Just a quick explanation before I get on with the story: this fic has NOT turned into "describe Danielle's life once she gets back to 2011!" Most things mentioned in the following chapters are important, even if you're annoyed and wondering if Tom ever appears again. Also, I'm sure you can figure it out but there will be several key flashbacks included in the next few chapters.
She was asleep, completely exhausted from the day's events, when the train arrived in Hogsmeade. Moving in a half-unconscious state, Danielle followed the other students out of the train and to the carriages that waited to take them up to Hogwarts. A numb shock hit her when she saw the beasts pulling them: huge, skeletal, black creatures that snorted and stamped their hooves angrily if someone ventured too close. The Thestrals—of course, she could see them now.
Thanks, Tom.
"DANIELLE!" four voices shrieked from somewhere behind her. Turning, Danielle had just enough time to brace herself before she was nearly tackled to the ground in enthusiastic hugs.
"Merlin! I can't believe it!" she exclaimed in spite of herself, shocked. Her four best friends, who she was ashamed to say she'd almost completely forgotten about, stood in front of her with beaming smiles on their faces. The five Ravenclaws—Danielle, Adrianna, Heidi, Tabitha, and Fiona—had been inseparable since their first year.
Danielle felt embarrassed as she untangled herself from their hugs. She'd missed them lots when she'd first arrived in the past, but as time wore on they'd gradually slipped her mind. She couldn't help but unconsciously compare them to Alyssa, Dylan and Alphard: would they agree to go on a long, perilous journey with her, even when they had only a vague idea what was happening and with no clear goal in mind?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Chattering excitedly, the five girls climbed into the nearest carriage and quizzed each other on what they had done during the summer. Danielle, however, stayed quiet for the most part. She examined them each in turn and tried to guess what they would do if they had been in her situation: smart, know-it-all Adrianna, who would have probably managed to repair the Time-Turner herself without calling on Dumbledore; bubbly and energetic Heidi, who would have made the best of the circumstances given and wouldn't have spent endless nights crying as Danielle had; quiet and reflective Tabitha, who would probably have fascinated Tom more than Danielle ever could; and rebellious, outspoken Fiona, who wouldn't have hesitated to give Tom a piece of her mind.
A cold seemed to envelop the carriage as they neared the school. Danielle drew her cloak tighter around her, wondering if she was about to finally crack. The Calming Draught had long since worn off and she was trying to keep her mind on something, anything that didn't involve the past seven months.
"Hey, is it just me, or are you guys cold?" Fiona finally asked as the carriage slowed. Everyone nodded.
Danielle was temporarily relieved that she hadn't, in fact, imagined the chilly temperature. "Well, we are further north," she said.
"But not far enough to make us this cold," Tabitha pointed out.
Danielle could see her breath by the time the carriage ground to a halt. Now an odd chill had begun to surround her entire body, freezing her bones and slowing her muscles. For the first time, she felt afraid. "M—maybe we should just s—stay in the c—carriage," she shivered.
Heidi and Tabitha agreed, but Adrianna and Fiona wanted to investigate further. They swung open the doors and jumped out at once. The coldest rush of wind yet assailed them. Danielle's teeth were chattering so hard she was worried they might break off.
Five minutes slowly passed. Adrianna and Fiona still hadn't returned. The three remaining girls stared at each other worriedly. "I think we should follow them," Heidi said, breaking the silence.
Tabitha nodded.
Danielle drew out her wand with shaking fingers and stood up. "I'll go first," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt. Her two friends watched her warily as she climbed out of the carriage.
As soon as her feet hit the frosty ground, she stumbled and fell to her knees. It was even colder out here…so cold. She felt odd too—almost as if there was a hollow feeling in her chest. She tried to bring up the faces of her parents, her brother…but she couldn't. What was happening?
All of a sudden, she knew.
Dementors.
Raising her head slightly, Danielle squinted into the darkness to see a tall black figure gliding slowly toward her, not touching the ground. She staggered to her feet as the being got closer. Joyfulness, cheerfulness, laughter…it was as if she had forgotten what it was like to be happy.
There was a rattling noise as the Dementor took a deep breath. Danielle raised her wand and tried to picture Tom's face…but she couldn't…"Expecto Patronum!" she gasped, but all that came out of her wand was a hazy white mist.
Happy memories…think of happy memories…had she ever even been happy in her life? It was as if every good feeling she had was being sucked out of her.
As the Dementor got closer, the feeling intensified until she nearly fainted. Summoning up all her strength, she struggled to remember how she had felt when Tom had come back. "Expecto Patronum!" she said again. Her voice was slightly stronger this time, but she still hadn't perfected the spell. The white mist that shot out of her wand was brighter and slightly more corporeal. The Dementor was momentarily slowed but not stopped. Why was it, when she actually needed to use the spell, it failed to work?
Vaguely Danielle noticed that whatever animal had come out of her wand, it most definitely was not a fox. But she didn't have time to dwell on that—her strength was nearly spent. She fought to stay upright as the creature drifted ever closer.
Just as she was about to collapse, two figures appeared on either side of her. "Expecto Patronum!" Heidi and Tabitha yelled. Instantly, a leopard and a sparrow went flying towards the Dementor. It was immediately repelled, flying back into the darkness.
"Bloody Merlin!" Heidi swore. "Why the hell are Dementors here?"
"I dunno," Danielle said in a faint voice. Her head was still spinning.
Heidi and Tabitha supported her all the way up to the castle. "Go to the hospital wing, Danielle," Heidi ordered once they'd gotten to the Entrance Hall. "You're so pale…"
She nodded, gripping tightly onto the stone banister. "I—I can get there on my own," she said weakly as her friends exchanged worried looks.
"Are you sure—"
"Yeah." Danielle attempted a smile and began pulling herself up the stairs one by one. Heidi and Tabitha had probably just saved her from a fate worse than death—the Dementor's Kiss. They didn't deserve to miss the welcoming feast just because she was a little shaky.
As Tabitha and Heidi made their way into the Great Hall, Danielle heard Heidi say, "I thought her Patronus was a fox."
"Me too," Tabitha replied. "It looked so odd tonight, like a snake or something."
That was enough to make Danielle completely lose her balance. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, welcoming the darkness that rushed up to meet her.
Ignoring Alyssa and Dylan's skeptical comments, Alphard raced up to Dippet's office straight after the feast, determined to tell him everything they knew. Perhaps the Headmaster knew who Lord Voldemort was.
However, he hadn't even reached the staircase when he ran into a familiar figure. "Good evening, Mr Black," Riddle said smoothly as Alphard stopped dead. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
He appeared completely composed, but something flickered behind the dark eyes. "I'm—just going to see the Headmaster," Alphard explained, trying to walk past him.
Riddle didn't move an inch. "Do you have a question?" he asked. "Perhaps I can help you…"
Alphard suddenly had an idea. "Actually, I do have a question. I was reading a book in French recently, and I came across a phrase that I didn't understand."
"Yes?" Riddle pressed, but his eyes had narrowed slightly.
"It was Vol de mort. I was just wondering what that was in English—"
"Flight of death," Riddle said, his jaw clenched tight.
"Ah. Thank you," Alphard answered, but inwardly he was cheering. So the name was important. It hadn't just been Clara's scribbled musings.
"Which book used the phrase?" Riddle inquired.
Alphard replied with a question of his own. "What did you do with Clara?"
At the mention of her, Riddle visibly stiffened. "I did nothing," he responded.
"Don't lie to me, Riddle," Alphard hissed. "I know you two went to Albania. D'you actually expect me to believe Dippet's ridiculous story?"
"With all due respect, I do not believe that is any of your business—"
"Drop the act and tell me the truth!"
Now Riddle was angry. He looked as though he would quite like to attack Alphard, but there were too many witnesses around. "She left abruptly and I did not know what happened until tonight," he said, still through clenched teeth. "Her death is quite unfortunate, but—"
"I bet you're glad," Alphard said acerbically. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but she cared for you, Riddle. Loved you, even."
"As I previously said, her death is quite unfortunate," Riddle said, audibly forcing his tone to politeness. Alphard knew he had seriously angered him. "Now, which book were you reading that used the phrase vol de mort?"
"I found it written on one of Clara's papers, actually," Alphard replied, crossing his arms.
Riddle pulled out his wand. Alphard flinched, but he merely unlocked a door to their right. "In," Riddle commanded, pointing inside the classroom.
Feeling it was best not to argue, but pulling out his wand as well, Alphard walked inside. Riddle followed him and locked the door. "Now," he said, advancing on Alphard, "How much do you and the MacDougals know?"
"Nothing," Alphard said, feeling uneasy. Riddle's eyes were boring into his and he felt a sharp pain in his head.
"Liar," Riddle hissed, and his eyes flashed red.
"Get away from me," Alphard warned, but Riddle disarmed him with a lazy flick of his wand.
"I suppose in one way you are right, Black," he said, a horrid smile twisting his face. "Very soon you will know nothing. It is a pity you are not more like your siblings."
Before Alphard could answer, Riddle raised his wand. "Obliviate!" he ordered, and the other boy's eyes slid out of focus.
How many times had she fainted in the past year? Far too many, she was sure of that.
When Danielle came to, she was lying comfortably on a bed in the hospital wing. It was pitch black outside and she could just see a few stars winking down at her.
Aside from a dull pounding in her head and an empty feeling in her stomach, she felt fine. She was the only one in the hospital wing. Maybe I set a new record, she thought. Not even five minutes in the castle and I'm already up here.
To make matters worse, Danielle realized she was in the very bed that Tom had been in when he was ill all those years ago. It wasn't a very comforting thought.
"Ah, Miss Bailey, you're awake!" Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, had stuck her head out from behind her office door. She immediately bustled towards Danielle. "Professor Longbottom found you collapsed on the staircase and brought you up here." She shook her head in disapproval. "You were exhausted, nearly starved and in a state of shock. Merlin, child, it's no wonder you fainted! What on earth have you been doing for the past week?"
"I—I don't know," Danielle said distantly, not making eye contact. Perhaps Dumbledore should have given her more Calming Draughts.
Madam Pomfrey looked at her icily, acknowledging the lie, before bringing her a platter filled with food. "Leftovers from the feast," she said. "I suppose that should be your punishment for not taking care of yourself."
Danielle nodded vaguely before diving into the food. When she had devoured every last bite and the pain in her head had lessened, she spoke. "Madam Pomfrey, why were there Dementors on the way up to the castle? I tried to cast a Patronus, but it didn't work…"
The matron sniffed angrily. "Haven't you heard? There's been a breakout from Azkaban."
Danielle's eyes widened. "What?"
"It happened several hours ago, I believe. Seven former Death Eaters escaped."
"Death Eaters? The ones who served V-Voldemort?"
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "As soon as the news reached us, the Headmistress immediately ordered many forms of magical protection around Hogwarts, including Dementors. One must have gotten too close to your carriage. You should have been able to defend yourself, but seeing as how you were in an already weakened state…"
Danielle swallowed hard. "How did they escape?"
"No one knows officially as of yet, but rumour has it that the breakout has been planned for a long time. The prisoners were just waiting for the right moment." She sighed heavily. "The Headmistress made a speech, but obviously you weren't there to hear it."
"And Professor McGonagall thinks they might try to attack Hogwarts?"
"Perhaps, though the Minister of Magic thinks it far more likely that their first goal will to be track down Harry Potter. He is an accomplished Auror, though…they'll have their work cut out looking for him." Madam Pomfrey sounded smug.
Danielle felt sick. Just hours ago, she had seen Harry and his family at King's Cross saying goodbye to Teddy, ignorant of what was about to happen.
"You should go to your dormitory and rest now, Miss Bailey," Madam Pomfrey said sharply, abruptly changing her tone. "Come back if you feel ill at all. Oh, and—" she Summoned over a chocolate bar, "Eat this if you get too close to the Dementors again."
"Thanks," said Danielle, getting out of bed. She pocketed the chocolate and pulled out her wand. Just as she was about to leave, though, she remembered something. "Oh! Madam Pomfrey…today was my first day of Prefect duty. I missed everything…"
"I spoke to the Headmistress about it. You are to report to her office straight after breakfast tomorrow morning," the matron said. Danielle thanked her once again before leaving the hospital wing.
She was tired, but she wasn't about to go to bed just yet. There was something she needed to find out.
Danielle poked her head into every door along the hallway until she found an empty classroom. Hoping no one would see her, she quietly ducked into it. For a few minutes, she just stood there, wand poised. Why was she scared of the answer? Didn't she already know the truth anyway?
When she had finally gathered up the nerve, she took a deep breath and concentrated on the memory of Tom Riddle. "Expecto Patronum!" she called, and a blinding light filled the dark classroom. She couldn't see for a moment—but when her eyes adjusted, she felt her heart stop.
Tabitha had been right. Her Patronus was no longer a fox. It was a snake.
Danielle could only watch in dismay as it slithered around her once and then faded. She dropped into an empty seat and put her face into her hands. Why was she so upset about this? She'd known for a long time what the truth was…but perhaps this, genuine, tangible proof, was different. Her Patronus changing showed that her feelings for Tom weren't just in her head, but a reality. Her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook said that Patronuses didn't change unless there was a major emotional upheaval in heart or temperament. Death and falling in love were the two main examples the book had illustrated.
A long, long time later, Danielle stood up and left the classroom. She had dwelled upon this matter for so long, so many times, that it felt like second nature to her now. But she had just discovered concrete proof, confirmation that she had fallen in love. It felt both wonderful and horrible.
Alyssa and Dylan were lounging on the couches in the Slytherin common room when Alphard returned. He didn't even acknowledge their presence as he headed straight for the boys' dormitory.
"Alphard!" Alyssa called, leaping up. "Where are you going? What happened?"
When he turned around, his eyes were unfocused. "Oh, hello, Lyssa," he said. "How are you?"
"Did you tell Dippet about the paper?" Dylan asked.
Alphard frowned. "What paper?"
"You know, the one that Clara had? The one you were obsessed with?" Alyssa grabbed it out of his pocket.
Alphard glanced down at it with a mildly confused expression. "How did that get in there? I've never seen it before."
"You're joking, right?" Dylan asked.
"No, I am afraid he is not." The twins turned to see Riddle standing behind them as if he had been there all along. He plucked the piece of paper from Alphard's hand and tucked it inside his own pocket.
"What are you doing?" the twins demanded in unison.
"You will see." Riddle pulled out his wand and muttered 'Obliviate' under his breath again. Very soon the twins' eyes had become as unfocused as Alphard's.
It was late by the time Danielle reached Ravenclaw Tower. "What goes around the world but stays in one place?" asked the brass knocker.
"A globe," Danielle answered dully. The door swung forwards to allow her though and she took a moment to stare around the Ravenclaw common room. She had once believed that it was the most beautiful room in the school, aside from the Prefects' common room, but now she found herself craving the quieter, more private Slytherin common room.
Her four friends were waiting in the dormitory when she arrived. "What in the name of Merlin took you so long?" Adrianna burst out right away. "Tabitha and Heidi said you were in the hospital wing…"
"I dunno, I guess I just didn't feel like going down to the feast," Danielle said. She didn't want to get into the explanation of why she had fainted.
"Apparently you were really shaken by the Dementors," Fiona said. "I'm sorry Adrianna and I didn't come back. We saw them and kind of forgot about you guys because we were too busy wondering what was going on…"
"You missed McGonagall's big speech, too," said Heidi. "Everyone's talking about the breakout from Azkaban. Scary, isn't it? They even said we might not be allowed to go to Hogsmeade."
"Did she say how they broke out?" Danielle asked. "Azkaban's supposed to have top security, the best there is."
The girls shook their heads. "She just said that the Ministry of Magic is interrogating the other prisoners, and apparently the breakout was being planned for a while," Tabitha said, echoing Madam Pomfrey's earlier words.
Danielle sank down onto her bed. She'd been desperately hoping for some peace and quiet so she could rearrange her thoughts and try to forget about the past. It didn't look as if that would happen, though.
As the girls got ready for bed, Fiona said, "Danielle, your brother was looking for you, by the way."
"Andy? Usually he likes to pretend we're not related," Danielle replied.
"Well, he sounded upset. He wanted to you to go see him when you could."
"I'll do that," she promised, wondering what on earth would possess her brother to look for her so urgently.
It was a hot, muggy June evening. Alyssa and Alphard were just coming inside after studying for their O.W.L.s the entire day. Laughing and talking, they were about to head back to the dungeons when they saw Olive Hornby marching up the stairs, looking irate.
"What are you smirking at?" she snapped at them.
"Ooh, that's not very nice," Alyssa mocked. "You are a Prefect—remember your manners!"
Olive had been named the Slytherin female Prefect after Clara's death. Even though she was still courting Abraxas Malfoy, she had taken advantage of the extra time with Tom Riddle to try to get him to warm up to her. To Alyssa, Dylan and Alphard's delight, it didn't appear to be working.
"Shut your mouth, MacDougal," Olive retorted. She stepped into the light and Alphard noticed how pale she looked, how her eyes were wet. She had gained copious amounts of weight in the past two months.
Alyssa raised her wand, fully intending to jinx her enemy, when someone cast a Shield Charm between them. The two girls whirled around to see Tom coming down the Grand Staircase. Like Olive, he didn't appear to be looking too healthy: he had lost as much weight as she had gained, and he could easily be mistaken for a ghost. "Is there a problem here?" he asked.
"No, Tom," Olive said, lowering her wand. "I was just having a nice chat with my friend Miss MacDougal."
Alyssa snorted in disbelief. Alphard put a warning hand on her shoulder.
"I will not be available for Prefect duty tonight, I am afraid," Riddle was saying to Olive. "I would be grateful if you could find a good substitute."
Olive nodded and left, casting a murderous glance at Alyssa as she passed.
"Good evening, Miss MacDougal, Mr Black," Riddle said, nodding at the twins as he swept past them.
Something stirred in Alphard's memory. He had been having a lot of odd feelings lately—like he was supposed to remember something but couldn't.
"Let's follow Riddle," he said abruptly to Alyssa.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"
"I…I don't know. I just feel like it's important…" Alphard was at a loss for words. The annoying not-quite-deja-vu feeling was tugging at his memory, refusing to go away.
Alyssa looked bewildered and confused as Alphard dragged her downstairs, past the entrance to the Slytherin common room and through the dungeons. They twisted and turned, keeping at a safe distance behind Riddle as he expertly navigated the confusing array of passages.
Finally, he stopped just behind a corner. Alphard pulled Alyssa behind a pillar as Riddle stood staring around the corner, apparently waiting for something.
Alyssa let out an annoyed huff. Alphard clapped his hand over her mouth, but Riddle didn't appear to have heard her. He was still staring at whatever was around the corner, waiting…
There was a loud creak and Riddle's head snapped around. Alphard heard a hoarse whisper coming from somewhere nearby.
Quick as a flash, Riddle jumped around the corner. "Evening, Rubeus," Alphard heard him say.
A gasp and a slam. "What yer doin' down here, Tom?" a vaguely familiar voice responded.
Riddle disappeared out of view and Alphard could no longer hear him. He strained his ears, but all he could hear was a faint murmuring.
"You dragged me down here for this?" Alyssa mouthed, narrowing her eyes at Alphard.
"How was I supposed to know what would happen?" he mouthed back. "Let's go, then."
But just as they were about to leave, there was a bright flash of light and a loud bang. They jumped back behind the pillar just as something huge raced down the hallway.
Alyssa screamed and Alphard yelled as an enormous, hairy spider scuttled down the hallway, pincers clacking and eyes gleaming. It had to have been as tall as Alphard's waist and as wide as the corridor.
They watched in horror as the giant spider scurried out of sight. There was a faint yell from around the corner and a muffled thump. A wand clattered to the ground and rolled around the corner, stopping in front of Alphard's feet.
"It's Riddle's wand," he said to Alyssa and snatched it up. She stared at him with wide eyes.
Before he could decide what to do, Riddle came around the corner, eyes blazing. "What are you doing here?" he asked them.
"We—we were just…" Alyssa began, looking over at Alphard for support.
He quickly handed back Riddle's wand in case the other boy had jumped to conclusions. "We heard a commotion and wondered what was going on."
Riddle looked at them searchingly before speaking. "You are lucky you did not come out worse. I just caught the monster that killed Miss Williams—a third-year Gryffindor boy was taking care of it."
Something was wrong. Something was off, but Alphard couldn't quite place it. He merely nodded as Riddle hurried off down the corridor, presumably to catch the giant spider.
Alyssa hit him on the shoulder. "How dare you do that to me!" she exclaimed. "We were ten feet from the monster that killed Myrtle!"
Alphard didn't respond, not even to defend himself. No. It didn't make any sense. A third-year Gryffindor boy, much less Rubeus Hagrid, could not kill a girl even with a spider that size.
"Lyssa, d'you ever get the feeling we're missing something?" he asked. "Like there are…holes in our memory?"
"There's a hole in your brain all right, Alphard Black," she snapped, and stalked off down the corridor. Alphard sighed and followed her, thinking of Clara and wondering how she would react to what had just happened.