Hey everyone! I know it's not exactly time for me to release the next chapter, but I am just excited about writing this story. It's the sad truth but since it is a new story I am a bit more excited and have more drive to write for this story. Well anyway, here is the next chapter!

Also on my homepage you can see which stories I am currently working on at the very bottom of the page ^^

...And so it begins...

1 month later: Tuesday

As always my alarm woke me up at 6:50am. Groggily I stood, stumbling slightly in my half-asleep state. I then stretched sighing in relief from a satisfying pop in my middle back, only to then recoil from the horrid reality of morning breath. More awake than before I moved to the restroom to begin my morning routine.

At 7:30am I was fully dressed in my school uniform. Taking one last look in the mirror I smiled. A girl standing at 5'4 stared back at me. She had short, chin length, dark blue hair - having recently dyed it - and bright caramel colored eyes. She wore the Hogwarts high female uniform, with the Hufflepuff emblem on the left. I grinned at myself in the mirror, and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

There was a knock on my door before it opened. Trent peaked his head in, "Raven, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two of us left the two story house, lunch in tow, and headed towards the subway station. There were a total of 7 stops before they arrived at the school. As per usual Mary and Sam joined us on the 3rd stop, and Lola on the 5th stop. It was 8:00am when we all finally arrived at school. Other students were also walked into the school. First class didn't start until 8:30 so that left a few minutes for the school provided breakfast.

"I'm gonna run and get breakfast."

Lola smirked, "Maybe you should try to get up earlier to eat breakfast at home."

I pouted, "Yeah, but if I do then I won't be able to sleep as long."

Travis laughed, "Well that is most certainly a fact."

"I'll meet you in 1st period!" I shouted as I ran off to catch breakfast before they hall closed.

I hurried to the Great Hall C hoping that there was still something a left. At our school there our cafeteria was called the Great Hall, and because there are so many students at our school there are a total of 4 Great Halls. There was a West, East, South and Center Great Hall. Thankfully due to having 4 Great Halls there isn't too much trouble getting food when it counts. Also, because the school stays open so late due to clubs and extracurricular activities the Great Hall C stays open until dinner time. It was also helpful to the kids who may not have a reliable means to eat every meal of the day.

I entered the Great Hall C and smiled upon the familiar site. There were 4 long rectangular tables that were still occupied by a few students. At the back there were two sections, a ready-to-eat section, and a prepared-per-order section. In the first section they had both a hot and cold section, that had pre-made food for those who didn't want to wait. Usually things like sandwiches, salads, soups and the like. For the second section you first had to go to a ticket machine to choose the meal you wanted. Once you did you handed the ticket to the front lady and once your food was done it would be called. The menu would change every month, with the occasional repeating menus. Some items were always on the menus, and others were seasonal. All-in-all the variety offered assured that people could always find something they liked.

Having no time to wait for a meal to be cooked I quickly walked over the to prepared meals. Everything was pretty much gone causing me to pout in frustration. If I didn't eat now I'll have to wait until lunch. My salvation came when I saw a lone PBJ sandwich just begging to be eaten. I quickly approached the sandwich and reached for it. However, right before I could close my hands around it another arm swiftly intercepted my own, and snatched the sandwich right before me.

I blinked in disbelief wondering if this was some sort of magic trick. Surely there was a sandwich sitting here. Had I imagined the meal in my immense hunger? I looked up, eyes widening in surprise. Beside me was Tom Riddle, smirking down at me and looking quite dashing. However, what surprised me was what was in his left hand. Not one sandwich, but two! What did he need two for? Considering that was the last sandwich left, and classes were literally about to start, surely he was kind enough to share one of them.

"Good morning." I started, though I couldn't look away from the sandwitch.

"Me or the PB&J?"

Realizing my rudeness I blushed, quickly averting my eyes to the floor. "S-sorry...It's just um...I was..." I trailed off, glancing at the sandwich again.

Tom followed my gaze, "Ah-" He pretended to be shocked, "Were you going to eat this?"

"U-um..Yeah...And um.."

He crossed his arms, his amusement clear on his face. "Spit it out."

I flinched, "...U-uh..." Again I glanced at the two sandwiches he held. I don't know why I couldn't speak. I mean, I knew I could be a bit shy with strangers, but this was ridiculous. Maybe I was nervous because of whom it was I was speaking to. Maybe I was scared because if I made him angry he could come after me. My thoughts only made it worse and I retreated more into myself. Perhaps I should just wait until lunch. It was only a few hours.

"N-nevermine...bye." I tried to make a quick getaway but Tom blocked me.

"Trying to run now? Don't hurt my feelings." He dangled the sandwich in front of my face. "You want one right? I could give you one."

Hearing his offer I perked up a little, looking up at him for the first time. Upon doing so I finally saw just how much he seemed to be enjoying himself. I knew he was having fun, because whenever Lola teased me she had a similar look. However, there was something different about the way he looked at me. I couldn't place my finger on it, but this sort of play didn't feel as innocent as with Lola. This felt like it could turn into something bad, something indecent. I quickly looked away and my instincts made me take a step back.

Noticing this Tom only smirked more, "So do you want it or not?"

Before I could answer my stomach growled. If possible I hung my head more.

"Well lucky for you, I happen to have two." he held one out, "So here." Seeing me hesitate he made another gesture, "Go on. Take it."

Finally I reached out, "..Um..Th-thank you."

Before I could grab it he recoiled, "Of Course, I won't be giving it to you for free. You see, I was supposed to be bringing this for a friend. So, if I give this to you, that means he won't get to eat." Tom sighed and shook his head as if he were in a terrible dilemma, "I would hate to make him disappointed, So I'll cut a deal. I'll give you my sandwich if-"

I had decided that I had enough. No matter how hungry I was, I would not sit for this humiliation. He was literally jerking me around using the sandwich as the bait. I was also worried about whatever he would be asking of me. I would not be bought out by a meager meal. I gathered the entirety of my courage, and set out to decline.

"-If you agree to become our project partner."

"...W-what...?" His...Project partner? My eyes turned to him in confusion.

"Yes, we are picking project partners today, and if you'll join my group I'll hand over your breakfast."

"Um...Well, uh..."

Tom didn't wait for an answer, and only shoved the sandwich into my hands, "I'll see you in class, partner."

With a dashing smirk, and a curt turn he sauntered from the Great Hall.

...What had I just gotten myself into?

As the day commenced I couldn't seem to keep a grip on reality. I kept wondering why Tom would even want me as a project partner, let alone approach me. For the first few classes I was completely distracted by my thoughts. Whenever I was called to answer a question I couldn't answer for not having heard the question. I even read the wrong passage during our history class. I sighed as I suck into my seat, doing my best to ignore the piercing stare from Lola. By time it was Independent Study Lola was practically shaking at her seat. Dying to give me a piece of her mind and find out what was going on in mine. The bell couldn't ring fast enough for her, and as soon as Prof. Dumbledore called for lunch, Lola was already in my face.

"The hell is wrong with you today? You on your monthly?"

I blush at such a harsh question, "N-no I'm not, a-and nothing is wro-"

"Bullshit." She interrupted shoving her face more into my own.

I recoiled back, "Really...I'm fine."

Lola leaned back with folded arms, looking agitated and unconvinced. "Tch, liar."

"Hey are you alright, Raven?" Trent asked as he sat down in front of my desk. The other two followed behind him. "You're a little out of it today."

Kat snickered, "Maybe its her time of the month."

Both Trent and I blushed. "I'm not...Why do you guys keep saying that?"

Lola shot to her feet, "I'm going to get my lunch."

"She's not too happy." Trent observed.

At this Mary placed a hand over mine, "If there was something wrong, you'd tell us, right?"

I beamed at Mary, appreciative of the kind and supportive gesture. "Of course. Seriously, there isn't anything wrong guys."

Not too long later Lola returned, and the atmosphere dropped as her annoyance and frustration settled within the group. I didn't say anything in worry that I would make her angrier. There was no real reason to keep it from them I suppose. They would probably be just as surprised as I was. Also - I glanced at Lola - I didn't want her to stay mad at me. Whenever Lola was upset it affected the entire group. Even Kat was pretty quiet.

I sighed, "There really isn't anything wrong Lola." I started, "I was just asked to join someone for the English Project."

Hearing this Lola finally looked at me her entire attitude calming instantly, "Tch, then why the heck didn't you say so?" She bit back. Guess she was still annoyed. "You had me thinking it was something serious."

"Sorry..."

Lola sighed unable to stay angry, "So who asked?"

"Well, that's the thing." I scratched my cheek, "Tom Riddle asked me."

There was a silence that engulfed the table. Did they hear that right? They all stared at me waiting for me to say it was a joke. Finally Kat was the one to break the silence.

"WHAT!?"

The shout caused people to look over. One of which was Tom his amusement returned to his face two-fold.

I quickly shushed her, "Keep it down. Like I said it's nothing serious."

"Nothing serious?" Lola slammed her hand down, "This is quite serious. Forget the fact that Tom personally asked you to be his partner, think of who he is and you are. For him to come to you means he has some type of interest in you, and whatever it is it can't be good."

Trent nodded in agreement, "I have to agree with Lola. He could be a lot more dangerous that many of us can imagine, and given the current situation it's best not to get involved."

"You're talking about her father being Police Chief, and Tom being a gangster's son?" Kat questioned not understanding why they weren't just saying it straight out.

Mary sighed in exasperation, "That's exactly what they mean."

"I know...But..." I frowned, "I kind of already accepted..."

"That's the problem with you." Lola chided, "I bet you didn't even say anything. You just got swept along because you don't speak up when it counts."

Well I couldn't argue with that. It's true I didn't say anything, but I did take the sandwich, and that was the deal. Besides it was just for a school project. It's not like anything was going to come from this.

Noticing my dejected stance, Lola hit my arm lightly, "Look, you can't keep letting things like this happen to you. You don't have a proper self-preservation skill." As she said this, Lola recalled all the times she had to help me get out of being swindled, tricked and almost kidnapped as a child. "Though, I suppose I'm partly to blame since I was always there to solve the problem." She scratched the back of her head.

With that lunch came to an end, and our next period started. It was a science class with Ms. Harthorn Briggen. It was an uneventful class, and all I could think about was the next period; English. All too soon the period was over and Prof. Dumbledore entered the room to begin the English class.

"Afternoon, everyone. I hope this day has been well for you all." He peered over his classes, smiling at the young faces before him, "And I hope you all are ready for the real work to begin. Towards the end of the class I will explain more, but we will begin the first of the four projects that will happen over the course of this school year. Now, if you will all turn in the essay on the assigned reading we will begin class."

True to his word 15 minutes before the class ended Prof. Dumbledore called for everyone's attention. "I'm sure everyone is eager for me to end class, but we have our final agenda for the day. Each project will amount for 10% of the total grade for the course, so I hope that each of you take this seriously. For this project your will make groups of 4 and choose a book from the packet Ms. Conner is passing out now."

I took the packet scanning over the options.

"Pick a character from the book to your liking and write an essay on what the Author was trying to portray using the character. How are the relationships between the character and others? Feel free to extrapolate your ideas, and even apply how you would have tackled a particular part in the story. Do you think the character was right for acting as he or she did? Why do you think the author chose to have the character behave so? There is more information in the packets handed over to you, and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask or email me. With the last few minutes please make yourself into a group."

There was a unified screeching of chairs as almost the entire female population in the class rushed over to becoming partners with Tom. Sadly for them he paid them no mind, and passed them leaving confused ladies in his wake. He stopped by my desk his famous smirk playing on his lips. Before he could speak, however, Lola stood up.

"Why exactly are you over here?"

He chuckled, "Such a harsh greeting from a fellow Slytherin." He gestured a hand towards myself, "I only came over to greet my project partner. Isn't that right, Raven?"

I squeaked, instantly covering my mouth from making another such embarrassing sound. "Um...I...S-suppose so."

"Raven." Lola hissed.

Instantly his smirk darkened and he placed his hands in his pockets. Lola bit her bottom lip to bite back the words she really wanted to say. She couldn't exactly go full throttle while a teacher was present. Even if it was the chill Prof. Dumbledore. He looked at Lola smugly and in victory. "Well there you have it. We had a deal after all."

He pulled out a cell phone with such surreal grace, I could only gape in awe. Was that possible with such a simple action? He flashed his woman-killer smile, "Let's exchange numbers. I'll make a group chat so we can talk."

Lola stepped forward again, "Don't go texting her for unnecessary things."

Tom couldn't stop his eyes from narrowing as he observed the popular blond. He had only just begun and she was proving to be a painful thorn. He would have to be careful as long as she was around. "You make it sound like I have ulterior motives." While true, she wouldn't need to know.

Lola frowned, "I'm watching you, Tom."

Tom only smirked.

From afar the female student body looked on in anger, jealousy and disbelief that Tom would pass over any of them for a girl you hadn't spared him the time of day. Their combined hatred filled the room, and their heated glares were all aimed at myself. I could feel the stares and I was clearly uncomfortable. As I finished typing in my number into Tom's phone, unaware of the exchange between Tom and Lola, I shrunk even more as the malice seemed to intensify.

Unfazed by the atmosphere in the room Tom swiped his phone back, "I look forward to working with you, Raven." He returned to his seat and was quickly swarmed by complaints and pleas to change his mind from his admirers.

Seeing the coast was clear Trent, Mary and Kat came over.

"That looked pretty intense." Kat murmured.

Lola was still fuming, "What the heck Raven? You could have said 'no'."

"I did agree...Sort of.."

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" Kat pressed.

I told them what happened during breakfast and if possible became even angrier. However, with a large huff her shoulders deflated and she leaned back in her seat, letting her head fall back.

"I give up. You seriously have no self-preservation skills whatsoever."

I tilted my head in both confusion and sympathy for my friend. "Sorry about that."

She waved me off, "It's not like this is new...You've always been like this."

"Yes...I-it even surprised me sometimes." Mary admits. Though we were quite similar in many regards, I seemed more easily taken advantage of than Mary.

English class ended on that note and our final class, Social studies began. At the end of the day the five of us gathered our things and - with Lola's persistence - quickly left the room. At Lola's chagrin she couldn't accompany us the entire way, as she had to attend her after school clubs. Though she was fervent in her desire for me to tell her about Tom at the slightest inkling that something is wrong. I assured her I would, and told her if he texted me I would let her know, as it was the only way to get her to leave.

"She seems pretty rough, but Lola's a really caring person." Mary smiled, watching Lola run off. That was a statement I couldn't agree with more.

The four of us made our commute home. Kat and Mary got off the Subway first, with Trent and I following a few stops later. When we arrived home, it was no surprise to find it empty. The only indication that someone had been in here earlier was the kitchen cabinet when had been left ajar.

"Anything in particular you want for dinner?"

"Not really, anything you make is fine."

"Hmm, then how about we just eat the leftover soup? We should eat it before it goes bad."

"Yeah that's fine."

With dinner plans settled I retired to my room where my bed was waiting for me. I happily collapsed into the soft cushions, sighing from the exhaustion that the day had brought. I had no idea that I went I woke up that I would become Tom's project partner for English. I assumed the other two would be Malfoy and Antonin. Antonin seemed like he would be pretty easy to get along with, but Malfoy was even less approachable than Tom.

~Ping~

My heart jumped in nervousness as I reached for my phone, only to calm down upon seeing the sender of the text

Lola: He msg U yet!?

I giggled. "You seem more invested into this than I am."

~Ping~

This time I froze. This time it wasn't Lola, but an unknown number. I opened the message, swallowing in the process.

Tom: It's Tom. We'll use WhatsApp to talk. Accept the invite.

I did as told, accepting the invite to a group with two other numbers I didn't know.

Tom: The 386 number is Malfoy. The other is Antonin. Save the numbers."

I could hear Tom's voice in my head as he passed his order through the phone. I frowned upset at how easily Tom thought he could order me around, but did as he said anyway. Not because he said to do it, but it would be easier to identify the speaker.

~Ping~

Lola: Oi! don't read my msg nd don't reply!

Me: Sorry, I forgot! Right when you asked he messaged me.

Lola: Well?

Me: We just started a chat on Whatsapp. That's it."

~Ping~

Me: Ah, He's messaging me again.

I opened the message.

Tom: After school tomorrow let's meet to go over the project.

Me: The library?

Tom: No, there is a cafe called The Three Broomsticks near by. Let's meet there.

I felt as though anything I said wouldn't change his mind so I agreed. He didn't text me after that so I returned to talking with Lola.

Me: We're going to meet tomorrow to talk about the project at a cafe.

Lola: Dummy! Y would U go off campus!? There's a library at school!

Me: I said there first, but I guess he didn't want that.

Lola: Course not idiot...Just...Txt me if sumthing is up.

Me: K, thanks! 3

A knock on my door made me sit up.

"Raven I heated up the soup, you gonna come eat?"

I hadn't even realize how much time had passed. I smiled in thanks as he had prepared dinner for us. "Yep, I'll be right there!"

Wednesday

Wednesday had to be one of, if not the best day of the week. Why? You may be wondering. Well allow me to explain. The weekly schedule could be confusing if you weren't used to it. On some days our schedule changed, most noticeably the last three days of the week. Monday's are the only days in which we meet twice for homeroom, otherwise for the last period we have our Social Studies class. On Wednesdays our self study period is replaced with our P.E class, and for the last two days Self Study is replaced with any extra-curricular class you want.

With today being Wednesday that meant I would get a chance at some P.E, then main reason being I could play volleyball. It was always random which sport would be set up, but seeing as it's been three weeks and Volleyball hadn't been setup yet, and it seemed about time.

Mary and I were visibly excited throughout the day, talking about nothing unless it was volleyball. Lola was sick of hearing it, and silently prayed for P.E to quickly come. Prayers were answered and our class moved to the locker room to changed into our P.E clothes. Everyone wore the same design, shorts and a t-shirt. The only difference were that the female's shorts were a bit tighter and the color of the clothes.

Slytherin: Green with the outlines of Silver.

Hufflepuff: Black with the outlines of Yellow.

Gryffindor: Gold with it outlined with Red.

Ravenclaw: Blue and outlined with Silver.

Today we would be joined by one other class, making the total 60 in the gym. Unfortunately, our hopes were dashed when we arrived and the gym was empty - meaning that basketball would be the sport of choice for the day.

That killed my mood, as not only was I not going to be able to play volleyball but after school I would have to deal with Tom.

With P.E ending in disappointment, the school day continued as normal. Lola continually pestered me to let her know everything that would happen, and to text her every minute - not possible. The other three also expressed their worry, but honestly I felt they were blowing it all out of proportion. True if this continue it could get messy, but after this project I wouldn't get involved with Tom again. I knew I seemed like an easy target, and if it wasn't for Lola and the others, I'm sure I could have been involved in some pretty bad incidents. Regardless, I would be seeing Tom for the next month pretty often, so might as well get over the trepidations I have.

School finally ended and I gathered my things. Lola kept passing me worried glances. I'm sure if she didn't have club stuff she would have followed me to the cafe.

As if to add salt into the wound Tom walked over. Lola was quick to intercept, "What do you want now?"

"Nothing with you, I assure."

Lola burned with aggravation. I quickly grabbed her arm hoping to calm her down, and looked at Tom.

"How about I meet you there."

"I suppose I'll humor you for the day." Without another word he headed towards the exit, Malfoy, Antonin, and a gaggle of girls trailing behind him.

"He's just as much of a jerk as I thought he was." Lola fumed crossing her arms.

"It only makes it worse that he's so handsome." Kat tossed her two-cents in. "What's even worse is that he knows it."

I finished packing, not saying anything and just listened to my friend's opinions. Lola - regretfully - departed the group early, and I parted from the other three at the school entrance.

Finally alone I exhaled, hoping some of my nerves would go away. It was strange that Tom wanted to become my partner out of all his choices. Perhaps I was putting too much faith in my father's position, but I was sure he wouldn't try anything that would get him in trouble. Also, despite how people may perceive him, I didn't want to cast him as guilty before giving him a chance. It just wouldn't be right.

This could be exactly what Lola was worried about, but I decided that I would try to make the best of it. If I was lucky maybe this would turn out to be a good thing.

My thoughts led me to the entrance of The Three Broomsticks where it wasn't very difficult to find the people I was looking for. Surrounding the table were a few of the girls from school. I wondered how he was able to get anything done, and how he didn't get annoyed by the constant following.

I stood awkwardly by the outer ring of the group unsure of how to push my way through. The girls were forming a tight barrier around me, and a few of them - upon noticing who I was - shot me some nasty glares. Luckily, Tom noticed me and with a smile word made the group disperse. As the group begrudgingly dispersed more glares were thrown, and a few people bumped my shoulder.

I rubbed my shoulder with a pout, and took the empty fourth seat. In front of me was Tom, to my right Antonin and Malfoy To my left. I couldn't make eye contact with any of them. Benief the table I rubbed my hands together. This was a bad idea.

Suddenly something was pushed in front of me, and I noticed it was the signature drink of the cafe: Butterbeer. Despite the name it was non-alcoholic.

"Now that the table no longer holds your interest, let's begin."

I blushed in embarrassment. "O-ok..."

"This is Malfoy," Malfoy spared me a quick glance and a nod in greeting.

"This guy is Antonin." Unlike Malfoy, Antonin greeted me with a grin.

"Nice to meet you, I'm looking forward to working with you."

His nice demeanor calmed me down, and I returned his smile with a charming one of my own. "Nice to meet you as well Antonin. My name is Raven Clark."

Surprisingly all we did was work on the project. I thought that maybe I would have to deal with the Tom I met in the Great Hall, but the Tom I was with now was only interested in the project. We decided on a book and character that we would follow. It was a murder-mystery novel that followed the life of the murder, which was also the character we decided to take interest in. Well, honestly, Tom was the one who chose the character. I wanted to choose the detective, but having been out voted 3-to-1 it was decided that we would focus on the main character.

After about an hour and a half, we decided to call it for the day. It was only our first meeting and we couldn't really do too much without having read the book. We decided that we would meet tomorrow, and also that by our next meeting we should have read at least the first 6 chapters of the book. It would give us something to discuss at the next meeting.

Luckily, my father was really into books like this so hopefully I could find it in his library. If not, there was a bookstore in walking distance from my house.

I bid farewell to the three of them, and watched as they entered a black car with tinted windows. I involuntarily shivered. Just seeing a car like that just seemed to really cement their involvement in something nefarious. Shaking the thought from my head I quickly headed for the subway station. Sometime later I made it home sighing in exhaustion. I couldn't exactly relax all day, and the climax of my unease was during the project meeting. Well, at least Antonin was refreshing to be around. He had such a vibrant personality and smiled a lot. He really helped me a lot throughout the meeting, by being kind overall and considerent.

I knocked on Trent's door and waited for an answer. I knocked again wondering if he was asleep. Carefully I opened the door and saw him studying with headphones in. He turned upon noticing the door open.

"Oh, you're back. How was it?" He sounded like he wasn't expecting good news.

I shrugged, "Oddly enough, it was normal. We just worked on the project." I looked down unsure of myself, "I was nervous the whole time but...It wasn't completely unpleasant. Antonin was surprisingly kind, and considerate the entire time."

"Just be careful." He cautioned. "You're not exactly uh..."

"Not exactly what?"

Trent quickly shook his head, "No, it's nothing. I'm gonna get back to studying."

I smiled, "Alright, I'll get started on dinner soon."

"Roger that."

I left Trent's room, my next destination being my father's study. The door creaked upon my entrance, and as I looked around the room I couldn't help but realize it was a long time since the last time I was here. It was a spacious room with few amenities. There was a simple desk towards the back with a rolling chair, a black sofa in the center of the room with a smaller round table by the right side armrest, and lining the walls were 6 bookshelves - 3 on each side - filled with books. I groaned in anticipation of a long and arduous search.

The first bookshelf I went to had a thick layer of dust decorating it. Upon closer inspection the entire room was in need of a good dusting. It just goes to show how much this room actually gets used. Thankfully, luck seemed to be on my side this evening, as not only did I find the book but there was a 5$ bill stuck in the pages. He must of bought this book during the time he used his spare bills as bookmarks.

Though after a book was stolen my father stomped out the habit. A pretty bad habit if you asked me, but worked out in my favor for the day. Perhaps I should skim through some of the other older books and see if I could find a few more dollars. Sadly, that would have to wait.

The remainder of the night passed pretty normally. I prepared dinner for us, and Trent took care of the clean up. I then prepared our lunch for the next day, before retiring to my room for homework. Eventually I fell asleep still blissfully unaware of the drastic changes my life would soon undergo.