Disclaimer: I don't own much here, except Jess. If I did, I'd be a heck of
a lot richer and living on something other than Earl Grey and Ramen
noodles. All rights go to the proper people. You know who you * points to
author and publishers * are
Summary: What if instead of Harry Potter, another found Tom Riddle's book?
A/N : This is the first one to be published here. Go me! Many thanks to
moonletters (wickedkiwi) for helping a useless newbie like myself. Anyhoo,
R/R.
' ' is thoughts " " is speech
************
Chapter 1
"A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Toilet"
A fifth year Slytherin girl ran in, nervously checking to make sure Moaning Myrtle was nowhere in sight. The hex was horrible-her nose was swelled to twice its normal size and it started growing odd purple hairs. Couldn't let anybody see it. 'That annoying twit Hermione Granger did it, and all over a bit of teasing! Just because she beat Miss Know-It-All- Bloody-Granger on the latest Potions exam didn't mean she deserved a huge honking snout. She had some bragging rights, as this was not an easy feat.' She started to rack her brains for the counter hex, but that was soon interrupted by gracefully tripping over a little black book. Interesting. The girl picked it up, shoved it in her book bag, and hurried out the door. If she didn't beat feet, she'd be late for Charms. At least her nose was fixed. But...what an odd thing to find in a girl's toilet.
By the time she reached Professor Flitwick's classroom, roll was being taken. Good, not too late. Times like this made her thankful she had a weird last name.
"Jason Ritt?"
"Here."
"Jessica Sabrehilde?"
"HERE!"
She slid into her seat just in time. Today's lesson was on Forgetful Charms and how to get rid of them. At the end of class, Jessica ambled out with the rest of the class, feeling a little tipsy and confused. That airhead she was partnered with must not have heard the reversal spell properly. Now, along with Potions, Runes, and History, she had a Charms essay. Wonderful. Not that the work was hard, but it was so...time- consuming. Work came easy to Jessica. It always had. She weaved in and out of the little first years (terrified looks on their faces, must've just came from DADA) to the library. This was going to take a long time...She wished it were dinner already.
Lucky for her, the library was almost empty. The two Hufflepuff boys Madam Pince was scolding would soon be gone, so then she'd have the place all to herself. She immediately sat down to work, fishing out her Potions textbook....
Thunk.
She'd forgot about that. She looked at the cover and realized it was a diary. 'T.M. Riddle's diary, to be exact, but who was that?' And what was more--this book was about fifty years old! This was getting much more interesting than the properties of Moonstone...Jessica flipped it open. No Weird Weird She dipped her quill and began to write. It just seemed like the thing to do.
"Hello."
The ink bled into the page...but it didn't come out on the other side! Now where could it have....
"Hello."
It reappeared in a different handwriting. Maybe this was just a trick book that repeated everything you wrote? Stupid Weasly twins.
"My name is Jessica Sabrahilde. I'm in Slytherin, 5th year."
'There. That should show it.'
"Hello, Jessica. My name is Tom Riddle. I'm a Slytherin 6th year."
"Where are you?" She scribbled eagerly.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Me too. Doing homework in the library."
"That's where I am now, as well."
Jessica couldn't see anyone else. She rushed around, checking the tables and shelves...when she returned, Madam Pince shot her a steely death glare.
"That's not possible. I'm alone."
There was a pause.
"I see."
Her heart sank. Maybe Tom Riddle was done talking to her.
"This is odd. I've never talked with a book before."
"I can assure you, I am no ordinary book."
"Well, I've got to get my work done. Talk to you later."
"Goodbye, then."
At first it seemed like a neat idea...a book with a mind of its own. Jessica was only half concentrating on the Goblin Rebellions of 1893, while trying to unravel the mystery of the diary. 'Where had it come from? Did someone just drop it?' After all, things like this were nearly impossible to find, and too cool to just be discarded. But what if it was more? What if it wasn't just a book that writes back? Maybe it had hidden properties. 'Like that Moonstone you're supposed to be writing about,' said the nasty voice in the back of her mind. Well, both the diary and essays will have to wait, she thought, collecting her things and strolling off to the Great Hall for dinner. She could smell the chicken curry already.
************
After dinner, she went back up to the Slytherin common room to finish up on the homework....and talk to Tom Riddle some more. Goblin Rebellions done, Moonstone done....half done with Charms...Runes decoded....time to call it a night. Nevermind Tom, she thought. He'll be there tomorrow. Jessica was right. Tom was still there. (History was just as boring, too.)
"Hi, Tom."
"Hello. Back again?"
"I wanted to ask you something...."
"Go on."
"Well, there's a big uproar in the school. A student and the hall monitor's cat have been petrified. No one knows who's behind it. Did this ever happen when you were in school?"
"Yes, in fact, it did. Only...a girl was killed. It has something to do with a Chamber of Secrets. Only the true Heir of Slytherin, Salazaar's descendant, can open it. There is something bad in there...a monster, I believe. This is the legend, at least. That's all I know."
"Okay...Thanks anyway. So....would you mind telling me a bit about yourself? History is dreadfully boring today...."
He proceeded to tell her about his muggle father abandoning his witch mother...and how she died.
"Well, class is over. I'll see you later..."
"Alright, then."
Well, Tom was certainly an interesting individual. Over the next few weeks(after finishing most of the homework, of course) they really began to get to know each other. Jessica was kind of in the same boat with Tom, her father was a muggle, and her mother a fierce pureblood advocate...it seems as though Jessica was the "accident" of the family...thus, her mother hated her. Not just because she wasn't from a wizard father...she associated with plenty of muggle-born people. And she made much better marks than her mother ever did, never missing a chance to flaunt that during the (several) rows they had. She got kicked out of the house at the start of term, and to be honest, she thought it was better that way. She hated her mother as well. Tom was different, though...he never tried to judge her in any way...he understood her more than anyone ever had before. It was as if talking to him, pouring her little problems, ideas, anxieties out to him made her feel better. Before she knew it, January was over...and she had made a new friend.
************
' ' is thoughts " " is speech
************
Chapter 1
"A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Toilet"
A fifth year Slytherin girl ran in, nervously checking to make sure Moaning Myrtle was nowhere in sight. The hex was horrible-her nose was swelled to twice its normal size and it started growing odd purple hairs. Couldn't let anybody see it. 'That annoying twit Hermione Granger did it, and all over a bit of teasing! Just because she beat Miss Know-It-All- Bloody-Granger on the latest Potions exam didn't mean she deserved a huge honking snout. She had some bragging rights, as this was not an easy feat.' She started to rack her brains for the counter hex, but that was soon interrupted by gracefully tripping over a little black book. Interesting. The girl picked it up, shoved it in her book bag, and hurried out the door. If she didn't beat feet, she'd be late for Charms. At least her nose was fixed. But...what an odd thing to find in a girl's toilet.
By the time she reached Professor Flitwick's classroom, roll was being taken. Good, not too late. Times like this made her thankful she had a weird last name.
"Jason Ritt?"
"Here."
"Jessica Sabrehilde?"
"HERE!"
She slid into her seat just in time. Today's lesson was on Forgetful Charms and how to get rid of them. At the end of class, Jessica ambled out with the rest of the class, feeling a little tipsy and confused. That airhead she was partnered with must not have heard the reversal spell properly. Now, along with Potions, Runes, and History, she had a Charms essay. Wonderful. Not that the work was hard, but it was so...time- consuming. Work came easy to Jessica. It always had. She weaved in and out of the little first years (terrified looks on their faces, must've just came from DADA) to the library. This was going to take a long time...She wished it were dinner already.
Lucky for her, the library was almost empty. The two Hufflepuff boys Madam Pince was scolding would soon be gone, so then she'd have the place all to herself. She immediately sat down to work, fishing out her Potions textbook....
Thunk.
She'd forgot about that. She looked at the cover and realized it was a diary. 'T.M. Riddle's diary, to be exact, but who was that?' And what was more--this book was about fifty years old! This was getting much more interesting than the properties of Moonstone...Jessica flipped it open. No Weird Weird She dipped her quill and began to write. It just seemed like the thing to do.
"Hello."
The ink bled into the page...but it didn't come out on the other side! Now where could it have....
"Hello."
It reappeared in a different handwriting. Maybe this was just a trick book that repeated everything you wrote? Stupid Weasly twins.
"My name is Jessica Sabrahilde. I'm in Slytherin, 5th year."
'There. That should show it.'
"Hello, Jessica. My name is Tom Riddle. I'm a Slytherin 6th year."
"Where are you?" She scribbled eagerly.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Me too. Doing homework in the library."
"That's where I am now, as well."
Jessica couldn't see anyone else. She rushed around, checking the tables and shelves...when she returned, Madam Pince shot her a steely death glare.
"That's not possible. I'm alone."
There was a pause.
"I see."
Her heart sank. Maybe Tom Riddle was done talking to her.
"This is odd. I've never talked with a book before."
"I can assure you, I am no ordinary book."
"Well, I've got to get my work done. Talk to you later."
"Goodbye, then."
At first it seemed like a neat idea...a book with a mind of its own. Jessica was only half concentrating on the Goblin Rebellions of 1893, while trying to unravel the mystery of the diary. 'Where had it come from? Did someone just drop it?' After all, things like this were nearly impossible to find, and too cool to just be discarded. But what if it was more? What if it wasn't just a book that writes back? Maybe it had hidden properties. 'Like that Moonstone you're supposed to be writing about,' said the nasty voice in the back of her mind. Well, both the diary and essays will have to wait, she thought, collecting her things and strolling off to the Great Hall for dinner. She could smell the chicken curry already.
************
After dinner, she went back up to the Slytherin common room to finish up on the homework....and talk to Tom Riddle some more. Goblin Rebellions done, Moonstone done....half done with Charms...Runes decoded....time to call it a night. Nevermind Tom, she thought. He'll be there tomorrow. Jessica was right. Tom was still there. (History was just as boring, too.)
"Hi, Tom."
"Hello. Back again?"
"I wanted to ask you something...."
"Go on."
"Well, there's a big uproar in the school. A student and the hall monitor's cat have been petrified. No one knows who's behind it. Did this ever happen when you were in school?"
"Yes, in fact, it did. Only...a girl was killed. It has something to do with a Chamber of Secrets. Only the true Heir of Slytherin, Salazaar's descendant, can open it. There is something bad in there...a monster, I believe. This is the legend, at least. That's all I know."
"Okay...Thanks anyway. So....would you mind telling me a bit about yourself? History is dreadfully boring today...."
He proceeded to tell her about his muggle father abandoning his witch mother...and how she died.
"Well, class is over. I'll see you later..."
"Alright, then."
Well, Tom was certainly an interesting individual. Over the next few weeks(after finishing most of the homework, of course) they really began to get to know each other. Jessica was kind of in the same boat with Tom, her father was a muggle, and her mother a fierce pureblood advocate...it seems as though Jessica was the "accident" of the family...thus, her mother hated her. Not just because she wasn't from a wizard father...she associated with plenty of muggle-born people. And she made much better marks than her mother ever did, never missing a chance to flaunt that during the (several) rows they had. She got kicked out of the house at the start of term, and to be honest, she thought it was better that way. She hated her mother as well. Tom was different, though...he never tried to judge her in any way...he understood her more than anyone ever had before. It was as if talking to him, pouring her little problems, ideas, anxieties out to him made her feel better. Before she knew it, January was over...and she had made a new friend.
************
