Vampire Chronicles Book 2: Catharine Riddle

Part 4

The hall filled with even more whispers and gasps as everyone remembered the name 'Tom Riddle.'

"They are transferring here from Durmstrang and Beauxbatton, and I expect you to show them the same kindness you'd show other members of your houses," Dumbledor said. Then to Professor McGonagall, he said, "Would you bring the sorting hat back out here, they will need to be sorted."

McGonagall, quickly, brought the sorting hat back out with the stool. Putting it down she motioned for Rena to put it on first.

"Oh, you again," the hat said loudly as Rena put the hat on her head, before yelling, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Rena took the hat off and walked over to the Gryffindor table, where the Marauders had saved her a seat. McGonagall motioned for Tom to go up and put on the hat. He went up a little hesitantly. Everyone was watching him, including the two people that had come in with Rena, who were still standing where they had been when Tom came in.

"My, my, you are much like your uncle, but you have something else there, you will do great things, but be wise your power is strong," the hat said thoughtfully. After a few minutes, it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"

Tom quickly took off the hat and walked towards the Slytherin table, a blank, expressionless look on his face. He sat down beside Lucas Malfoy and looked over at Rena almost pleadingly.

"Now that that is done, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Riddle," Dumbledor said with a gleam of amusement in his eye.

The man with silvery hair walked up and sat down in the empty seat next to McGonagall's seat as the woman with silvery hair started walking up towards the staff table also.

"And new Elemental Charms teacher, who is also, Professor Riddle," Dumbledor finished motioning towards the woman. "A few of you may notice this on your schedules tomorrow morning; it is a new class that we are trying out this year. As always the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. With all the announcements done, I have only two more words for you, Dig in."

~*~

"You didn't say your last name was Riddle," Sirius said a little while later before taking a bite of mashed potato.

"It's not like I want to advertise something like that," Rena said taking a sip of pumpkin juice. "There's so much more to it than the name."

"Like the relations," Tom said coming up behind her.

"Yes," Rena said, her face became vacant as if she were somewhere else, or deep in thought.

"Stop it," Tom suddenly said angrily.

"You've done it now. You went back, they aren't going to be happy," Rena said motioning towards the two Professor Riddles.

"You don't need to be searching my mind, it isn't like we're not mentally connected anyways," Tom said coldly.

"Yeah, the whole twin thing does sort of get in the way," Rena said equally cold.

"You better watch your back, he's after you," Tom said before returning to the Slytherin table.

"Bloody evil git," Rena said under her breath to Tom's retreating figure. "No worse than our uncle though."

Rena again went into one of her quiet spells for the rest of dinner. She seemed so deep in thought that nobody dared bother her, most were afraid of her because of her last name, Riddle. Dinner soon ended, and the perfects started guiding the first years to their houses. Instead of following the Gryffindors to the common room, Rena disappeared off into one of the corridors off the Great Hall that students didn't usually use.

~*~

Hours later, Rena walked into the common room, only to asked a perfect where the 5th year girl's dorm was, and walk over to where the Marauders where sitting in front of the fire.

"Where were you?" James asked as Rena sat down on an empty couch.

"Training," Rena said softly.

"Huh?" they all said at once not truly understanding what Rena meant.

"What're you talking about?" Remus said.

"Nothing," Rena said with a yawn. Then, before going of into the girls' dorm, she whispered, " 'Night."

That was the last they would probably hear about Rena's 'training,' though they find out more, she would never tell them exactly what it was for.

~*~TIME SKIP…NEXT MORNING~*~

Rena came into the Great Hall that morning soon after Sirius and James had. Today she was wearing the traditional Hogwarts School uniform, but her robe seemed to be faintly tinted blue. Her hair was done up in one large plait that went down about two feet from the ground (this is only because it's up in a braid). Also, something that many of the students at the Gryffindor table noticed was a ruby colored snake coiled around the base of her neck.

"Hey, guys," Rena said sitting down across from Sirius. Then she quietly said something to the snake in Parsletongue (A/N: I'm not sure on the spelling.).

"What'd you just do?" James asked unsure what to think as the snake uncoiled from Rena's neck and slithered down to the table, curling up around the base of her goblet.

"I told Ruby here not to bug you guys. There's no problem with that is there?" Rena asked raising an eyebrow.

"How's everything going so far Rena?" the new DADA professor (who will be referred to as John from now on) asked coming up behind Rena before James had a chance to answer.

"Good, but I keep getting uneasy feelings from Tom, and last night he warned me about our uncle, saying something about how he's after me," Rena said patting Ruby lightly on the head before feeding her a little piece of sausage.

"Lea and I are keeping an eye on him," John said referring to the other Professor Riddle (who will be called Lea for the rest of the story, cept when a student is talking to her).

"He's coming," Rena suddenly said coking her head slightly.

"What?" John asked confused.

"Tom, he's starting over here about…about…now,"  Rena said dragging the 'about's out for a few seconds each. "Wants to talk. Let Emerald lose to keep an eye on me and see what I do and say today."

"He's setting a spy…on you?" Lea said coming up with a laugh. "Now that's a little unbelievable. It's not like he needs one."

John hissed something to Ruby, who seemed to nod in agreement.

"Ruby agrees, you need to be more careful," John said. "Did you go out last night?"

"Yes," Rena said suddenly sounding sullen. Just as Tom walked up, unseen by John and Lea, she said, "Hello, Tom."

"Hello, Rena. Lea, John," Tom said nodding to Lea and John in turn.

"Well, yes, I should be going, now," John said. Then, noticing that Rena was looking at the stack of schedules in his hand, he said as he handed her one, "Here's your schedule Rena. Hope you have a good first day."

"Bye John," Rena said.

"I need to go finish passing out these schedules. You behave Rena, you too Tom," Lea said handing the Marauders their schedules.

"Like we wouldn't," Rena and Tom said simultaneously. Then, turning to each other they said, "I would but you wouldn't."

"Liar," Ruby hissed, able to be understood by all. "The heir of Darkness cannot be trusted."

"Ruby, that was an awful thing to say," Rena said shaking her head.

"It's true," hissed an emerald color snake also speaking in the normal human language as he slithered up next to Ruby.

This time Rena didn't say anything, she just took on the same look that she had on the night before when she was reading Tom's mind. This time, though, Tom didn't yell or become angry, he only looked down ashamed.

"They're right aren't they?" Rena said looking up at Tom hoping he'd say no, even though they could all tell that she was right. "What'd you promise him? He wouldn't do something like that for so cheep."

"The vampire queen," Tom said quietly.

"The queen of the damned, you do know she doesn't exist yet, right?" Rena asked with a totally blank expression.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that yet, he doesn't know that she hasn't become who she is meant to be," Tom said with a laugh. "For once I think I was able to pass something off on the old man."

"But what are you going to do when she does come about, he can't get her, or everything is risked. So many would be…," Rena said her voice leaving her before she could finish. "Does he know who?"

"No, he's not even close," Tom said.

"Good," Rena said sounding almost peaceful. Then, quickly reaching up at his hair that had now become halfway silver (A/N: from the ends up, not the roots), she said, "You're not?"

Tom didn't say anything, but his face paled greatly in a mater of seconds.

"Go talk to John," Rena said closing her eyes. "Something is coming and we all must be protected. That's why we're here with Dumbledore to watch out for us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Cliffhanger ending…the one thing that keeps me going at night…also keeps my stories going…^_^

Gaz Destiny