Hello guys! It's been a while since I updated didn't I?

Honestly though, to very fair, I wasn't going to post this chapter at all. It's majorly a filler and I wrote it only to emcompass the 1st of September and to give me a timeline of both plot events and Rose and Tom's journey.

However, the main decision to post it came because of JKR and her newest book plot reveal.


If you haven't heard, it's about a man dressing up as a woman to kill women. Yes, with all her transphobic ideals and anti LGBTQ+ holdings, she went ahead and did that and I felt that maybe I should really just post it because I would be able to say this to my readers.

If you are a trans reader, if you are a gay, lesbian, bi, pan, ace reader, if you are a person of color, if you are a person of religion, or a person without one, if you are honestly, whatever:

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE ON THIS PLATFORM, ON THIS ACCOUNT. YOU ARE VALID. YOUR EXISTENCE IS VALID. YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE WORTHY AND YOU ARE DESERVING.

Please, let's not allow JKR to further pollute us. PMs are always open for anyone who wants to chat and there are several links posted on the bio for you to be able to get in touch. You are not alone and I hope my works provide that for you.


It was soon clear to me, that Tom Riddle would not deign to speak to me at all for the brief journey to the Slytherin Commons. His stride was quick, long arms moving in pace and I found myself fixed on his hand, ready for the barest hint of him reaching for his wand.

My hand had begun to sweat and cramp around the handle of my own wand, the feeling uncomfortable and the sight possibly suspicious.

Reassured that Riddle would not be blasting me through one of the walls tonight, I let go, letting my palm breathe and flexed my fingers.

Riddle had already led us through to the dungeons, moving along one narrow corridor at the very end, across the Potions classroom. I had never actually been anywhere near the Slytherin commons, so when he stopped at an empty stretch of wall, I was about to reach for my wand again.

"Émeraude," Riddle said smoothly and the wall seemed to shimmer just a second before the illusion melted away to reveal a passageway.

"That's the password?" I asked, curiously following Riddle, forgetting that Slytherin probably used silly words to confuse intruders.

"It's French, for emerald – one of our colors."

I looked down at the crest on my new robes, where the silver serpent reared on a magnificent deep green background.

"Ah, that makes sense." I muttered more to myself than him and I faintly detected a grunt before he was veering off course, leaving me to get my first real look at the Slytherin Common Room.

If the password wasn't enough, the entire room was a deep, rich 'emerald'. Silver fitted the furnishings of the room and instead of the worn, dull oak of the Gryffindor room; it was all polished and sleek mahogany. Even the fires blaring in the grates were green.

Even through the chatter that filled the bustling room, a gentle swooshing was audible; the Lake lapping against the murky windows of the back wall. It was cold, but warm – dark and unwelcoming but homey.

Familiar squashy armchairs and sofas littered the floor, with round tables and desks and imposing statues loomed in the four corners.

Something swirled in my stomach but it quelled when I heard my name called.


I turned my head to see Lila, beckoning me towards her. Oddly staggered, I moved in her direction; noting how her dark features seemed to glow in the green and silver. She was sprawled in one of the lounges, clearly ruling the show as it were.

"You looked like a lost puppy back over there." Lila said, patting the seat beside her for me to sit in.

"Understandably so; if she was in the presence of Riddle." Fawley drawled.

I chose to look at the other occupants of the group, a boy and girl. "This is Alphard Black and that's Eileen Prince. This is Roselle Revel – she's new." Lila introduced while Fawley leaned in conspiratorially.

"I saw you eyeing Riddle back at the carriages." He began, my eyes swiveling to him quickly.

Neither Lila nor Fawley knew that Riddle and I had come from the same orphanage. Recalling the aversion he had displayed in mentioning the place, it would be safe to assume that he would not be making that information public – except to his followers.

I, begrudgingly, would be following his example.

"He's not what he looks like, just a warning." Fawley continued.

"Arch, leave her alone – it's nothing to do with you." Lila snapped suddenly.

"Oh come on, you don't want her to get tangled up with them. There's something…off about the whole lot of them."

"My brother is one of 'them', mate." Alphard said wryly, making my eyes turn back to them.

Alphard was painfully similar to Sirius, with the same shoulder length shaggy hair, crinkling eyes that sparkled with mirth and small dimples at the cheeks. For a split second, it was easy to forget that I was sitting in the Slytherin Common room fifty years out of my time.

And then my eyes shifted to Eileen Prince…


"Rose,"

I didn't look up or turn around, simply balling the small handkerchief in my hand.

"Are you ok?"

The scoff I let out was enough to make him wince, inch closer to where I could see the funeral from the Gryffindor window. "I didn't see you down there."

I hesitated. "I didn't want to be down there."

A beat passed.

"My mom wants to pull me and Pamela out of Hogwarts. She wants to send us to another school. There's Mahoutokoro in Japan, Uagadou in Africa or Castelobruxo in Brazil. She said as far as we are from Voldemort's reign, it will be better."

Harry didn't speak immediately.

"Will you go?"

"I don't know Harry." I sighed, turning to face the room. "I've grown up in this. I can't…I can't just quit. I mean, I'm sure she's just being this way because of…" I stopped. "Anyway, Pam laughed in her face. So…"

"Snape was the Half Blood Prince." Harry cut me off, turning around as well.

Air escaped my lungs, blood slowed till it heaved me down, slow enough that it took me a bit to actually look at Harry to confirm he hadn't lost his mind.

"Yeah, he…he said it. Back, when…he didn't kill me near Hagrid's hut," He was nodding to himself, head down as if coming to term with it.

As if it was something you could ever come to terms with…

"How…? I mean,"

"His mum was a witch; Eileen Prince. He was…pretty proud of that I suppose." Bitterness laced his words, guilty to even my ears.

"It wasn't your fault, Potter. You didn't know." I didn't edge closer to him, keeping my distance.

Silence fell again, broken only by the sounds of the crowds below that managed to slip up the high tower.

"I think I should tell you now. I won't be coming back next year. I have…something to take care of. Dumbledore wanted me to do something and I…it'll probably be some time to finish." Harry looked up at me. Something had hardened in his face. "You should listen to your mum. Get somewhere safe, Ro. Hogwarts isn't going to be safe anymore and I…"

"Harry Potter, I hope you are not going to say that you won't be there to protect me." I interrupted, crossing my arms and making him stutter to a stop.

"N-no, I just wanted,"

"I'm not going anywhere." I finally walked over to him, placing a bracing hand on his shoulder. "Go do your mission, Potter. Stop worrying about others."

He shrugged my hand off, small smile wiping off his face.

"If only was that easy to do. Don't do anything reckless, Alton."


"I'm tired." I said, cutting off Fawley recounting just how 'off' Riddle and his bunch really was. Lila gave me a sympathetic smirk, while Alphard looked almost relieved. "I think I'll just head off to bed."

"Yeah, you should, you look beat." Eileen Prince put in, making my eyes reluctantly move to her.

Her hair was slick black, coiled back in a roll and her eyes were the same sheen of coal black as her son. However, her features were softer, rounder, with no malice in them. I averted my eyes again.

"She's right. We'll see you all tomorrow." Lila put in and we exchanged a look of solidarity.

"Goodnight, guys." I mumbled, side stepping their legs and following Lila to one end of the common room. A flight of stairs led down to the girls' dormitories and I heaved a sigh, more relieved than I should've been of the fact that we were going further into the nether.

But it cut off sound and I was grateful for it for approximately 10 seconds, until the door of the dorms opened and the first sight I saw was of Bellatrix Lestrange.

My breath caught, eyes popped and my hand plunged into my robes when she turned to look at me and Lila.

"Macmillan," She said in greeting. Her voice drawled; nowhere close to the high and almost panting sound Bellatrix had in the Forest.

"Walburga," Lila moved past me, towards one of the beds swathed in green and silver bedding. "How was your summer?"

"Acceptable," 'Walburga' or Mrs. Black as I now realized she was, didn't reciprocate the question, instead turning to face another girl. This one was stark blond, refined features that looked like a pixie's.

"That's Walburga Black and Druella Rosier." Lila muttered, beckoning me towards the bed next to her and the farthest away from the door. "This is Rose Revel."

Druella was the first to turn, looking at me imperiously, reminding me strongly of Narcissa Malfoy. "Revel…? I've never heard of your family."

"That's nice." I nearly rolled my eyes, turning to where a trunk stood at the base of the bed, my battered suitcase on the bed.

"There's one more girl we're sharing the dorm with, she's not here yet." Lila said, yawning as she pulled out her toothbrush. Tugging her hair into a bun she disappeared into a small door that seemed to be the cloak room.

While I looked back at the pair of ancestors of two of the most proficient of Death Eaters, catching their mutters with the word 'bonkers' and 'blood' mixed in a couple times.

Oh joy…


Sleep never came.

Each time I turned over in the very comfortable bed, reminiscent of my own back in the Gryffindor dorm, I would catch sight of the green hangings and any flicker of sleep would fall away.

Closing my eyes led me to images of a leering face too close to me, cruel laughter and a snippy icy voice. It didn't take a genius to figure out I couldn't possibly sleep with two girls who reminded me of death eaters in the same room.

Parting the canopy hanging, I watched to see if there was any one who could possibly still be awake. Slipping out the bed, I padded to the door, sneaking down into the common room.

It was empty, Merlin be kind.

A single, small fire blazed in the smallest hearth at the very corner, throwing bare green light into the room and I curled up in the velvet couch, drawing my legs closer under me. if I could just take a nap here, I would be able to head upstairs before anyone caught me.

The tongues of the fire were hypnotic, coiling and uncoiling, enough to send me into a half dozen haze when the entry passage opened and my precious sleep was snatched from me yet again.

I jumped up, whirling to find myself face to face with Riddle.

On his part, he didn't look surprised. If anything he looked bored.

"Miss Revel, shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I…I," I cleared my throat, settling my own features as he came to stand behind an armchair not too far, hands clasping on the back. "I couldn't sleep. New bed and all,"

"I would suggest a calming or a sleeping drought." He said, sympathetically.

It was good, the act, so believable, almost sincere. But I could see it behind the eyes, the nothingness; he was just talking because he could.

"What were you doing out, Riddle?" I asked instead.

Riddle turned a little, his chest catching the glint of the fire. A silver badge glittered on his robes, right above the serpentine crest. "I am a prefect, I have patrol."

My lips twisted.

"You already finished patrol. You said so to Dippet."

If he was taken aback, he didn't show it. Instead, he allowed his eyebrows to hike up just so, his own mouth quirking.

"Hogwarts can never be too safe, Miss Revel. Like you, I couldn't sleep as well and decided to finish my duty again. Well then, if you're done I would like to head up to bed."

"Why did you say yes; when Dippet told you to watch me?"

Good heavens, Alton; can't you keep your mouth shut? A voice that suspiciously sounded like Ron snapped at me in my head.

"Because it would be wrong to turn down the Headmaster, besides, I think it would be good for me…to have you as a friend."

A minute crossed, his eyes turned in my direction. I couldn't tell if he was using Legilimency but the way he said it, reminded me of the fact that he thought I could be corrupted.

And that was a terrifying thought from the man I was supposed to kill.

"Goodnight, Miss Revel." He said, my eyes going to him when he moved away from me, across to the other side of the room and then down to the boy's dorm.

Perhaps, I thought…I'd be safer in the Dorm, after all.


Hope you are all safe and warm!

Until next time!