard, but he was well-acquainted with the Dark Arts. I had no chance against him if I could only rely on my standard magic.

At night, I sometimes thought I would like to hurt him and watch him suffer. I was here, wasn't I? I was in a strange time, in a strange world and I could do almost anything. And I didn't have to worry about conscience, because this was Voldemort. Everyone was entitled to kill him without remorse.

And yes, I thought of those things too…

I thought that I had the chance to prevent all those deaths and all the suffering, bring Harry's parents back to life, if only I could do him in.

Of course, these were just thoughts, because in reality, I had no idea if I could ever do that. Notwithstanding his horrendous character, I couldn't just kill young Tom Riddle. He wasn't innocent, he wasn't better, he was just alive. Voldemort seemed dead to me already. I didn't think one could kill Voldemort. He had already killed himself.

But Tom was alive and his eyes showed that intensely.

So I couldn't stick the wand in his throat and say those two little words, could I?

Maybe not now…

I didn't want to dream about him or think about him more than I had to, but sometimes I did feel the touch of his wand on my skin. It happened mostly when I felt he was close to me in class, but I didn't turn my head to look. I just knew he was there.

And I ignored the touch as best as I could, since it would disappear eventually, I thought to myself.

A week and a half had passed and I got used to the stares. I didn't get used to the whispered insults and other comments that just slipped by. When I say slipped by, I meant that not many people really attacked me directly. They rarely said something out loud, but when they did, it was painful, I had to admit.

I think I began to understand how this worked. Since I had harmed Tom Riddle, people had understood that he was the one who was going to punish me and they shouldn't interfere. Except his team of partisans.

They were allowed to show their disapproval physically, from what I could gather.

The Goyle girl always made sure to bump into me and hurt my shoulder hard whenever we had to cross paths in the dormitory.

One of the other boys that I found out was actually Avery liked to push my books out of my hands.

Another one called Rosier had the talent of spilling things on me, including personal liquids. He was not a very clean fellow.

Malfoy himself had stuck a note in my hair one time that said "Mudblood on the loose". He had also made me trip a couple of times.

All these small things I could ignore, but they did annoy me to some extent and I was just waiting for the right moment to explode and hex them. But I was waiting, because these were small things after all.

Perhaps bigger things were in store for me.

I couldn't understand how a person could keep such a grudge. For me, having scratched him like that didn't mean a big thing, but for him, it meant that I had defeated him in some way, or, actually, prevented him from having full victory.

He was one of those persons who just didn't give up until they had things their way and he could probably step over many principles to achieve that. Not that he had any principles.

One of the first things that I learned was that no one really liked him, except his small fan club. I wasn't so sure about them either.

No one liked him in the sense that he wasn't popular with the Slytherins and no one was really nice with him. They just showed a very profound respect towards him and when I say profound, I mean in a very obsequious way. But the general feeling was that of fear. They certainly didn't listen to him because he was a handsome, charming young man. They listened because he was a very frightening young man.

In fact, I think I was less afraid than some people. I foolishly felt I had some power over things since I knew the future, but who could say what the future was anymore? I certainly hadn't planned on coming here. I hadn't planned on staying either. I didn't believe in fate, I didn't believe in Providence or in universal laws. I didn't believe in cause and effect.

I had to believe I was still sane and that I would get to see my family and friends soon. Hope was most of my belief and I was quickly starting to doubt my disbeliefs.

I wouldn't call her a ray of sunshine, but Victoria was some comfort to me. Sure she wasn't very polite or very sympathetic, but she did talk to me and she came by my bed from time to time, which meant a lot to me.

She gave me strength to get up in the morning.

I was usually surrounded by friends, so the space between me and other people affected me. But she was the only girl I really liked. I didn't want to befriend anyone else.

Of course, I wasn't really her friend, but for some reason, she was drawn to me, or rather, she found me interesting and I discovered she was a very curious person that liked strange things. Perhaps that's why she wasn't against me.

She almost never talked about herself and the most I could find out was that she had a half-brother called Richard that played in a Quidditch team but I forgot which one.

She, however, asked me dozens of questions about myself. She was worse than Dumbledore. She never noticed I sometimes hesitated. She just thought I was shy.

She didn't like to talk about our classmates, she only mentioned her close friends, but she did sometimes allude to Black. She seemed to admire him a great deal.

'Why does he follow Riddle around though?' I asked during one of our conversations.

I thought she wouldn't answer me, but she thought for a moment or two, then she looked at me gravely and spoke.

'Why wouldn't he? Well, Riddle is powerful. He has his interests.'

She knew I wasn't convinced and for some reason, she didn't like it when people thought wrong things of Black. She probably thought I would consider him a second Malfoy and I actually saw her shudder at the image.

She coughed loudly and sat closer to me.

When she spoke again her voice was barely audible.

'If you must know, he doesn't have much of a choice. He…well, you see, he saw some things he shouldn't have seen.'

I drew my legs to my chin and waited for her to continue.

'Listen Greystone, you shouldn't know this. You really shouldn't.'

'What shouldn't I know?'

'Things that happened last year. You weren't here and it was very well you weren't. In fact, I think you're really lucky. Only imagine…Yes, you're really lucky,' she said nodding.

'Victoria, tell me.'

'You didn't even see the articles in the newspaper? The Chamber of Secrets…' she barely whispered.

Of course I knew. Of course I knew everything about it. I felt blinding tears in my eyes at the memory, but I blinked them back and I tried to hold my breath. Clearly I wasn't doing a good job.

Victoria frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder.

'Are you alright? You don't look fine…'

'I'm okay, I just…I think I heard about it,' I said shaking my head.

Now I understood why Victoria said I had been lucky. I was a Muggleborn, therefore anything could have happened.

But something had already happened. She didn't know it, but I had been one of the victims. I had seen those yellow eyes and I fell in a long slumber. She just didn't know it.

I also knew who had opened the Chamber of Secrets.

'So you heard then it was opened,' Victoria continued. 'People said only the Slytherin heir could open it, but Headmaster Dippet tried to disperse this rumour. We all believed it, though. And then that girl died.'

Victoria looked shaken herself. The memory wasn't doing her good.

'A girl died…' I whispered. Moaning Myrtle. She was so young and she wore glasses, I thought to myself daftly.

'Yes. Muggleborn. So…you're very lucky. She was a Mudblood. And that…that thing haunted only Mudbloods. We all thought it was some kind of monster.'

'How did he kill her?' I asked, already knowing the answer.

'It happened in the second-floor bathroom. No one knows exactly how, but many say she saw the monster. She was found dead. I don't think anyone goes in that bathroom anymore.'

Behind her monotonous speech I could see she was holding back some feelings. Her face had darkened considerably.

'Victoria, who opened the Chamber?' Did she know? Did she actually know?

Her small hands started trembling as she unclenched her fists. Her nails dug into my mattress.

'Who do you think?' she asked, looking down.

I went to her side and hugged her awkwardly.

'Victoria, if you know, it means others know too. The Headmaster needs to find out. He has to be taken away. We can't just let him walk freely after this. We just can't and you know that.'

She jerked away from me and glared at me.

'Are you mad? Only the Slytherins know. Who would believe this? Who would? He has killed, he could do it again…' she said, her voice trembling. 'Are you that mad?'

'But Victoria…'

'I know it was him because of Black. But I can't do anything about it and no one should. Yes, it angered me, yes, it made me very sad, yes, it kept me awake at night, but I won't do anything stupid! We should just get on with our lives and pray we get away from this place in one piece,' she said agitated.

'What about that dead girl?'

'What about her?' she countered.

'What about Black?' I asked exasperated.

Her face contorted and for a moment I thought she was going to cry, but she just winced, as if something had bitten her.

'He…he can take care of himself.'

'What did he see exactly?' I asked.

She sighed and pulled two forgotten hair strings out of her face.

'Enough to be in danger. But for some reason, he didn't do anything to him. Instead, Black turned faithful to him.'

'He kept him by his side for some reason,' I said frightened. 'It's worse this way, because he doesn't know what to expect. He's still in danger, Victoria.'

'I know that Jane, okay?' she snapped. 'You don't have to tell me that.'

'I'm sorry,' I said after some moments.

'What for?'

'For making you tell me this.'

The following Monday, I walked into the second-floor bathroom. I knew it would be deserted. I wasn't afraid, because I thought nothing could harm me. I had worked here many hours on my Polyjuice potion. I had had many conversations with Harry and Ron here. This bathroom held for me some bad, but also some pleasant memories so I didn't know how to feel when I stepped inside.

I was expecting to see Moaning Myrtle. I shyly called out her name, but she didn't appear. I even checked the stalls.

Everything felt frozen there, like time had stopped and this one room held the secret of immortality. But it wasn't like that, because immortality had nothing to do here. Someone had died here and there was nothing this room could do to make it more obvious.

The sinister sinks were there and the mirrors and one of the mirrors was half-broken.

I moved towards them, expecting to see my reflection, but I saw nothing. I couldn't see myself no matter how hard I looked.

I touched the half-broken mirror, but I didn't see a finger touching back.

Then I saw it; the little snake Harry had told me about, the small, hateful, barely visible snake.

Don't touch it, I thought to myself, but I did, because I just had to feel its touch.

I expected to touch something very cold, but instead my hand almost flew back since it was as warm as my skin.

Something pulsed through me, something that almost made me giggle, it was a breeze that flew through my hair.

I realized after some moments that it was my scar.

I knew I had to take my hand away, but the strange connection between that small snake and my scar kept me glued to the sink. It was the most fascinating thing, it was like a mother feeling the child in the womb.

'What are you doing here?'

The voice pulled me away from the snake and when I turned I saw Black staring at me from the entrance.

'You…' I stammered. 'I was just trying to look in the mirror…'

'They're broken,' he said flatly. 'Try another bathroom.'

I saw his eyes were looking at the sink, not at me.

'I'm sorry then, I didn't know…' I said trying to walk past him but he was in my way.

His face cringed slightly as he looked down at me.

'I hate to do this, I really do, but…'

He grabbed my arm rather roughly and made me open my palm. The imprint of the small snake was on it and I drew back frightened.

He didn't let me get away. His eyes seemed almost white as they looked into mine.

'How do you know?' he asked, but his voice was different.

'Know what?' I said, desperately trying to pull away.

'You know what I mean. You know,' he told me.

'I want you to let me go right now,' I almost shrieked.

'I'll find out,' he said roughly, squeezing my hand so hard that I thought the bones would break.

'Just pray that I don't,' he said, pulling me to him until the words echoed in my ear.

And then I knew this was Tom Riddle talking, even though this dark haired boy looked nothing like him. I heard the same metallic voice, or the shadow of that voice.

He finally let me go and I almost fell into him, but he pushed me away.

He put his finger to his mouth and smiled, before leaving.

I hate to do this, he had said.

I ran after him even though I knew it was crazy.

'Black!' I shouted and turned his shoulder.

'Pardon? What do you want?' he said blinking rapidly, obviously surprised. His eyes were brown once more.

The words were rushing to my mouth, but I found I had nothing to say, absolutely nothing.

'Look, I don't have time for this,' he said coldly, pushing past me swiftly.

I just wanted to shake him, shake the poison out of him, because whatever it was, it was poison.

This wasn't just Dark Magic, this was the kind that no amateur had any desire to know. This was the kind that made you think Crucio wasn't all that bad.

I knew this must be a high level, but no matter his strength, he must have acquired it some way. He wasn't born with it, though being the Slytherin heir probably made it easier for him.

My heart felt smaller and smaller when I thought of Harry. He had to fight against this man, this man who had poisoned himself with the worst kind of Magic. Harry was pure. His heart had never been defiled by this sorcery.

But Riddle's heart was probably flowing with this poison.

The only way to stand up against him was to know some Dark Magic yourself. You had to fight him with his own weapons. And you failed from the start because by doing this, you'd become like him, the very thing you wanted to destroy.

It was a sick, vicious circle, but I knew he wouldn't let me go. I knew he'd still harm me, with every chance he got.

I had managed to secure that. I had been stupid, very, very stupid.

I could have been free from him, but now he was bent on making me bend. That's how I saw it at least.

I wasn't the only one who felt like that. I saw the same feeling on the faces of some Gryffindors who had probably bothered him. I sometimes heard conversations in the common room about it and it chilled me to the bone. He had the habit of making people miserable. You were either on his side, or his enemy.

I just couldn't understand how he could bully an entire school and get away with it.

I just couldn't.

But like I said, I had to protect myself, which meant I had to…research some Dark Magic.

I already knew I'd find nothing in the actual library and that I had to seek in the Restricted Section.

The librarian, a pretty red-head who wore very high heels, told me that usually Sixth Years or Seventh Years held the key to the Restricted Section.

'I thought we just need to get passes from teachers,' I said puzzled.

'That's for those below Fourth Year,' she said bored, as she looked at her nails with a frown on her face.

I guess they changed that policy after Riddle…

'If you want something from there, you will have to make a request to the student,' she said, swishing her wand in the air. I saw a pair of scissors fly from a back drawer and land on the table. Then the scissors got up and started trimming her nails.

This woman didn't seem to be paying attention to me. I wondered why she was a librarian to begin with.

'Who is the student?'

'From your House? Tom Riddle.'

'Are you sure?' I asked quickly. 'Is there no one else?'

She looked up at me surprised. The scissors paused in the air.

'No, why would there? One student per house.'

'Can I try the students at the other houses?'

'Darling, you're in Slytherin,' she said as if I had said I was a cabbage.

'I know that, but…'

'Oh, my radio program starts in five, so we'll have to cut this short. Mr. Riddle is somewhere around here. I saw him come in some minutes ago. Go talk to him, alright darling?' she said waving her hand as she headed towards a small door in the back. The pair of scissors followed her obediently.

I almost wanted to grab those scissors and cut that red hair of hers, but I stopped myself.

She disappeared behind that door.

I sorely missed Madam Pince right about now.

I couldn't just stand in front of the desk all day long. I had come here for a reason. Yes, he was the keeper of the key, but that shouldn't stop me.

Yes, I was looking up Dark Magic and yes it was with the single purpose to defend myself from him, but that had nothing to do with his scholastic duty of keeping that damned key.

I, like every student past Fourth Year, had the right to the Restricted Section, in decent limits. And judging by the way this school ran, I bet the keepers of the key were useless to begin with.

The rules were much more lax.

This wouldn't be easy at all, but I had been used to challenges. I had fought Death Eaters, hadn't I?

This was the library. I wouldn't get too close to him. I had wanted not to find myself alone with him anymore.

But I would go there and ask him for the key and I wouldn't care about anything else.

I walked around the library aimlessly, trying to find him.

At last, I saw him pulling down some books from a shelf.

I breathed in and out and walked towards him decidedly.

He put the book back in its place and stared at me blankly. I folded my arms and stood almost five feet away from him.

'You wouldn't be needing the book I want, would you?' he said pointing at the one he was going to take out.

He sounded very detached, like he was talking to some distant acquaintance. Like we were classmates and he was the guy I took my notes from.

His face didn't express anything.

'What book?' I managed to say.

'You'll have to come closer to see,' he said.

'No chance of that happening,' I said sharply.

He raised a brow. He looked… puzzled?

'Why not?' he asked innocently.

'Look, you're not fooling me with your little act. I'm not here to chat with you about books. I need the key to the Restricted Section.'

He pondered for a moment, before smiling friendly at me.

'Well, if you need a favour from me, this isn't your best approach is it?'

'I won't beg again, Riddle. This time I'll go to the Headmaster,' I said firmly.

'Who said anything about begging? You didn't even ask, did you? People have lost all their common sense, I always say.'

'Common sense?'

'Good manners. No one has any manners anymore, have you noticed?' he said touching the spines of the books.

'I've noticed,' I said. I was angry. I was angry because he had hurt me and humiliated me and now he wanted to act like nothing happened.

'I've noticed you don't care about such things. I've noticed you handle people like they're objects.'

He chuckled and stepped up towards me. I stepped back.

'But people are objects,' he said serenely. 'Most of the times, they act like objects.'

'Well, I'm not. And I won't stand for the way you treat me,' I said, gritting my teeth.

'Yes you will. They all do,' he said, stepping up again. 'It's what people do. They are all a miserable lot, unfortunately.'

'I won't.'

'I would put a bet on it, but I don't like to gamble. How about we settle this some other way?' he said coming even closer to me.

'How about you just surrender and spare yourself and me all the trouble?' he said, his voice low and guttural. 'I think we could settle that. I think you'd like it, if you just gave it a try.'

'I want the Key,' I said, looking away from him, but all I could see were his eyes. I wasn't sure if it was an illusion or not.

'Other ladies have tried too and none have complained. I think you'll find them all quite satisfied,' he said. He wasn't smiling, but I could see he was going to break into that horrible grin.

'I think you made sure they didn't complain,' I spat.

His eyes were looking into mine with a strange graveness that eluded me.

'And how would you know that?'

'I don't need to know these things. I can tell. I can tell you shut them up. Like you did to many people.'

'And yet you still talk. Isn't that proof of my benevolence?'

He had the ability to make me livid. I was going to hit the roof. I rambled on incoherently.

'I think you're just afraid because you know I know more and you're not sure what I know,' I said fast. I wanted to hit him somewhere it hurt. I wanted him to know I knew more than everyone else.

I always got these uncontrolled urges to harm and cause pain when I was around him. It felt pleasant to do these things…

He wasn't saying anything so I continued undeterred.

'I saw what you did to Black. I know your rage. You probably can't stand not knowing something.'

I almost saw a shadow of anger cross his eyes, but it was gone in the next second.

'You've come here for the Key, haven't you?' he suddenly asked.

He pulled it out of one of his pockets and handed it to me. I held one end and he held the other.

I felt the blood-curdling flutter again on my skin, but I didn't snatch the key away. I stayed for a couple of moments in that position, as our eyes seemed to exchange colour between them. I could see my brown eyes in his.

But the moment was gone and I thankfully grabbed the key and turned away.

I was going blindly, between rows of books, looking back from time to time to make sure he wasn't following me.

But he had remained in the same spot.