That evening, the Great Hall was decorated with orange and black
ribbons. Hogwarts always went to great lengths to make the school look
magnificent for Halloween, which was only two weeks away. Amy sat
nervously at the Gryffindor table, waiting for the sorting for Tom to
begin. He was seated at the teacher's table, towards the end and he kept
looking up and smiling at her. Grinning back, she pretended to be involved
in a deep conversation with Ron and Harry about Quidditch.
"I don't know how you guys can talk about Quidditch as much as you do!" Hermione crowed, looking disgusted. "It's a great sport and all, but how can you discuss the same tactics over and over again?"
The three friends looked at each other and shrugged. "It's a second nature," Harry replied, giving Amy a coy look. He had been much warmer towards her ever since she had talked to him at the end of Potions. All throughout supper, he kept poking her or making jokes to make her laugh. It felt nice to be good friends with him again.
It seemed like hours had passed before the sorting was about to begin and Tom was seated on the stool that Amy herself had been seated on six years previous. While the hat pondered Tom's fate, Amy found herself whispering, "Please, let him make Gryffindor. Gryffindor, come on Gryffindor."
From beside her, Harry was giving her funny glances, but he didn't want to push his luck. Not when things had been going so well for the past few hours. He, too, watching in anticipation as the Sorting Hat decided on which house Tom would be in. Tom Riddle, Harry thought to himself. The name sounded so incredibly familiar, but he couldn't place from where. It was like his memory had blocked out the time frame when he heard the name before.
The Sorting Hat, which seemed to be taking an awfully long time, finally reached a decision and pronounced, "Slytherin!" much to Amy's disappointment, and shock. Tom seemed like such a nice guy; how could be belong in Slytherin, with Draco Malfoy and his goonies, Crabbe and Goyle? It just didn't seem right. She raised her eyes to meet Tom and was surprised to see him smiling, moving quickly towards the Slytherin table. Doubts began to fill her mind as she watched him quickly engage himself in conversation with his fellow students in Slytherin.
"Well, what do you know?" Ron tried to make the situation light, but the four friends sat in stunned silence. Harry's mind was reeling a thousand miles a minute, as he tried to place where he had heard the name Tom Riddle before. Somehow, he felt it had a connection with Slytherin, one deeper than just the Sorting Hat's decision, but he still couldn't force his mind to stay still on the subject. Happy, Harry figured that Amy might forget about Tom and concentrate on him more.
After everyone else was in bed sleeping that night, Amy leaned out of her bed to whisper to Hermione, whose bed was beside hers. "Hermione! Are you awake?" she hissed into the darkness. Moonlight filtered through the window and Amy saw Hermione stir.
"I'm awake," she whispered back. "Can you believe that about Tom being in Slytherin?"
Amy grinned. That's why Hermione was one of her best friends; it was like she could read her mind. "I know! I can't get over it. At first I thought that there was a mistake. Maybe the Sorting Hat was upset about being pulled out for work twice in one school year."
"It's happened before," Hermione replied, yawning. She was referring to the brother and sister that had entered Hogwarts late last year. "The Sorting Hat sorted them properly then."
"True." Amy was silent for a moment, listening to the other two girls' steady breathing. "I just don't understand it."
"Me, either," Hermione replied. "Are you going to talk to him again?"
"I don't know," said Amy. And she truly didn't know. Hermione fell asleep a few moments later, leaving Amy struggling with the very same question.
For the next few days, Amy avoided Tom at all costs. It wasn't just the fact that he was sorted into Slytherin. It was the fact that he seemed so happy about it. Like it was something that he had planned. Not sure how to act around him, she avoided his looks in class and steered clear of him in the hallways. Once, while Hermione and Amy were studying in the library, Tom approached them. But the two girls quickly made away without so much as a glance at him.
Amy felt horrible for it all. She knew that deep down inside Tom was a good guy. Maybe he just sported some of the characteristics of Slytherin. But Amy was forced to think differently every evening at supper when she saw him conversing with his fellow Slytherins. He truly seemed to fit in there with them all. And it was common knowledge that almost every witch and wizard that had been in Slytherin turned out evil.
Amy didn't speak to Tom until late one evening. She had gone for a quick walk around the grounds before heading to the common room. The night air was chilly, as Halloween was drawing closer. The sun had set, casting a dark shadow over the castle and its grounds. Walking briskly, to get back to the castle before Professor Handar sent out a search team to find her, she headed up towards the castle.
"Amy! Can't you hear me? Amy, stop for a second!"
At first, Amy thought she was hearing things. She had been so mean to Tom lately, walking away from him when he tried to talk to her, moving her eyes away whenever he tried to make eye contact. Why would he want anything to do with her? She turned around and came face to face with him. A look into his eyes made her wonder why she ever wanted him to disappear from sight.
"Amy, are you mad at me?" Tom finally caught up with her, out of breath from running. "Every time I try and talk to you, you walk away, like you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you," she assured him. "I've just been a little confused lately and I just needed some time to myself."
"Are you ready to spend some time with me again?" he asked, moving closer to her, holding her hand gently. She found, as much as she hated it, she couldn't look him straight in the eye. It was no big deal to have couples in different houses, but this was Slytherin. It was not unheard of, but it still made her think, all the same.
"Tom, I." she started, but her voice faltered as she looked out over the water. Taking a deep breath, she threw all caution into the wind. "Do you want to come with me to my sister's wedding?"
Tom looked taken back, but gladly agreed. "Only if I can go as your date," he added, confirming Amy suspicions. She nodded slowly, not sure if that was something she absolutely wanted to consent to. Walking hand in hand towards the castle, she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest.and put in her stomach.
"I don't know how you guys can talk about Quidditch as much as you do!" Hermione crowed, looking disgusted. "It's a great sport and all, but how can you discuss the same tactics over and over again?"
The three friends looked at each other and shrugged. "It's a second nature," Harry replied, giving Amy a coy look. He had been much warmer towards her ever since she had talked to him at the end of Potions. All throughout supper, he kept poking her or making jokes to make her laugh. It felt nice to be good friends with him again.
It seemed like hours had passed before the sorting was about to begin and Tom was seated on the stool that Amy herself had been seated on six years previous. While the hat pondered Tom's fate, Amy found herself whispering, "Please, let him make Gryffindor. Gryffindor, come on Gryffindor."
From beside her, Harry was giving her funny glances, but he didn't want to push his luck. Not when things had been going so well for the past few hours. He, too, watching in anticipation as the Sorting Hat decided on which house Tom would be in. Tom Riddle, Harry thought to himself. The name sounded so incredibly familiar, but he couldn't place from where. It was like his memory had blocked out the time frame when he heard the name before.
The Sorting Hat, which seemed to be taking an awfully long time, finally reached a decision and pronounced, "Slytherin!" much to Amy's disappointment, and shock. Tom seemed like such a nice guy; how could be belong in Slytherin, with Draco Malfoy and his goonies, Crabbe and Goyle? It just didn't seem right. She raised her eyes to meet Tom and was surprised to see him smiling, moving quickly towards the Slytherin table. Doubts began to fill her mind as she watched him quickly engage himself in conversation with his fellow students in Slytherin.
"Well, what do you know?" Ron tried to make the situation light, but the four friends sat in stunned silence. Harry's mind was reeling a thousand miles a minute, as he tried to place where he had heard the name Tom Riddle before. Somehow, he felt it had a connection with Slytherin, one deeper than just the Sorting Hat's decision, but he still couldn't force his mind to stay still on the subject. Happy, Harry figured that Amy might forget about Tom and concentrate on him more.
After everyone else was in bed sleeping that night, Amy leaned out of her bed to whisper to Hermione, whose bed was beside hers. "Hermione! Are you awake?" she hissed into the darkness. Moonlight filtered through the window and Amy saw Hermione stir.
"I'm awake," she whispered back. "Can you believe that about Tom being in Slytherin?"
Amy grinned. That's why Hermione was one of her best friends; it was like she could read her mind. "I know! I can't get over it. At first I thought that there was a mistake. Maybe the Sorting Hat was upset about being pulled out for work twice in one school year."
"It's happened before," Hermione replied, yawning. She was referring to the brother and sister that had entered Hogwarts late last year. "The Sorting Hat sorted them properly then."
"True." Amy was silent for a moment, listening to the other two girls' steady breathing. "I just don't understand it."
"Me, either," Hermione replied. "Are you going to talk to him again?"
"I don't know," said Amy. And she truly didn't know. Hermione fell asleep a few moments later, leaving Amy struggling with the very same question.
For the next few days, Amy avoided Tom at all costs. It wasn't just the fact that he was sorted into Slytherin. It was the fact that he seemed so happy about it. Like it was something that he had planned. Not sure how to act around him, she avoided his looks in class and steered clear of him in the hallways. Once, while Hermione and Amy were studying in the library, Tom approached them. But the two girls quickly made away without so much as a glance at him.
Amy felt horrible for it all. She knew that deep down inside Tom was a good guy. Maybe he just sported some of the characteristics of Slytherin. But Amy was forced to think differently every evening at supper when she saw him conversing with his fellow Slytherins. He truly seemed to fit in there with them all. And it was common knowledge that almost every witch and wizard that had been in Slytherin turned out evil.
Amy didn't speak to Tom until late one evening. She had gone for a quick walk around the grounds before heading to the common room. The night air was chilly, as Halloween was drawing closer. The sun had set, casting a dark shadow over the castle and its grounds. Walking briskly, to get back to the castle before Professor Handar sent out a search team to find her, she headed up towards the castle.
"Amy! Can't you hear me? Amy, stop for a second!"
At first, Amy thought she was hearing things. She had been so mean to Tom lately, walking away from him when he tried to talk to her, moving her eyes away whenever he tried to make eye contact. Why would he want anything to do with her? She turned around and came face to face with him. A look into his eyes made her wonder why she ever wanted him to disappear from sight.
"Amy, are you mad at me?" Tom finally caught up with her, out of breath from running. "Every time I try and talk to you, you walk away, like you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you," she assured him. "I've just been a little confused lately and I just needed some time to myself."
"Are you ready to spend some time with me again?" he asked, moving closer to her, holding her hand gently. She found, as much as she hated it, she couldn't look him straight in the eye. It was no big deal to have couples in different houses, but this was Slytherin. It was not unheard of, but it still made her think, all the same.
"Tom, I." she started, but her voice faltered as she looked out over the water. Taking a deep breath, she threw all caution into the wind. "Do you want to come with me to my sister's wedding?"
Tom looked taken back, but gladly agreed. "Only if I can go as your date," he added, confirming Amy suspicions. She nodded slowly, not sure if that was something she absolutely wanted to consent to. Walking hand in hand towards the castle, she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest.and put in her stomach.