Chapter One

Hogwarts, 1943

Victoria's POV

Not for the first time, Victoria Potter was bored in Transfiguration. Professor Dumbledore was easily the best teacher in Hogwarts- by a long mile, really- and he had an uncanny knack for making even the most complex spells interesting. Victoria, however, had Vanished her raven on the first attempt, and now she was stuck watching the teacher assist her less able classmates.

Dumbledore was standing in the back corner, patiently demonstrating the correct wand movement to Abraxas Malfoy. Victoria watched as Malfoy ignored the teacher's directions, waved his wand with a grand flourish, and set Max Avery's hat on fire. There was a good deal of commotion as Avery jumped out of his seat in shock and the other Slytherin sixth year boys guffawed in amusement.

Only one boy didn't look as though he was enjoying the spectacle. Tom Riddle looked as impassive as ever, but Victoria noticed the flick of his eyes and the disdain that filled them as he took in Avery and Malfoy, both of whom were now bickering with one another.

Victoria hesitated for only the briefest of moments and then focused on clearing her mind. She stared intently at Riddle's face- luckily he was too busy Vanishing his iguana again and again to notice – and felt his mind open up to her.

When she used Legilimency on regular students, Victoria could often hear their exact thoughts, read aloud to her like the pages of a book. It was different with Riddle. She had to strain her mind further than usual, so far that it felt her brain was tying itself in knots. But it still worked. She caught clear snatches of his thoughts.

Such idiots... how could they possible help me with anything... cannot be trusted...

Victoria looked back at the other Slytherin boys. Avery had managed to douse the flames from his hat, and was now using it to whack Malfoy around the head with. Dumbledore noticed the kerfuffle and strode back over to chastise them both.

Victoria rolled her eyes and turned back to her own desk. No wonder Riddle was so fed up with his housemates. If she had to spend all her time with the likes of Avery, Malfoy, Lestrange and Nott, she'd probably despair at them too.

'How old are they?' muttered the girl next to Victoria. She too was looking at the Slytherin boys in irritation.

Ruth Vance had been Victoria's closest friend since they'd ended up in the same Hogwarts Express compartment at the beginning of first year. Like Victoria, Ruth was both a Gryffindor and a pureblood. She was tall and well-built, with thick blonde hair and a tendency to panic before exams. At the moment, her main source of irritation with the Slytherins seemed to be that they were distracting her. Ruth had Vanished her raven on her fifth attempt and had been repeatedly practicing ever since.

Victoria grinned to herself and pretended to turn her attention back to her raven. However, what she really did was dip into Ruth's mind instead. It was much easier with her; she wore her thoughts on her sleeve.

Bloody immature, why doesn't Dumbledore make them leave? So distracting for those of us actually trying to work here...

It was hardly worth the effort exploring Ruth's mind. She tended to think a variation of the same theme in every lesson. Annoyed at her lapse of restraint, Victoria lazily Vanished her raven again. She had promised herself there would be no more Legilimency this year. She'd almost been caught last term, when Alfie had wondered aloud why she was staring so intently at him over lunch. Little had he known, she was trying to work out if he'd been hanging out with Olive Hornby that morning.

Luckily for Victoria, the bell rang a few minutes later. She was in the middle of packing her things away when a pair of strong arms circled round her waist and a set of lips brushed against the side of her head.

'What a dull lesson,' muttered Alphard Black. He ran his lips along Victoria's cheek, kissing her gently. Next to them, Ruth huffed and made a show out of packing her bag loudly.

'Vanishing spells will come up in our NEWTs,' Ruth pointed out. 'You should pay more attention.'

Alfie stopped kissing Victoria and rested his chin on the top of her head instead. 'Pah, I could do a Vanishing spell in my sleep. Did you see me get rid of the squirrel on my second go?'

Victoria grinned again. She had indeed been watching Alfie. But she'd seen the squirrel disappear on his sixth or seventh attempt, not his second. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dumbledore approach Riddle to discuss something, and she automatically pulled away from Alfie.

'Hey!' he complained.

Victoria jerked her head towards Dumbledore. 'Don't you think our head of house seeing you all over me might be slightly inappropriate?'

Alfie shrugged unconcernedly and swung his bag over his shoulder. 'Come on, I'm starving.'

Victoria and Ruth picked up their own bags and followed him out of the classroom into the corridor. Once they were outside, Alfie grabbed Victoria's hand again and swung their arms up and down like how one might swing a nagging toddler.

'Don't mind me. I'll just float along like the gooseberry I am,' muttered Ruth.

Victoria laughed, knowing full well that Ruth wasn't really bothered. She had been dating Alfie since Easter of fifth year, when he'd drunkenly asked her out during a post-Quidditch victory party. He was her first serious boyfriend and not a bad place to start, she had to admit. Alphard was widely acknowledged to be one of the best looking boys in Hogwarts. He was tall and broad, with thick shoulders honed from hours swinging a Beater's bat on the Quidditch patch. His wavy brown hair hung slightly longer than most boys' and suited his casual demeanour down to the ground. It was safe to say that more than a few girls had been envious of Victoria when they'd started dating. In fact, the only boy who probably got more attention was Tom Riddle.

The three Gryffindors made their way into the Great Hall and sat down at the house table amongst the other sixth years. Alfie immediately seized a chicken leg and then swung around to talk to Mike Wood about Saturday's upcoming match against Hufflepuff. Left to her own devices, Victoria helped herself to lunch and began chatting to Ruth about the likelihood of Vanishing spells cropping up in their NEWT mocks at the end of the year.

'God, you two need to get a life.' Lana Morton swung her long legs over the bench and forced a space between Victoria and Ruth. 'Pass me those rolls, Vic, I'm starving. Professor Withers held us back because the Ravenclaw boys tried to steal a Niffler.'

As usual, Ruth took the bait immediately. 'With that attitude, Lana, I'm not surprised you only managed five OWLs.'

Lana shrugged unconcernedly as she poured them all glasses of pumpkin juice. 'I've long felt that academic results won't really affect my life.'

Ruth, who was half-way through a sip of juice, snorted loudly. 'Right, and remind me what the plan is?'

Lana shrugged again. 'Oh I don't know. I'm sure I'll figure it out. Maybe find a rich man to marry. Riddle is still available and he's certainly going places.'

Victoria laughed but managed to hastily turn it into a cough. Lana was her closest friend after Ruth and significantly more touchy. Unlike the other two she was a half-blood. Her father was a Muggle and, although most Gryffindors didn't care, it was something she'd always felt slightly conscious about.

Like Ruth, Lana was tall and blonde. But she was very slim- a product of careful effort- and constantly made up. It usually had the desired effect and to date she had never failed to snare the boy she wanted. The one exception was Tom Riddle, whom Lana had nursed a furious crush upon for the past two years. Unfortunately for her- and Hogwarts' female population at large- Riddle didn't seem to know girls existed.

Victoria took a bite of a sandwich and glanced over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy and Avery seemed to have made up, judged by the fact that they were both looking at a Ravenclaw girl and nudging one another in the ribs. Lestrange and Nott were sat near them too, eating lots of food and chatting. The only one not joining in was Riddle.

He was a source of permanent fascination to Victoria who, in general, found her fellow classmates frightfully dull. Not only because his mind was harder to penetrate, but because he exerted a command over everyone without ever really trying. The other Slytherin sixth year boys trailed after him like lost puppies, and even the teachers lapped up everything he had to say. Everyone was convinced he was a shoe-in for Head Boy the following year.

'Afternoon all.'

Victoria's brother, James, who was in his fifth year, had joined them at the table. She expected him to immediately start talking Quidditch tactics with Alfie and Mike Wood. But instead he rolled open a copy of the Daily Prophet.

'Seen this yet?' He smoothed open the paper and began to read aloud. 'In a shocking announcement last night, the Minister for Magic finally admitted that the Walton murders were likely the work of Dark wizards in league with Grindelwald. The magical community was horrified last week when the bodies of respected Aurors Mark and Wendy Walton, alongside Mark's brothers Ade and Phillip, were discovered at the Walton family home. This is the first confirmed incident of Grindelwald's forces operating on British soil...'

Alfie whistled under his breath. 'Not looking good, is it? Wonder if Dumbledore will finally do something now?'

James shrugged. 'Don't know. I mean it doesn't sound as though the Ministry knows who did it, just that they were connected to Grindelwald.'

'The Waltons worked abroad, everyone knows that,' interjected Victoria. 'They led the taskforce helping the French Ministry against Grindelwald, remember? Maybe that's why they were the first targets.'

'Glad I'm a pureblood,' muttered Alfie.

Lana glared at him angrily. 'Oh well as long as you're safe, Alphard, we've got nothing to worry about have we?'

'Alright, alright,' protested Alfie, holding his hands up defensively. 'You know I didn't mean it like that.' He turned back to Mike and hastily changed the subject. 'Anyway, Mike, James, I heard that Hufflepuff are playing Thorne on Saturday...'

Victoria was about to turn her attention back to her food when something caught her eye. She glanced up and felt eyes upon her from the Slytherin table. It seemed that Tom Riddle had been watching their exchange. But when she looked up properly, he had reverted his attention back to a textbook propped against the water jug as though nothing had happened.

/

Tom's POV

Tom was lounging on the best sofa in the Slytherin common room. He had his head resting against one arm rest and his feet against the other. The fact that space was limited and some first years were having to sit on the floor didn't concern him.

He was halfway through a particularly tricky book on advanced Transfiguration that he'd read about in Transfiguration Today. A quick note from Slughorn had enabled him to retrieve it from the Restricted Section, and Tom was pleased to discover that so far he had managed to perform all the spells in it without difficulty.

Avery, Malfoy, Lestrange and Nott were grouped in armchairs near his sofa, since they seemed unable to ever be more than a few feet away from him. Annoyingly, however, they were not reading in peace but, instead, ranking various Hogwarts girls according to certain choice attributes.

'...listen, no one is denying Morton is hot, mate. But she's only a half-blood. My parents would have a fit.'

Avery laughed. 'For fuck's sake, Lestrange, no one's expecting you to marry the girl. I'm just saying she's alright for now. More than alright, in fact.'

'Girls for now, girls for later,' agreed Malfoy.

Tom paused over a sentence and laughed to himself. For all their talk, the boys had little chance of pulling Lana Morton, no matter the fact that half her blood was filth.

'Nah, I'm telling you, Potter's hotter,' insisted Lestrange, while Nott nodded his agreement. 'And she's a pureblood so you're not going to get a disease if you touch her.'

'I'd do more than touch her,' laughed Nott to general applause.

Tom snapped his book shut in irritation. Were these honestly the best accomplices he could find? Four boys who spent more time objectifying whatever girl walked past them rather than honing their magical skills and putting them to good use.

The others had noticed him shut the book. Malfoy looked over anxiously, as though concerned they had disturbed him. 'Sorry, Riddle. Being too noisy were we?'

'Yes, you were,' sighed Tom. A headache was building around his temples. That persistent kind that he knew would linger all evening.

Luckily for Malfoy and the others, a third year appeared at Tom's elbow looking nervous. 'Erm, Riddle, Professor Slughorn would like to see you. He asked me to pass on the message.'

Tom nodded curtly at the third year whose name he did not know and swung his long legs off the sofa. He tucked the Transfiguration book under his arm and strode across the common room, practically feeling the boys' sighs of relief; clearly they'd expected worse retribution for having disturbed his reading. Well, the night was still young, he thought wryly.

Tom exited the common room and emerged into the gloomy dungeon corridor that lead to Slughorn's office and private quarters. He was used to wandering about the castle when no one else was around. In fact, he much preferred it. So he took his time and meandered slowly along the corridor, thinking about his latest Defence Against the Arts essay that he was sure Merrythought would award full marks for.

He reached the familiar office door of the Head of Slytherin House and knocked.

'Come in!' boomed the deep voice of Horace Slughorn.

Tom turned the handle and walked into the room. It was significantly larger than other teachers' office, so much so that Tom had long suspected Slughorn to have cast an Extension Charm. However, despite the size, it was very full. Much of the floor space was cluttered with the sorts of things that wouldn't have looked out of place in a rich old lady's house. Boxes of luxury chocolates, extravagant quills and bottles of the finest jet black ink, comfortable foot stools, and a mahogany drinks cabinet holding at least twenty bottles.

'Ah, hello Tom. We were just waiting for you.'

To Tom's surprise, Slughorn was not alone in the room. Victoria Potter was perched on one of the armchairs, looking impassively around the room as though it impressed her as little as it did Tom.

'Good evening, Miss Potter.' He nodded politely at her and took a seat opposite.

'Good evening,' she murmured back.

While he waited for Slughorn to stop fussing around with drinks, Tom looked subtly at Victoria. She certainly was attractive, he had to give Nott that. Her skin was pale with a pearly sheen and her thick black hair tangled perfectly down to her waist. Her eyes were the best part though. They were swirling pools of hazel that simpler men than him might have gotten lost in.

Tom shook himself and took a quick swig of the mead Slughorn had just handed him. It was one thing to notice girls- he was a sixteen year old boy, after all- but quite another to get distracted by them. He didn't need anything taking away from his focus.

Slughorn settled himself into a comfortable armchair and surveyed his own glass jovially. 'Finest German mead. It's tough to get this nowadays, I'll tell you that. Luckily I have a very valuable contact who has been exporting the stuff out of Switzerland.'

Tom took another sip and wished he would get to the point. Yes, the bloody drink was good. But the last thing he wanted to do was spend his evening hearing Slughorn's stories of sneaking contraband through the Muggle war lines.

'Are either of you seventeen yet?' asked Slughorn, seemingly unconcerned that he might have just given under-age students alcohol.

Victoria looked like she was trying not to laugh. 'No, not until New Year's Eve, sir.'

'Ah, a New Year's Eve birthday? How lovely. What about you, Tom?'

'The same, sir,' said Tom, feeling slightly bemused.

Slughorn clapped his hands together. 'The two top students in the school have the same birthday. Wasn't it meant to be?'

Neither Tom nor Victoria seemed to know what to say to this. Tom glanced over at her and she caught his eye, grinning slightly while Slughorn was preoccupied with a box of crystallised fruit.

He finally selected the right sweet and then turned back to his guests. 'So, down to business. I'm going to hold my first Slug Club of the term in a couple of weeks' time and I was thinking that we needed some new blood in the group, especially now Beck, Walker and Macmillan have left. Any thoughts?'

Tom groaned internally. Did the man honestly not have anything better to do with his time? He thought wistfully of the spells he'd practiced the previous evening and how tonight could have been better spent trialling them out, potentially on Malfoy if he was still going on like he had been earlier.

'You'd like our thoughts, sir?' asked Victoria politely.

'Of course! Who better to help me decide on new members than my two star students.' He sighed dramatically. 'Oh, I do wish you'd been Sorted into my house, Miss Potter.'

Victoria took another sip of mead and declined to answer. Tom grinned to himself. He was enjoying watching her maintain composure in the face of Slughorn's brashness.

'What about Marcus Wright, sir?' suggested Tom, saying the first name that came into his head. Wright was a fourth year with superb Ministry connections via his mother. 'And perhaps Anna Medley? Her grandfather invented the Draught of Living Death, didn't he?'

Slughorn helped himself to another sweet and looked thoughtful. 'Hmm, you might be on to something there Tom. Miss Medley doesn't quite have Randolph's talent, I must say. But still, they are positively rolling in gold, and Wright is extremely well connected. And, I must say Miss Potter, your brothers are surely old enough to join us now?'

'Oh yes, I'm sure they'd be thrilled, sir.'

Tom caught the sarcasm in her voice but Slughorn evidently did not as he continued to grin stupidly. Victoria had two brothers, neither of whom Tom could stand. The eldest was a fifth year Quidditch numbscule called James who seemed to do nothing but run around after Quaffles all day. The other was a third year who had been cursed with the unfortunate name of Fleamont and insisted on being called Monty from the moment he set foot in the castle. Tom regarded both of them with the disdain he reserved for most of the Gryffindor blood traitors. Unfortunately the Potters were fantastically connected themselves and a prime target for the likes of Slughorn.

'Anyone for a top up?' Slughorn held up the bottle of mead hopefully.

Tom decided to be a gentleman and rescue Victoria. 'We'd better not, sir. Merrythought wants us to do a practice NEWT exam tomorrow morning.'

Slughorn waggled a finger at him. 'Oh, Tom, you are so sensible, m'boy. Do not worry though, I will make sure the first Slug Club is on a Friday night so that everyone can unwind. I should have some great guests attending, but I'll keep quiet until then.'

Victoria stood up and handed her glass back to the Potions master. 'Thank you, sir.'

Slughorn retrieved their glasses, refilled his own, and bowed them out of the room.

It was only as they were walking back along the corridor that Tom realised he had never been alone with Victoria Potter before. In fact, he made a point of not spending much alone time with anyone. People tended to annoy him, especially in concentrated doses.

'He really is something,' muttered Victoria. She glanced up at Tom through her eyelashes in a way that would have made Nott or Lestrange fall to their knees.

They reached the end of the corridor and Tom paused to say a polite goodbye. He wondered if he should offer to walk her up to Gryffindor common room. Most of his reputation was built upon impeccable manners after all. Plus it was always useful to find someone new to manipulate. He imagined an offer from Tom Riddle to walk you up to your common room would make most girls swoon.

To his surprise, Victoria seemed to be laughing. She turned to him and smiled. 'Goodnight, Tom. Don't worry, I think I can find Gryffindor tower on my own.'

She turned on her heel and strutted off, leaving Tom rooted to the ground. Had she just done what he thought she had? No way, that was impossible. No one could do that to him.

A/N

Okay so I hope you enjoyed the first proper chapter. This was really just an introduction to Victoria and Tom. I can promise plenty of drama, romance, fighting along the way. Plus I'll intersperse some chapters from 1997 as well.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks to those that have already done so, you stars.

Also, I should say that Malfoy's charming 'girls for now, girls for later' line is directly from The Riot Club and is not mine.