Chapter II
"Slytherin"
"First-years, come this way! Follow me, First-years!"
Tom and Dustin followed the voice, along with a whole procession of other First-years.
"Come this way children," said a blonde witch who looked to be in her early twenties. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile was so big that when Tom looked at her; frankly, it made him feel rather ill.
"Would you look at this woman?" Dustin muttered. "She's sickening."
Tom laughed. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
They followed the cheerful woman to the edge of a luminous lake, where about fifteen boats were waiting.
"Now, I want three or four students in each boat. Don't worry about rowing; the boats move all by themselves!" She said with a wink.
Tom and Dustin clambered into one of the boats, sitting across from each other. Tom glanced around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a boy with silver-blonde hair and icy blue eyes walking towards their boat.
"Mind if I join you?" the boy asked. He had a laid-back look to him, but Tom saw that his eyes were very alert beneath the half-closed lids.
"I suppose..." Dustin said grudgingly as he made room for the boy. Tom merely nodded; he was still watching the newcomer with interest.
The boy sat down and held out his hand to Tom. "My name is Damien," he said lazily. "Damien Malfoy."
Tom shook the offered hand. "Tom Riddle."
Dustin gazed at Damien in sudden interest. "You're a Malfoy?!" he asked, surprised. Then, seeing Tom's puzzled expression, added, "They're one of the best wizarding families in the world. Not a drop of muggle blood in them!"
Damien smiled proudly. "That's right. And you are...?"
"Name's Dustin Fletcher," he said with a smile.
Damien smirked, then turned back to Tom. "So, what's the snake's name?" he asked, extending a hand towards her.
"This is Nagini," Tom said, watching the snake's tongue flik in and out of the air, towards Damien's hand. "She seems to like you."
"Really?" Damien ran a finger down her scales, then stared at Tom intently. "How do you control her? She's obviously poisonous," he said, indicating her red and black markings.
Tom put on a smug face. "I can talk to her."
"What?!" cried Dustin.
Damien sat back thoughtfully. If he was surprised at all, his languid expression didn't show it. "So you're a parselmouth..."
Tom nodded slightly. He had discovered this gift a long time ago. When he confronted his mum about it, she had seemed a little surprised. She told him that it was because he was a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, who could speak parseltongue as well. Though no one in their family had had the gift since Salazar himself.
Suddenly, Tom realized that the boats had stopped. He looked above him and saw the looming form of Hogwarts blocking out most of the starlight.
"Alright, first years, come out of the boats now. Watch your step!" said the jolly young witch.
Everyone followed the woman into the Entrance Hall, where a stern- looking man stood waiting. He had dark hair and flashing eyes, and, as Tom and the others drew nearer, they noticed he was very tall.
"Here they are, Insideai!" cried the blonde witch happily.
"Thank you, Anne," the wizard said, putting a strained smile on.
"My pleasure! I'll see you all later, children!" she cried as she went through two big doors that led to the Great Hall.
The man's smile immediately vanished. "Professor Spinnet, the Head of the Hufflepuff house. She is rather annoying, isn't she?" he said with a sneer.
Several students laughed nervously, and one girl gasped, as if she was astonished he would say such a thing about another teacher.
Tom nearly laughed out loud at the girl. She looked ridiculous! She had plain, brown hair, which was pulled into a bun, huge round glasses, and was staring open-mouthed and goggle-eyed at the professor.
"My name is Professor Thrassein. I am Head of Slytherin, and I also teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. In just a moment, all of you will be sorted into a house. The four houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff."
He then fell silent, and began to look the students over. His eyes paused on a few. When he came to Tom, his eyes lingered longer than on anyone else. Unlike most of the students, who hadn't been able to hold the professor's gaze for long, Tom stared calmly into his eyes, and it was Professor Thrassein who looked away first. He seemed a little disoriented.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to keep your...pet...in your room," he said.
Tom blinked. "Oh, right..."
Almost as if he knew he was needed, a seventh-year prefect with red hair came through the doors. He stopped in front of Professor Thrassein, as if awaiting an order.
"Allen, could you take this boy's snake to his dorm for him, please?" said Professor Thrassein.
"Yes sir," the boy said as he held out his hands for Nagini.
"I'm not...going with...him!" hissed Nagini furiously as Tom uncoiled her from his shoulders.
"You will go with him, and no complaints, Nagini, or I shall have to dispose of you...!" Tom whispered under his breath. He handed the snake to Allen, who nodded, then left.
"Well, I think they're ready for us," the professor said as he walked towards the Great Hall, gesturing for the first years to follow him.
"Did you see Thrassein's eyes?" whispered Dustin, who was obviously a bit shaken. "They were so intense!"
"Yeah, I think that he was trying to decide who he thought would be in Slytherin," said Damien. "I know I will be."
As they entered the Great Hall, Tom looked around. There were many older students sitting at four long tables, one for each house. At the front of the room, there was a long table where all the teachers sat. Tom noticed Professor Spinnet sitting next to a young man with short black hair, with a huge smile on her face.
When all the first years were on the platform, Professor Thrassein took a very tattered hat, and placed it on a stool in the middle of the platform. Then he took out a long scroll.
"When I call your name," he said to the youngest students, "you will sit on the stool and put the hat on. It will tell you what house you most belong in."
With that, he started to call out names. Tom didn't pay much attention, but a few names stuck out in his memory. There was, of course, his new friends, Dustin and Damien, who were both Slytherins. But he also looked up at another name.
"McGonagall, Minerva!"
The silly girl from earlier ran up to the platform. She sat on the stool, put on the old hat, and covered her huge glasses with her hands. There was a pause, and then, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The girl sighed with relief, and went to go join the cheering Gryffindors.
Finally, "Riddle, Tom!" was called. Tom walked calmly up to the stool, sat down, and placed the hat on his head. Suddenly, he heard a small voice in his mind, speaking to him.
"Goodness! You're an ambitious one, aren't you?! Almost as much as Salazar Slytherin himself! Yes...you would become a great wizard; maybe one of the best if...yes! No doubt about it! SLYTHERIN!"
This last part was yelled across the entire room. Tom stood up and walked towards the Slytherin table, where his new friends sat waiting for him.
He sat down in between Damien and Dustin. Damien clapped his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I knew you'd be in Slytherin!"
Eventually, the remainder of the students were sorted, and an old man with wispy white hair stood up and cleared his throat. The voices slowly died down.
"Good evening, everyone!" the wizard said in a rich voice. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Headmaster of Hogwarts; Professor Dippet. I wish to welcome you all here for another school year together. I have no further announcements, so without further ado, let the feast begin!"
With that, the golden plates on the tables immediately filled with every food imaginable. Tom had never seen so much food in all his life! Everyone dug in happily.
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When everyone finally finished dessert, Professor Dippet announced that it was time to go to bed. Everyone stood up and followed the prefects of their houses to the common rooms.
Tom and the rest of the Slytherins followed Allen, who Tom saw was a prefect, down to the dungeons. They learned the password, and then entered the Slytherin common room. It was lit by a dozen candles, and had high- backed armchairs all around. There was a crackling fire in the fireplace, and the whole room was decorated with green and silver.
Tom closed his eyes. He hadn't realized how tired he was. Allen told everyone to go to bed; they had classes early tomorrow. Tom was only too eager to obey. He followed the other Slytherin boys down some stairs. The first year boys, Tom, Dustin, Damien, and two others, found their room and entered. Soon after, Tom was laying on his four-poster bed, Nagini coiled at his feet.
And for the first time since his mother's death, Tom Riddle was truly happy.
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Hey Everyone!!! I hope you like my story so far! If you do please R\R! If I don't get at least 6 reviews, then I won't write anymore. (Well, actually, I will, cause this is fun! ^_^ I just won't post it.)
Oh, please read my sister, Mask of Dawn's fic! It's about the Mauraders (Lily, James, and Severus love triangle) Believe me, it's worth reading!
Okay, Bye!!!
"Slytherin"
"First-years, come this way! Follow me, First-years!"
Tom and Dustin followed the voice, along with a whole procession of other First-years.
"Come this way children," said a blonde witch who looked to be in her early twenties. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile was so big that when Tom looked at her; frankly, it made him feel rather ill.
"Would you look at this woman?" Dustin muttered. "She's sickening."
Tom laughed. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
They followed the cheerful woman to the edge of a luminous lake, where about fifteen boats were waiting.
"Now, I want three or four students in each boat. Don't worry about rowing; the boats move all by themselves!" She said with a wink.
Tom and Dustin clambered into one of the boats, sitting across from each other. Tom glanced around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a boy with silver-blonde hair and icy blue eyes walking towards their boat.
"Mind if I join you?" the boy asked. He had a laid-back look to him, but Tom saw that his eyes were very alert beneath the half-closed lids.
"I suppose..." Dustin said grudgingly as he made room for the boy. Tom merely nodded; he was still watching the newcomer with interest.
The boy sat down and held out his hand to Tom. "My name is Damien," he said lazily. "Damien Malfoy."
Tom shook the offered hand. "Tom Riddle."
Dustin gazed at Damien in sudden interest. "You're a Malfoy?!" he asked, surprised. Then, seeing Tom's puzzled expression, added, "They're one of the best wizarding families in the world. Not a drop of muggle blood in them!"
Damien smiled proudly. "That's right. And you are...?"
"Name's Dustin Fletcher," he said with a smile.
Damien smirked, then turned back to Tom. "So, what's the snake's name?" he asked, extending a hand towards her.
"This is Nagini," Tom said, watching the snake's tongue flik in and out of the air, towards Damien's hand. "She seems to like you."
"Really?" Damien ran a finger down her scales, then stared at Tom intently. "How do you control her? She's obviously poisonous," he said, indicating her red and black markings.
Tom put on a smug face. "I can talk to her."
"What?!" cried Dustin.
Damien sat back thoughtfully. If he was surprised at all, his languid expression didn't show it. "So you're a parselmouth..."
Tom nodded slightly. He had discovered this gift a long time ago. When he confronted his mum about it, she had seemed a little surprised. She told him that it was because he was a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, who could speak parseltongue as well. Though no one in their family had had the gift since Salazar himself.
Suddenly, Tom realized that the boats had stopped. He looked above him and saw the looming form of Hogwarts blocking out most of the starlight.
"Alright, first years, come out of the boats now. Watch your step!" said the jolly young witch.
Everyone followed the woman into the Entrance Hall, where a stern- looking man stood waiting. He had dark hair and flashing eyes, and, as Tom and the others drew nearer, they noticed he was very tall.
"Here they are, Insideai!" cried the blonde witch happily.
"Thank you, Anne," the wizard said, putting a strained smile on.
"My pleasure! I'll see you all later, children!" she cried as she went through two big doors that led to the Great Hall.
The man's smile immediately vanished. "Professor Spinnet, the Head of the Hufflepuff house. She is rather annoying, isn't she?" he said with a sneer.
Several students laughed nervously, and one girl gasped, as if she was astonished he would say such a thing about another teacher.
Tom nearly laughed out loud at the girl. She looked ridiculous! She had plain, brown hair, which was pulled into a bun, huge round glasses, and was staring open-mouthed and goggle-eyed at the professor.
"My name is Professor Thrassein. I am Head of Slytherin, and I also teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. In just a moment, all of you will be sorted into a house. The four houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff."
He then fell silent, and began to look the students over. His eyes paused on a few. When he came to Tom, his eyes lingered longer than on anyone else. Unlike most of the students, who hadn't been able to hold the professor's gaze for long, Tom stared calmly into his eyes, and it was Professor Thrassein who looked away first. He seemed a little disoriented.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to keep your...pet...in your room," he said.
Tom blinked. "Oh, right..."
Almost as if he knew he was needed, a seventh-year prefect with red hair came through the doors. He stopped in front of Professor Thrassein, as if awaiting an order.
"Allen, could you take this boy's snake to his dorm for him, please?" said Professor Thrassein.
"Yes sir," the boy said as he held out his hands for Nagini.
"I'm not...going with...him!" hissed Nagini furiously as Tom uncoiled her from his shoulders.
"You will go with him, and no complaints, Nagini, or I shall have to dispose of you...!" Tom whispered under his breath. He handed the snake to Allen, who nodded, then left.
"Well, I think they're ready for us," the professor said as he walked towards the Great Hall, gesturing for the first years to follow him.
"Did you see Thrassein's eyes?" whispered Dustin, who was obviously a bit shaken. "They were so intense!"
"Yeah, I think that he was trying to decide who he thought would be in Slytherin," said Damien. "I know I will be."
As they entered the Great Hall, Tom looked around. There were many older students sitting at four long tables, one for each house. At the front of the room, there was a long table where all the teachers sat. Tom noticed Professor Spinnet sitting next to a young man with short black hair, with a huge smile on her face.
When all the first years were on the platform, Professor Thrassein took a very tattered hat, and placed it on a stool in the middle of the platform. Then he took out a long scroll.
"When I call your name," he said to the youngest students, "you will sit on the stool and put the hat on. It will tell you what house you most belong in."
With that, he started to call out names. Tom didn't pay much attention, but a few names stuck out in his memory. There was, of course, his new friends, Dustin and Damien, who were both Slytherins. But he also looked up at another name.
"McGonagall, Minerva!"
The silly girl from earlier ran up to the platform. She sat on the stool, put on the old hat, and covered her huge glasses with her hands. There was a pause, and then, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The girl sighed with relief, and went to go join the cheering Gryffindors.
Finally, "Riddle, Tom!" was called. Tom walked calmly up to the stool, sat down, and placed the hat on his head. Suddenly, he heard a small voice in his mind, speaking to him.
"Goodness! You're an ambitious one, aren't you?! Almost as much as Salazar Slytherin himself! Yes...you would become a great wizard; maybe one of the best if...yes! No doubt about it! SLYTHERIN!"
This last part was yelled across the entire room. Tom stood up and walked towards the Slytherin table, where his new friends sat waiting for him.
He sat down in between Damien and Dustin. Damien clapped his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I knew you'd be in Slytherin!"
Eventually, the remainder of the students were sorted, and an old man with wispy white hair stood up and cleared his throat. The voices slowly died down.
"Good evening, everyone!" the wizard said in a rich voice. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Headmaster of Hogwarts; Professor Dippet. I wish to welcome you all here for another school year together. I have no further announcements, so without further ado, let the feast begin!"
With that, the golden plates on the tables immediately filled with every food imaginable. Tom had never seen so much food in all his life! Everyone dug in happily.
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When everyone finally finished dessert, Professor Dippet announced that it was time to go to bed. Everyone stood up and followed the prefects of their houses to the common rooms.
Tom and the rest of the Slytherins followed Allen, who Tom saw was a prefect, down to the dungeons. They learned the password, and then entered the Slytherin common room. It was lit by a dozen candles, and had high- backed armchairs all around. There was a crackling fire in the fireplace, and the whole room was decorated with green and silver.
Tom closed his eyes. He hadn't realized how tired he was. Allen told everyone to go to bed; they had classes early tomorrow. Tom was only too eager to obey. He followed the other Slytherin boys down some stairs. The first year boys, Tom, Dustin, Damien, and two others, found their room and entered. Soon after, Tom was laying on his four-poster bed, Nagini coiled at his feet.
And for the first time since his mother's death, Tom Riddle was truly happy.
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Hey Everyone!!! I hope you like my story so far! If you do please R\R! If I don't get at least 6 reviews, then I won't write anymore. (Well, actually, I will, cause this is fun! ^_^ I just won't post it.)
Oh, please read my sister, Mask of Dawn's fic! It's about the Mauraders (Lily, James, and Severus love triangle) Believe me, it's worth reading!
Okay, Bye!!!