AN: Tom's POV features a small time skip, no more than an hour or two, but we will go back to the events right after the trip to the bookstore in next chapter's POV's.
Kali exited the bank in a very contemplative mood. The visit had been thought-provoking. She had found out that she was the heiress to an almost absurd amount of wealth after requesting a private meeting about the state of her accounts. Though only the direct heir to the ancient Potter and Black fortunes, she had been left the vaults of many other small pureblood families that had been wiped out in the war.
Bluntly, she was informed that though her age prevented her from claiming Lordship of these families at that present moment, she was only allowed to claim these houses at all because she was the last of the line. Most families were strictly patriarchal even in the event of the remaining family member being a female. Yet, the Potters were more liberal than most and Sirius Black was an oddity.
She was not amused with the archaic state of affairs within the Wizarding government but was more surprised to find out how she had been put in line for the Black fortune.
Apparently, she had a godfather, the aforementioned Sirius Black! One who had performed some sort of ritual that had allowed them to be connected by blood, at least closely enough for her to claim the house over the rest of his living relatives. However, when she asked about his whereabouts, she had been informed that he was in the Wizarding equivalent of Alcatraz for his involvement in the death of her parents.
She had struggled to keep a blank face as she tried to keep a lid on her rage. The goblin, far more respectful than the first one she had met, could not tell her the full story as goblins were fairly uninterested in the affairs of the Wizarding world when it did not affect them or their money.
Instead, she had demanded to see the records of the court proceedings to get a detailed description of his crimes, only to be informed that there was no trial given at all. That calmed her as the nagging feeling she had gotten at the start of the conversation made more sense to her when she was not blinded by anger.
Something was not right here, and Kali hated to be in the dark about anything. An imprisonment with no trial smelled strongly of corruption. Call her sentimental if you wished, but she wanted to give her supposed godfather the benefit of the doubt as the last connection she had to the two people who died so that she may live.
She felt she owed her parents at least this. If she could get Black out of false imprisonment then she would.
First, however, she needed to find out more about this "Azkaban" and visit the man her parents had called friend. She would determine for herself whether she believed the man to be innocent, and if she believed him to be falsely accused, she would do everything in her power to see him released. According to McGonagall, her title of "Girl-Who-Lived" came with quite a bit of clout and she was prepared to utilize every drop of it to achieve what she wanted.
Despite the emotional upheaval the revealed connection to her parents was, in the end, the most interesting event was still the effect of the man in the bank's presence on her mood.
The dark and angry cloud she had been carrying around had calmed with the occurrence of "first contact" as she called it.
When their magic had touched, more than anything a feeling of contentment had drawn her attention. She felt as if she were one, as if she were whole, for the first time in her life. It was as if the gaping hole that she could always feel but never see had finally closed. The relaxed feeling had disappeared when she had pulled back and she instantly craved more of it. That more than anything had made her suspicious and resentful.
He was addictive and addictive things held all the power over the things addicted to them. Kali would never again allow someone that amount of power over her life and she despised anyone that tried to tame her more than she allowed.
Just watching him, she could tell that he was a man used to commanding attention and dominating everything and everyone around him. He was used to people obeying his every command and hanging on to his every word. If he and Kali ever crossed paths again, he would surely be in for a rude awakening. She was no one's sycophant and she would bend her neck to no living being.
She was startled out of her increasingly dark thoughts by Sarah's voice calling out to her. "Kali dear! We have to go to the robe shop! Hurry!"
Shaking the thoughts from her head, she merely resolved to enjoy the end of the unusually short lived apathetic mood she experienced and caught up to the rest of her group.
*****Femme Fatale*****
Draco noticed her as soon as she walked into his vicinity. It was hard not to. She drew all the attention in the room to her as naturally as she breathed. Madame Malkin greeted her warmly, a lot warmer than she had greeted him he noticed sourly, and she responded in kind, sending the woman a charming lopsided grin. Malkin led her to the stool across from him and he took the opportunity to study the girl closer.
She was certainly striking. Her beauty was the first thing that had captured his attention. Though not completely what one could call a classic beauty, she possessed enough aristocratic features that he could rightly assume she was not one of those mudbloods. The girl had perfect poise and spectacular grace that he had only seen in girls who had years of etiquette training and excelled in those areas of a pureblood lady's education.
She was dressed scandalously in muggle clothing, wearing a spaghetti strapped sundress that billowed out from the top of the rib cage and stopped only a little longer than midthigh. Since even the shortest of robes and skirts stopped at the knee, a length only the more daring girls tried, showing that much leg was paramount to being half naked.
It did not bode well for her morality but respect and proper dress could be learned. With some work, she could emerge a possible candidate for the position of Lady Malfoy, instead of Pansy Parkinson. He did not want his future wife to be more powerful than he was, as remote as the possibility was, but the girl across from him was so delicate that she couldn't possibly have much power contained in such a small package.
Before he could suggest that his father even think about such a proposition, he needed to talk to her and find out what family she was from. He had never seen her at any of the balls or events but she could have recently returned to the area for school or she may have been a pureblood from one of the more obscure lines. Looking at her, disregarding her clothing, he could not believe that she was anything less than a pureblood.
He noticed the girl's tiny smile fade away as she studied the drab black robes that was being pinned to the right length for her.
"Excuse me, madam?" Her voice was a little deeper than what was usual for a girl, and he could notice no accent.
"Yes dear?" Madame Malkin asked kindly. The girl's voice was polite but firm when she stated her request to the seamstress.
"I would appreciate if you could make these robe a bit more formfitting. They seem to be quite loose and I am not entirely comfortable with that." Malkin frowned.
He jolted, his attention diverted even as the pair continued discussing the design of the girl's uniform, as the assistant pricked him with a pin. He glared at the older girl and sneered. "Be careful!" He could see the girl struggling not to respond but she eventually remembered her place and stayed silent.
He looked up to see Madame Malkin pinning the waist of the girl's robes tighter and tucking in some of the fabric around the bust. He barely resisted the urge to physically startle when he noticed exquisite green eyes peering into his own. Their owner appeared to be entirely unconcerned with being examined so closely. The girl only rose an eyebrow before sending him a cute smile and a commiserating look.
A small chuckle escaped him. Though clearly not possessing the personality of a Slytherin, the girl was amusing. Draco cleared his throat.
"Hogwarts, too?" The girl smiled pleasantly at him and responded positively. He put on his most impressive voice, an imitation of his father's drawling tone. He ignored Madame Malkin and the assistant returning to the front for a few minutes.
"My mother is examining Ollivander's wands and my father is off buying my books. When they return, I'll drag them off to look at racing brooms."
A secret smile crossed the girl's lips, as if she were laughing at an inside joke that he just wouldn't understand. "Oh my, racing brooms. So interesting." He couldn't tell if she was serious or if she was just mocking him so he ignored it.
"Do you play quidditch?"
She raised a slim eyebrow. "Do you?"
He scoffed. "Of course! Father says it would be a crime if I didn't make it on the Slytherin house team. Do you know what house you'd like to be in yet?"
She made a thoughtful noise as she turned back to examine herself in a mirror. "I'm not quite sure yet."
"That's alright. No one really knows until they get there but my whole family has been in Slytherin so that's where I will also be sorted. Just imagine how horrible it would be to be sorted into Hufflepuff!" Draco laughed snidely but tapered off as he noticed the girl did not laugh with him.
Instead she leaned in a bit, eyes glittering dangerously, and whispered to him as if they were conspirators in a top secret plan. "But with a name like Hufflepuff, so sugary sweet, just imagine what you could do. You would have free reign and no one would ever suspect you. No one ever lays blame on the Hufflepuff. It would be the greatest con of all."
Draco froze as he really thought about the idea. It was brilliant! It was true that no one would ever suspect those students because they were generally weak and unremarkable.
He opened his mouth to respond but a bushy haired brunette interrupted the pair and narrowly avoided crashing into Draco.
He however lost his balance and tripped off the stool. His skin immediately blushed red with rage. How dare the little mudblood push past him so rudely! She had been gibbering a mile a minute – "Kali, are you done yet! We have to move along and I don't want to leave them out there that long with all that we've heard from the professor but magical society is just so fascinating! How are we…" – but now she stood still and covered her mouth with her hands, gaping in horror.
She scrambled over to help him up but he slapped her hand away, missing the green eyes that flashed at the aggressive movement.
" Don't touch me! I can tell exactly what sort you are. With that ugliness, that clumsiness, and that constant babbling, you must be a muggleborn." The room temperature dropped severely after his insults but looking around, he could see no cause and assumed it to be his imagination.
He smoothed his robes and picked up his stool, standing it upright. As he turned away, he muttered under his breath, "Stupid mudbloods. Such a useless bunch." He was shocked into taking a few steps back when he turned to find the dark haired girl glaring down at him with venomous green eyes. He hadn't even heard her move.
She stood still and looked at him, a mask of contempt so unbreakable it looked as if it had been carved from marble, and the potential for violence hung so thickly in the small slice of air between them that he couldn't help cowering in fear, even as he derided himself for it.
The moment was broken as Madame Malkin bumbled obliviously into the room with steady stream of chatter. "Okay dear! Your purchases are ready at the front! You only have to wait a few more moments Mr. Malfoy." She paused as she finally noticed the tension in the room. "Is something the matter?"
The girl's expression broke and she dredged up another one of those charming grins. "No madam. We were merely saying goodbye to Mr. Malfoy. Isn't that right?"
The older woman turned to him for confirmation and he couldn't help but say yes. He watched the girl leave with revenge in his eyes. She could forget about being the future Lady Malfoy. She had humiliated him and she would regret it. No one crossed a Malfoy and escaped unscathed.
*****Femme Fatale*****
When she had first encountered the blonde brat that Draco Malfoy have proved himself to be, she had been intrigued. He was whiny and boastful but she recognized a special potential to be great. Wanting to find out more about him, she had put up her usual sociable, cheerful, and very pleasant persona – one she had perfected during her time in show business – until she had witnessed how he treated her best friend.
He was dismissive and scornful, and he called her that awful word. Kali wasn't sure what "mudblood" meant but the contemptuous tone of his voice told her that it was something insulting while the way he whispered it told her that it was a word generally banned from use in society.
That kind of attitude was unacceptable. Who was this pathetic little creature? He was not worth the dirt beneath Hermione's feet! How dare he be so rude! It inflamed her temper but instead of going totally on the offense, she dropped her genial mask to give him the glimpse of the face she reserved for her enemies as a warning. He had been appropriately weary then.
Now, staring in the eyes of the tall blonde man stubbornly standing in front of her, she could tell exactly where the boy had gotten his manners.
The man in front of her was undoubtedly an aristocrat and he had both the elegance and egotism to prove it. She ignored the existence of the man from the bank, who had been walking with the family, beyond a glance that seemed to be only mildly interested.
He had already cost her some of her hard won control and losing that control was just not something she could afford to do in the face of possible enemies. Especially when the man was obviously well- acquainted with those enemies.
She ignored the intense and unreadable look he leveled her with as she crawled her gaze over the Malfoy patriarch's proud form. Blond with sharp blue gray eyes, tall, and handsome, he cut a striking figure though it paled in comparison to his companion's. He seemed to be a powerful character, judging on how the crowd flowed around the sophisticated group.
She knew she would be drawing more unwanted attention to herself but she was not at her most rational then. So although she would later curse herself for her actions, she didn't curve into the crowd as her companions did. Instead, she looped gracefully forward and daringly skipped straight toward the group as if expecting them to part for her.
She just needed to taunt them in her own little way. Almost everything about them called to her. She was fascinated by their easy elegance, their cold beauty, the cool masks they wore, and by the blue blood upbringing evident in everything they did.
An intense curiosity would normally have swelled in her by now; she should have wanted to be closer to them so that she could study them until she had cracked the code to their psyche and knew everything about them (their hopes, their dreams, their weaknesses). She would have been if they hadn't had such attitudes.
The superiority they felt towards muggles, as evidenced by Draco's disgust for Hermione, reminded her of the Dursley's, and she instantly despised anything that reminded her of them and the years she had be so weak.
She finished her slow examination of the elder Malfoy and inclined her head only slightly. Despite her bold showing, it would not do to make such powerful enemies so early, at least not blatantly. The nod was the only indication that she was aware of the Malfoy family's power and it was the only concession she would give. She held no respect for them and she would not pretend to.
She turned her gaze to mother and son. Just as blonde and just as pretty, the witch was as pleasant to look upon as her husband was. Kali looked admirably upon the woman's unbreakably cool mask. It was only the look deep in the woman's eyes that told her the girl's actions interested her at all.
Draco had yet to perfect his parent's icy cool but he tried. It was his eyes and the subtle downward curl of his lips that gave him away. He glared at her and the look was heated. Kali only raised an eyebrow in response. He was certainly bolder when in the presence of his father.
With all the scorn that he could muster, he turned toward his father and whispered, "This is the mud blood lover I was telling you about, Father." It was quiet enough that only Kali and the three adults heard what he said.
Kali's eyes flashed in response to the use of the derogatory word but her only reaction was to smile politely and gently scold the boy.
"I would ask that you refrain from using that sort of language in my presence. Such a filthy word is hardly fit to be spoken by someone of you and your companions apparent…caliber. What would people think if they heard you use such an ugly phrase?"
She was only loud enough for her voice to carry to a few people nearby but that was enough. Once those people showed an interest in the standoff, there was a cascade effect. Within a few seconds, the nearby crowd had quieted and were focusing on the group.
The boy opened his mouth to respond to his statement but his father's glance cowed him into silence. He had been too consumed in the memory of his brief humiliation and had noticed the crowd too late. There was nothing he could say. Draco recognized a well-played maneuver when he saw it and this time his glare was wearier.
He obviously viewed her to be unpredictable and she was pleased with his observations. This was the beginning of the very long lesson she would teach him about the importance of manners. No one disrespected Hermione and got away with it.
She let her lips curl into a sweet smile aimed at the family that she knew made her look innocent. Finally, turning her attention to the man from the bank and dipping her head lower than she had for the elder Malfoy, she peeked coyly from underneath her eyelashes.
As much as she resented the man for her loss of control in his presence, she respected power. From even the briefest of tastes, she knew he possessed an unbelievable amount of magic and he knew well how to control it.
She made a believable look of subtle shock creep onto her face, as if she had just noticed the little stand off their encounter had turned into, as if the fact that they were just as aware as she was that she'd purposefully continued walking a straight path to them even as everyone else turned away was lost to her.
"Oh, my apologies. How rude of me! If you would excuse me, my good sirs," and turning to Lady Malfoy she said, "madam."
Though she kept her tone light but serious, the words themselves were almost mocking, teetering on the edge of respectful and playful belligerence. Smoothly, she stepped around them, only looking into indigo eyes that were calmly examining her. She knew that their owner was trying to solve the puzzle she presented and she certainly couldn't allow that.
Hoping to unsettle that infuriating calm by way of her sexuality, just like one of the femme fatales in the films would do but surely a lot more uncomfortable for a grown man coming from an extremely underage girl, she gave a flirty wink and a smirk before turning away completely.
She refused to look back as she met her family with a calm expression but a kind of dark gratification was more than apparent in her eyes to those that knew her well. Sarah and Hermione appeared to be instantly suspicious and the blonde accosted her as soon as she got close.
With narrowed eyes, the business woman questioned her. "I only caught the tail end of that. What happened there?"
An expression of innocence crossed the raven haired girl's face, one she knew Sarah had overcome ages ago but still occasionally let her get away with. "Oh, nothing. I was just apologizing to the boy for bumping into him. It was no big deal."
Sarah had evidently decided to waylay the issue until they had privacy because she let the girl go but not without a promise of interrogation in her eyes.
When they began walking again, Hermione gave her a warning look. Kali gave her a warm smile in return, mood lightened in the wake of the little games she played.
She could always trust Hermione to advise her against going too far. It was that cautious manner in part that made the girls click so well. It matched well to Kali's marked impulsiveness.
"Don't look at me that way. Just testing the waters."
Hermione sighed heavily. "Don't be so antagonistic. You don't want to make enemies so early!" Kali pouted even as she agreed.
She was well aware that Hermione got annoyed when she played up either the childish, especially when she was anything but, or manipulative aspects of her character. Her friend despised the many masks she wore, but they were necessary to her continued survival and she refused to drop them permanently for anything.
Dropping the playful act she was currently indulging in, she allowed herself to be serious for a moment. She could tell from the look on Hermione's face that she noticed the change in mood. Glancing quickly to check that the adults were still focused on their own conversations, she leaned in.
"I know. But that encounter was needed. I've seen the aristocrats and now I have a general idea of the hierarchy of the society we will be entering. The upper crust citizens are obviously long time inheritors of wealth, bluebloods, if not outright lords and ladies. It is obvious that they still operate on blood prejudice and are firmly stuck in the past." The raven haired beauty gestured to the hustle and bustle going on around the pair.
"Look around us, Hermione. We are far from a modern society. The Wizarding world have probably yet to advance beyond even the Elizabethan period. Technology is one prompt in societal law and without technical advancement, assuming it was restrained in the desire for steady tradition and quite likely also out of arrogance, the laws will be constrained by those same values. I mean really Hermione. Had I not been the last living Potter, I may have been barred from inheriting a good share of my inheritance solely on the principle of me being female." Kali stared into her friend's brown eyes, deftly maneuvering them through the crowds after the adults in their party.
"In societies such as these, it was the wealthy who controlled everything, and if those with prejudice and traditional values are in charge, we need to know everything about those traditions and views in order to bend the rules to suit our needs and desires. I will not live under anyone else's control ever again. However, I will certainly not blame you if you choose to steer clear of my personal mission."
Kali's deeply rooted need for autonomy could be felt in her every word as she logically laid out the conclusions she had drawn from the little she had seen already. Hermione's eyes gleamed in response to such passion, especially when it was a mission she could wholeheartedly support. The brunette nodded firmly.
"Then we must go to the place where such information would be held and gather every scrap relevant to our cause."
A mischievous glint entered coffee brown eyes as Hermione struck a classic superhero pose and, finger pointing in the air, loudly said, "To the bookstore!", before taking off and leaving Kali in fits of laughter behind her.
*****Femme Fatale*****
Tom Riddle, current Lord Slytherin and the allegedly deceased Lord Voldemort, sat contemplating his newest interest as Lucius prepared them both a glass of the finest red wine on the market.
He had first noticed the girl in the bank when she had reached out to him. He had almost reacted violently, until he realized that a child was the one who had touched his magic. What stopped him was not the fact that she was still but a child, he had murdered enough children before his downfall to know that her age would not have an effect on the severity of her punishment, but the fact that she had the ability to touch him at all.
He ignored the drunken sway of her body knowing it was an effect of mature magic interacting with her own developing magic. Instead, he pondered the level of control such an ability would entail and estimated that it would require a level very close to what he had achieved at that age.
A curiosity that was, but not important in the scheme of things beyond as an amusement. It was not until the encounter in the alley once he had crossed paths with one of his faithful servants that he realized her true value.
The green eyed child who stood daringly in front of the powerful family and taunted them from behind an innocent mask, ignoring his presence beyond a nod of respect and a cursory glance, was none other than the blasted Girl-Who-Lived. It seemed that no one had recognized who she was without her infamous scar on display.
While she turned her attentions to toward the Malfoy's, he turned on his mage sight and barely managed to hide his reaction.
Her magic swirled wildly around her with no lease on her powers, the scent of ozone hanging thick in the air with a powerful heat intermittently cutting through. It was as if she stood in the eye of a storm, lighting crackling ominously in the air above her. Interestingly enough, beyond wielding a level of control comparable to what he had possessed in his youth, her power level was nearly as strong as his was at that age, if not stronger.
His interest only increased when she had started a game of her own with him, one that he knew well. An expert at seduction, he knew a budding seductress when he saw one, and Ms. Potter had all the makings of a very successful one.
Yet, she had no idea what she had done by challenging him that way and she was in no way ready to play the level of games he was used to. Though, he couldn't say he wasn't interested in teaching her.
When he had looked into those uniquely colored eyes, he had seen a dark hunger that he recognized from his own childhood. Maybe, this child could be an ally instead of an enemy.
This one encounter had changed everything and required the Dark Lord to adjust his plans. After meeting the girl, none of the plans in place would be successful. This did not worry him. Tom Riddle was nothing if not a magnificent planner; he always came out on top because he always had a backup plan. He wasn't called a genius for nothing.
That night at Godric's Hallow, he had entered the house prepared for every possible outcome, including his death unlikely as that was. He even had a fall back identity in case anything went wrong and he had to go into hiding.
Tom Riddle, the current Lord of house Slytherin, had never disappeared. Tom had made sure to keep his identity as a boy genius/ spell creator/ international traveler and his identity as the fearful Dark Lord completely separate.
While Voldemort terrorized Wizarding Britain, Tom Riddle traveled the world in the pursuit of knowledge before claiming his lordship and fading into isolation, conveniently before the time of Lord Voldemort's death. 7 years after the destruction of the dark lord by a child, Tom Riddle appeared on the political stage where he quickly climbed the ranks to reach the position he was in today.
Savoring the taste of the finely aged wine caressing his tongue, he turned hooded eyes onto his faithful servant.
"Lucius," his purr immediately gaining the blond's full attention, "get me all the information the ministry has on Kali Potter. It seems there has been a change of plans."
Whelp, here's chapter 10 with the introduction of Draco Malfoy, and a brief glimpse into the mind of Tom Riddle. I've actually had this one done for a while and I hadn't gotten around to sending it off.
I'm also debating on the way I want Kali's sexuality to go. She will definitely be attracted to men but will she just flirt with women to get something she wants, or be just as attractive to them, going as far as entering into a relationship with a woman and outright seducing them until they are wrapped around her finger like she plans to do to the men in her life. Leave your comments in the reviews and let me know what direction you would prefer Kali to head in. It would fit into my plans either way.
Next chapter is the visit to the wand shop and I start wrapping up the rest of Kali's summer!