[ A/N: Hey, guys! I hope I've managed to grab your attention. :) The chapters of this wee little thing aren't as long as "Snape's Secret", "Enchanted Hearts", or "Dealing With Draco" (All of which I do plan on finishing this year, so if you haven't read them you might want to. ;) ). Anyway, they have made it to the castle and now it is time to be sorted. I wonder what will happen here... ]
2
The Great Hall was decorated with streamers which floated down from the ceiling as the students walked in one by one to get sorted. As Kat and her friends edged closer to the front of the line, each wondered what house they would be sorted into.
" Kathleen Coleman. " Professor McGonagall said, " Your turn. "
" Okay. " Kat said, breaking off her conversation with the girl behind her and making her way to the stool which was in the center of the room,
" Hmmm... " the sorting hat said after she had put it on, " You're certainly excited! Looks like you come from a long-dormant line of witches, too. Ah... I see ambition. Yet you are torn between your old friends and your new one. That is a sensitive spot, isn't it? Well, I can't say I know where they're going, but you're the first student to join SLYTHERIN! "
" Tabi Leveque! " Professor McGonagall said ten minutes later. Tabi walked up to the stool and plunked the sorting cap onto her head.
" Well hello! " It said, " You're not nervous, are you? Well, this is simple! GRYFFINDOR! "
" Tom Riddle Jr. " The whole hall froze with fear. Heads looked away and silence enveloped those seated at the table.
Tom walked up to the stool like a professional and sat down without a second thought. " Not another Riddle... What am I gonna do with you? I don't want you to turn out like your dad...! But I don't have any choice, yet again! Gotta be SLYTHERIN! "
" Tanya Tourcotte! " Ali was the last student in the line up and sat down on the stool with a sense of relief.
" So you really, really want to be in Gryffindor? " The hat asked, " Well, I can do that. GRYFFINDOR! "
As soon as everyone was seated at the tables, the headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up. " Welcome back to Hogwarts! " he said, " I hope you have all had a wonderful summer. I would like to welcome all of our first years. I am sure you will find this year very enjoyable. Now, without further ado, Avodae, Tvendz Kevtdel! "
Immediately, golden plates appeared on the tables piled high with roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Realizing how hungry she was, Kat immediately began to dig in, shoveling the food into her mouth.
" Hey, Kat. " Tom said, " I would like you to meet William and Alan. "
Kat glanced down the table and saw two larger boys staring at her with slightly confused expressions, " Hi. "
" They're my body guards. " Tom whispered, " Dad sent them. "
" How convenient. " Kat replied, holding back a laugh, " Though I don't see why you would need body guards... "
" When your the son of Lord Voldemort you get bugged a lot. " Tom said, " Besides, it keeps those pesky muggles away. "
" Hey! My mum and dad are muggles! " Kat said, frowning.
" Both?! " Tom exclaimed, " Then how'd you -- "
" -- Ancestral magic. " Kat explained, not letting him finish, " The Perry side of my family were witches. We hid our powers during the witch hunts, so they must have gotten weaker until the magical community thought we were extinct. "
" I see. " Tom said. " So, what do you wanna do when you get out? "
" I dunno. We haven't even had our first class yet, Tom! " Kat laughed, " What do you want to do? "
" Rule the world. "
" Somebody has watched one too many episodes of Pinky and the Brain. You've gotta be joking, Tom! "
" Its my destiny. " Tom said, closing his eyes for a moment, " I will rule once my dad gets too old. "
" Nonsense, Tom! " Kat argued, " The Ministry of Magic is going to cream your dad any day now! "
" What did you just say? " Tom snapped, grabbing his wand, " Take that back, Kat! "
" W-what did I just... Oh my lord, where is my head today?! "
" Right now its on your shoulders. " Tom said icily, " Say that again, though, and I'm not sure where I'll put it. "
Kat stayed quiet for the rest of the meal, and as it progressed Tom wondered if she was mad at him. Surely she had to see how insulting her comment had been, and besides... His father was Lord Voldemort. He deserved her respect.
He could not help wondering if he had scared her. When he thought back on his reaction to her comment, he realized that the wand had not been neccessary. That had to be it. As he looked at her expressionless face, Tom felt knots forming inside his stomach. For once, it was not fun having someone scared to the point of being speechless. Instead, it hurt.
Once the meal was over, the rest of the students began filing out of the hall. To Tom's annoyance, Tabi and Ali chose this moment to make an appearance.
" Hey, lovebirds! " Tabi said laughing, " How's it going? "
" Tab, I think they're having a discussion... " Ali said, glancing from Tom to Kat a couple times, " Besides, we don't want to lose the rest of the Gryffindors. We don't know the password to the commonroom. Come on! "
" Phew... " Tom said quietly, " Kat, are you all right? "
" Yeah. " she said flatly, shuddering when Tom put his hand on her shoulder.
" Don't lie to me! " he warned, his eyes glowing scarlet.
" Ye -- Your... Uh... Eyes... "
" Never mind that, Kat! " Tom shouted, lifting her off the chair, " What's the matter? "
" Just leave me alone. " Kat said, pushing him out of the way and heading toward the commonroom.
" Fine. " Tom said, drawing his wand, " I guess we do this the hard way, then. Jelly Legs! "
Kat's body fell to the ground with a sickening thud and Tom knew that she had not been taught how to protect herself from injury when under an immobility curse. He knees had obvious scraps and droplets of blood were dripping onto the gray stone floor. Pulling his cloak over her, Tom picked Kat up and carried her toward the Slytherin commonroom.
" Your legs... " Tom said, frowning as he pulled a bottle of cream out of his travel bag, " I didn't think of this, Kat. I'm use to being around wizards who have been trained for all of these things. "
" All of what things? " Kat asked.
" Finally going to talk? " Tom asked, smiling, " I'm use to wizards that know how to protect themselves from scrapes during an immobility curse. "
" Why should I have to know that? " Kat asked, " What logical reason did you have to knock me on my butt? "
" You were going to walk away from me. Nobody does that, got it? " he paused, watching her frown at the latter remark, " My dad would not have been pleased with your behavior at dinner, either. "
" Do I look like I care? "
" Probably about as much as I care about your muggle parents. " he noticed her hurt expression and sighed. Surely, he could put up with two muggles to keep her from being upset. She looked pretty homesick. " I'm sorry, Kat. But, can you see what I mean? "
" Yeah, I guess. Still, my mum runs and antique shop and my dad works for CAT as a truck driver. There not exactly trying to take over the world! "
" Would you knock that off? "
" What are you talking about? "
" Look, if any of the teachers hear us, they might think I know what my dad is planning. " Tom said, carefully spreading the cream over the cuts on Kat's knees, " Quite frankly, I don't plan on playing twenty questions. "
" What would you do, then? "
" I know the Cruciatus curse and the Killing curse. Satisfied? "
Kat simply shivered, and Tom wrapped his cloak tighter around her as he picked her up and started toward the Slytherin Commonroom. He had no concern regarding the password -- he knew William and Alan would be waiting for them.
" You two get things patched up? " Alan asked as they finally reached the portrait that led inside.
" You bet. " Tom replied, smiling, " Just a minor misunderstanding. "
" That's good. " William said, dropping his voice before adding, " It would have been a shame if we'd had to kill her. "
Kat tried to pretend she had not heard the final remark, but the movement of her body in his arms made it clear to Tom that she had, " Enough of that kind of talk! She is my friend, and I won't have it! "
" Yes, my lord. " William said meekly, " Will you be taking her to see the Master soon? "
" We will visit my father when I decide she is ready, William. Simply from her performance at dinner tonight, it is obvious that she has already undergone some Ministry brainwashing. We must at least remedy that before she visits the manor. "
" I've been brainwashed? " Kat asked, running her fingers through her messy brown hair, " How can that be? "
" It would take a lot to explain it, Kat. You'll understand everything once I un-brainwash you, okay? " Tom asked, setting her down in a big armchair by the fire, " It won't hurt, I promise. "
" Tom, do you think I'm going to be able to keep up? "
" With me? No, because I have been learning magic since I was five and know every charm, potion and transfiguration in the school corriculum. With everyone else? You'll do fine. If you get stuck, I'll help you. "
" Thanks, Tom. " Kat said, closing her eyes. At that moment, the portrait opened and professor Snape entered the room.
" Good evening, Slytherins! " he said, glancing around the room, " I see that our first years are already getting to know eachother. How... wonderful. Now, I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate any of your foolishness. "
Tom snickered at this remark, and Snape eyed him, " Something wrong, Professor? "
" Mr. Riddle, I am going to be honest with you. Cause one disturbance and I will take every ounce of life essence from your body. Is that clear? "
" My father was given assurance that I would not be discriminated against -- "
" I don't care what your father was assured. Cause trouble and you will pay. " Snape hissed, brushing his greasy black hair away from his dark eyes.
" Leave him alone. " Kat said softly.
" Did I hear something? " Snape asked, his voice growing colder.
" I said leave him alone! " Kat repeated, this time loud enough for everyone to hear, " You have no right centering him out like that. "
" Oh, the MudBlood... " Snape muttered. As Tom removed his wand, the room became silent with anticipation.
" What did you call her? "
" Exactly what she is -- a MudBlood. "
" I'm an ancestral witch, you moron. " Kat said, getting out of the chair and turning around to face him.
" Now you are an ancestral witch with a three hour detention tomorrow evening. Good night, everyone. " Snape said, storming out of the room.
" What an ass! " Kat said, clenching her fists together, " He had no right to treat you like that, Tom! "
" I'm more upset about what he called you. " Tom replied, his blue eyes peering around the room to make sure they did not have an audience, " That had to be the nastiest insult he could have thrown at you. Especially since your friends with me. "
" Well, " Kat said, yawning, " Insult is nothing new to me. Anyway, its getting late and I think I'd better get some sleep. This has been a long day. "
" All right, Kat. See you in the morning. " Tom said.
" Good night. "
( End Note: It has come to my attention that some of you might denounce this peice since it is more "personalized" then my other fictional contributions. Please note that although the thematic content of this peice is as planned as my previous work that I have taken the time to be slightly self indulgant in certain places. Thank you. ]
2
The Great Hall was decorated with streamers which floated down from the ceiling as the students walked in one by one to get sorted. As Kat and her friends edged closer to the front of the line, each wondered what house they would be sorted into.
" Kathleen Coleman. " Professor McGonagall said, " Your turn. "
" Okay. " Kat said, breaking off her conversation with the girl behind her and making her way to the stool which was in the center of the room,
" Hmmm... " the sorting hat said after she had put it on, " You're certainly excited! Looks like you come from a long-dormant line of witches, too. Ah... I see ambition. Yet you are torn between your old friends and your new one. That is a sensitive spot, isn't it? Well, I can't say I know where they're going, but you're the first student to join SLYTHERIN! "
" Tabi Leveque! " Professor McGonagall said ten minutes later. Tabi walked up to the stool and plunked the sorting cap onto her head.
" Well hello! " It said, " You're not nervous, are you? Well, this is simple! GRYFFINDOR! "
" Tom Riddle Jr. " The whole hall froze with fear. Heads looked away and silence enveloped those seated at the table.
Tom walked up to the stool like a professional and sat down without a second thought. " Not another Riddle... What am I gonna do with you? I don't want you to turn out like your dad...! But I don't have any choice, yet again! Gotta be SLYTHERIN! "
" Tanya Tourcotte! " Ali was the last student in the line up and sat down on the stool with a sense of relief.
" So you really, really want to be in Gryffindor? " The hat asked, " Well, I can do that. GRYFFINDOR! "
As soon as everyone was seated at the tables, the headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up. " Welcome back to Hogwarts! " he said, " I hope you have all had a wonderful summer. I would like to welcome all of our first years. I am sure you will find this year very enjoyable. Now, without further ado, Avodae, Tvendz Kevtdel! "
Immediately, golden plates appeared on the tables piled high with roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Realizing how hungry she was, Kat immediately began to dig in, shoveling the food into her mouth.
" Hey, Kat. " Tom said, " I would like you to meet William and Alan. "
Kat glanced down the table and saw two larger boys staring at her with slightly confused expressions, " Hi. "
" They're my body guards. " Tom whispered, " Dad sent them. "
" How convenient. " Kat replied, holding back a laugh, " Though I don't see why you would need body guards... "
" When your the son of Lord Voldemort you get bugged a lot. " Tom said, " Besides, it keeps those pesky muggles away. "
" Hey! My mum and dad are muggles! " Kat said, frowning.
" Both?! " Tom exclaimed, " Then how'd you -- "
" -- Ancestral magic. " Kat explained, not letting him finish, " The Perry side of my family were witches. We hid our powers during the witch hunts, so they must have gotten weaker until the magical community thought we were extinct. "
" I see. " Tom said. " So, what do you wanna do when you get out? "
" I dunno. We haven't even had our first class yet, Tom! " Kat laughed, " What do you want to do? "
" Rule the world. "
" Somebody has watched one too many episodes of Pinky and the Brain. You've gotta be joking, Tom! "
" Its my destiny. " Tom said, closing his eyes for a moment, " I will rule once my dad gets too old. "
" Nonsense, Tom! " Kat argued, " The Ministry of Magic is going to cream your dad any day now! "
" What did you just say? " Tom snapped, grabbing his wand, " Take that back, Kat! "
" W-what did I just... Oh my lord, where is my head today?! "
" Right now its on your shoulders. " Tom said icily, " Say that again, though, and I'm not sure where I'll put it. "
Kat stayed quiet for the rest of the meal, and as it progressed Tom wondered if she was mad at him. Surely she had to see how insulting her comment had been, and besides... His father was Lord Voldemort. He deserved her respect.
He could not help wondering if he had scared her. When he thought back on his reaction to her comment, he realized that the wand had not been neccessary. That had to be it. As he looked at her expressionless face, Tom felt knots forming inside his stomach. For once, it was not fun having someone scared to the point of being speechless. Instead, it hurt.
Once the meal was over, the rest of the students began filing out of the hall. To Tom's annoyance, Tabi and Ali chose this moment to make an appearance.
" Hey, lovebirds! " Tabi said laughing, " How's it going? "
" Tab, I think they're having a discussion... " Ali said, glancing from Tom to Kat a couple times, " Besides, we don't want to lose the rest of the Gryffindors. We don't know the password to the commonroom. Come on! "
" Phew... " Tom said quietly, " Kat, are you all right? "
" Yeah. " she said flatly, shuddering when Tom put his hand on her shoulder.
" Don't lie to me! " he warned, his eyes glowing scarlet.
" Ye -- Your... Uh... Eyes... "
" Never mind that, Kat! " Tom shouted, lifting her off the chair, " What's the matter? "
" Just leave me alone. " Kat said, pushing him out of the way and heading toward the commonroom.
" Fine. " Tom said, drawing his wand, " I guess we do this the hard way, then. Jelly Legs! "
Kat's body fell to the ground with a sickening thud and Tom knew that she had not been taught how to protect herself from injury when under an immobility curse. He knees had obvious scraps and droplets of blood were dripping onto the gray stone floor. Pulling his cloak over her, Tom picked Kat up and carried her toward the Slytherin commonroom.
" Your legs... " Tom said, frowning as he pulled a bottle of cream out of his travel bag, " I didn't think of this, Kat. I'm use to being around wizards who have been trained for all of these things. "
" All of what things? " Kat asked.
" Finally going to talk? " Tom asked, smiling, " I'm use to wizards that know how to protect themselves from scrapes during an immobility curse. "
" Why should I have to know that? " Kat asked, " What logical reason did you have to knock me on my butt? "
" You were going to walk away from me. Nobody does that, got it? " he paused, watching her frown at the latter remark, " My dad would not have been pleased with your behavior at dinner, either. "
" Do I look like I care? "
" Probably about as much as I care about your muggle parents. " he noticed her hurt expression and sighed. Surely, he could put up with two muggles to keep her from being upset. She looked pretty homesick. " I'm sorry, Kat. But, can you see what I mean? "
" Yeah, I guess. Still, my mum runs and antique shop and my dad works for CAT as a truck driver. There not exactly trying to take over the world! "
" Would you knock that off? "
" What are you talking about? "
" Look, if any of the teachers hear us, they might think I know what my dad is planning. " Tom said, carefully spreading the cream over the cuts on Kat's knees, " Quite frankly, I don't plan on playing twenty questions. "
" What would you do, then? "
" I know the Cruciatus curse and the Killing curse. Satisfied? "
Kat simply shivered, and Tom wrapped his cloak tighter around her as he picked her up and started toward the Slytherin Commonroom. He had no concern regarding the password -- he knew William and Alan would be waiting for them.
" You two get things patched up? " Alan asked as they finally reached the portrait that led inside.
" You bet. " Tom replied, smiling, " Just a minor misunderstanding. "
" That's good. " William said, dropping his voice before adding, " It would have been a shame if we'd had to kill her. "
Kat tried to pretend she had not heard the final remark, but the movement of her body in his arms made it clear to Tom that she had, " Enough of that kind of talk! She is my friend, and I won't have it! "
" Yes, my lord. " William said meekly, " Will you be taking her to see the Master soon? "
" We will visit my father when I decide she is ready, William. Simply from her performance at dinner tonight, it is obvious that she has already undergone some Ministry brainwashing. We must at least remedy that before she visits the manor. "
" I've been brainwashed? " Kat asked, running her fingers through her messy brown hair, " How can that be? "
" It would take a lot to explain it, Kat. You'll understand everything once I un-brainwash you, okay? " Tom asked, setting her down in a big armchair by the fire, " It won't hurt, I promise. "
" Tom, do you think I'm going to be able to keep up? "
" With me? No, because I have been learning magic since I was five and know every charm, potion and transfiguration in the school corriculum. With everyone else? You'll do fine. If you get stuck, I'll help you. "
" Thanks, Tom. " Kat said, closing her eyes. At that moment, the portrait opened and professor Snape entered the room.
" Good evening, Slytherins! " he said, glancing around the room, " I see that our first years are already getting to know eachother. How... wonderful. Now, I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate any of your foolishness. "
Tom snickered at this remark, and Snape eyed him, " Something wrong, Professor? "
" Mr. Riddle, I am going to be honest with you. Cause one disturbance and I will take every ounce of life essence from your body. Is that clear? "
" My father was given assurance that I would not be discriminated against -- "
" I don't care what your father was assured. Cause trouble and you will pay. " Snape hissed, brushing his greasy black hair away from his dark eyes.
" Leave him alone. " Kat said softly.
" Did I hear something? " Snape asked, his voice growing colder.
" I said leave him alone! " Kat repeated, this time loud enough for everyone to hear, " You have no right centering him out like that. "
" Oh, the MudBlood... " Snape muttered. As Tom removed his wand, the room became silent with anticipation.
" What did you call her? "
" Exactly what she is -- a MudBlood. "
" I'm an ancestral witch, you moron. " Kat said, getting out of the chair and turning around to face him.
" Now you are an ancestral witch with a three hour detention tomorrow evening. Good night, everyone. " Snape said, storming out of the room.
" What an ass! " Kat said, clenching her fists together, " He had no right to treat you like that, Tom! "
" I'm more upset about what he called you. " Tom replied, his blue eyes peering around the room to make sure they did not have an audience, " That had to be the nastiest insult he could have thrown at you. Especially since your friends with me. "
" Well, " Kat said, yawning, " Insult is nothing new to me. Anyway, its getting late and I think I'd better get some sleep. This has been a long day. "
" All right, Kat. See you in the morning. " Tom said.
" Good night. "
( End Note: It has come to my attention that some of you might denounce this peice since it is more "personalized" then my other fictional contributions. Please note that although the thematic content of this peice is as planned as my previous work that I have taken the time to be slightly self indulgant in certain places. Thank you. ]