A/N: I'm back!

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are copyrighted to their respectful owners.

Riddles

By ME! Monsoon

Chapter 9: New Schools Equal Horrid Time

As soon as Whiskey had shown Nephiro and I into the Slytherin common room, the house elf popped out of sight and I went straight to the private dorm Nep and I would share. Draco caught my eye and smirked. 'Damn you Malfoy. Damn you,' I thought with vengeance as I stormed past. The girl from dinner, the Pug, curled her lip at me as I headed toward the dorm. Nephiro was right; this year would be fun, making her life a living hell.

Nephiro didn't come up to the dorm right away as I did. She tarried behind talking to all the Slytherins. All ready her arm had wrapped itself around some older boy, who slightly reminded me of the Black girl in the professor's office. I shook it off and walked into the dull gray room that I would now have to consider home for the next ten months.

There were only two beds in the circular void. One would be mine; the other would belong to Miketsu. The one on the left contained my Fyremoth trunk and Gremlin so I assumed that, that would be my bunk. I walked over to it and wrinkled my nose, it was the same color and make as my bed in the Manor. I gagged at the sight of it but sat down anyway. Gremlin hissed, wanting to be free of his cage to cause havoc in the common room. I laughed lightly and quickly undid the latch, watching him fly from the metal and out the door. It wasn't long before I heard the pitched scream of some unfortunate student caught within my kitten's treacherous claws.

I placed the metal mew on the floor beside my bed and sat up on my knees to open my trunk. Inside, everything lay neatly folded and pressed. It only slightly confused me because I knew that when I had packed, Jenna, Karasu, Mhark and I had just thrown everything in randomly. But then again, when I got back to the Manor everything was neat. I keep forgetting that the trunk is magical and folds everything neatly. 'Oh the wonders of magic,' I thought sarcastically.

The oddest thing was that instead of Robin Hood being buried underneath all the clothes like I had originally set there, it was right there on top. I picked it up slowly and lightly set it in my lap. It was still the cracked leather bound book from Diagon Alley. I recalled what the old man had said about the book, yelling that it was a muggle story. Was that man blind to the wonders of our past and present? Writing wasn't defined as muggle or magical, it was a form of expressing oneself. Besides, Robin Hood did exist, once upon a time. Actually around the fourteenth century. He was a historical figure, a man of great significance to those with wild imagination. All the muggles have an imagination. I mean, what creativity can a wizard or witch have? The things that muggles wish and dream about are what we have here in our world. We know they exist so what is left for us to dream of?

I cracked open the spine and breathed in the dusty, old smell of a classic. Romeo and Juliet has the same smell. That wonderful smell of Shakespeare and Dickinson. I loved the world of muggle imagination; I could drown myself in it if I tried.

Each page of the story was yellowed and stained from old age. The words partly faded, pages ripped and torn. Every few chapters, a watercolor painting was inserted with a thin piece of tracing paper for protection. These pictures fascinated me with the colors and realism.

I looked up at a rather loud noise from outside my door. Thinking it was Nephiro I regrettably stowed Robin Hood in the table next to my new bed. I started to unpack my clothes, glaring at the uniform on the chair. 'I refuse!' Tomorrow I will wear my own clothes whether the professors like it or not.

With only Nephiro and I in the room, we each got our own dressers and desks for studying. I quickly filled the dresser with my attire. When I finished placing everything in the right arrangement, I laid down on my bed and sighed. This would be a long year. Sometime around eleven the door creaked open and Nephiro stepped in silently. She made her way to her bed without looking at me. She probably didn't realize I was awake.

The bed creaked as she sat down and removed her shoes. Quickly she got into a pair of pajamas and got into bed. It was very quiet for about thirty minutes. Then, I heard the slow creak of Nephiro move on her bed. In the dark, I saw a shadow lean down to the ground and pull something out from under the bed. I heard the tell-tale rattle of glass and crystal and grinned. 'I should have known.'

With a snap and a small whine, I sat up in bed and cleared my throat. I struck a match from the box in my bedside table and lit the lamp. Miketsu looked up slightly startled. In her hand was an open glass bottle filled half way with a deep red liquid.

I let free a questioning sound and raised my eyebrows. She grinned and threw over another flask. This was filled with green liquor. "Gratis," I said after taking a drink. It burned fire down my throat and seared my stomach lining.

"Sure," came the slurred response. That was how the night was spent, drinking, few words and drinking. Sometime around three, Nephiro stopped laughing at unseen objects and looked at me. "You ever drink before?" I was pretty drunk by now and her question floated through one ear and out the other.

"Wha?" I tried standing and fell down to the bed. "Whoa." Wobbling I stood and gripped the bedpost.

"Have you ever gotten drunk before?"

"Yuppers. First year of school at Fyremoth. I was 'fraid and wanting comforted. Odd things that night, very odd things . . . " I broke off, starting to get a bit light-headed.

"Not gonna ask. Goin' ta bed. See ya later." She gave a sharp wave and passed out.

Before I could say anything I heard the heavy breathing of someone in deep sleep. Rolling onto my stomach I stared at the black headboard. With my thoughts returned to Fyremoth, I kept myself wake all night thinking about how I would, no should be at Fyremoth. That was my home. I missed the people there, even my enemies. Sure I have better, worthier adversaries here at Hogwarts but it didn't seem right. I left loose ends there and I left Legend Supreme with out a bass player. Half of my friends didn't know I came back to England. I left Mercutio without saying goodbye. This wasn't a fair deal. I should be in a place where I like learning and where I have fun. I won't have that here. This place is too old and too strict. There is too much magic. And all the students are human! There wasn't a single centaur or merperson among them!

At five in the morning I got up and dressed in the horrible school uniform. The other students wouldn't be up until at least seven and that meant I had the Great Hall to myself for two hours. Hopefully two peacefully quiet hours. My hangover was tremendous, and without me sleeping some off . . .

Walking into the Great Hall, I noticed that it was rather cold this early in the morning. I started a fire in one of the grates, watching the flames dance and the embers jump. Fire was so cool. It could over power most things and water didn't always put it out. If it got big enough it could engulf an entire town in three seconds, a large forest in three hours. I recalled playing with fire back at Fyremoth. I had been in the Fire House, the second strongest house in the school. The first had been Spirit.

Sighing I brought my legs onto the table and sat there until all I could see was a hazy red-orange. A hand was placed on my shoulder and I looked up into the eyes of a teacher, Dumbledore. He beckoned me out into the hall and we walked down the corridors.

"I would like to tell you of your father if you would care to hear it." I eyed him with distaste when he continued. "He was a good student, very ambitious. He liked helping others in his house with schoolwork and became a wonderful and powerful wizard. Unfortunately his intentions weren't that exemplary." We stopped in front of a case filled with old trophies. One was for Tom Riddle. It was for academic achievement.

"He was a bull shit father and a bull shit man," I spat. It didn't occur to me that swearing was something Dumbledore didn't approve of. What did I care anyway?

He sighed. "I hope you will not be like him Rilee. Academically yes, but in wizarding aims no. I would like to hope that you will be smart in your choices." He placed a hand on my shoulder and left to go back to the Great Hall. "And please shelve the swearing. At least while others teachers and students are around." I rolled my eyes.

"Sure." I stood there in front of the case in both disgust and admiration. Yeah, he had been smart but that didn't stop him from being an ass.

I turned to leave and came face to face . . . err . . . face to transparent face with a ghost. "Uh, excuse me."

"Oh I'm sorry, didn't see you there. The name's Sir Nicholas. And yours?"

"Uh . . . Rilee Riddle." I saw his translucent form stiffen slightly. "You knew him didn't you, as a boy." He nodded deftly.

"All the ghosts know him. Including Moaning Myrtle in the second floor bathroom. She was killed by his beast, the basilisk." He floated away shaking his wobbly head.

"Moaning Myrtle?" I asked allowed. Some older girls from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw stopped and stared at me in the hall

"You don't know who Moaning Myrtle is? Wow, where have you been?" one asked.

I glared at her. "In a different school bitch," I growled.

"Hey calm down," a Ravenclaw student said placing herself between the Hufflepuff and myself. "She's new here. Leave her be." The badger girl mumbled something but left with the others. The one raven stayed. "My name's Jamey Grant. I'm in Ravenclaw. I see you're in Slytherin but I don't know your name." Her brown eyes smiled.

"Rilee . . . " I replied slightly confused at the nice-ness of this girl. She didn't know me, so why would she bother "helping" me? Man, don't people here know anything about solitude and, for lack of better a word, unfriendliness? They're all so fricken happy.

Jamey continued to smile at me as I tried to walk away slowly. Unfortunately she hooked her arm in mine and started down the hall. "So, what school did you go to before? Was it nice there? How many students in a class? Were there any hot boys? What about the teachers? Were they nice?"

I was shocked and frightened into silence. "Uh . . . " In the entrance hall Nephiro was coming up from the dungeons and saw me and my frightened deer look.

"Riddle! I've been looking for you. And what the hell is that?" she said pointing to Jamey. Swiftly I unhooked my arm from the raven and rushed over to Nephiro. I grabbed her shoulders and hid behind her back.

"Save me!"

Jamey blinked repeatedly and stared at the two of us. "You must be the other new girl! Welcome to Hogwarts!" she said with as much enthusiasm as before.

"What are you, a puppy? You are far to hyper in the morning. And I don't know you so good bye." Not taking what the Slytherin had said as a criticism, Jamey smiled, waved and walked into the Great Hall.

"Thank you!" I uttered. "She is very, very scary. Almost as bad as tourists." I walked out from behind her and she looked me over.

"You hate tourists too?! Cool, so do I." We laughed and walked into the mess hall. We saw the Black girl from the night before, Emily or Emi as she liked to be called, and I forced a smile to my face. I really hate being nice. We sat down at the Slytherin table and watched the rest of the people enter.

I watched with animosity as Draco and his "companions" walked in. He whispered something to the pug chick and she glared at the Gryffindor table, very red. The blonde ass hole Draco walked away toward Black. "Man what a loser. I can't wait until vacation and he leaves for home." Nephiro glanced at me. I had meant when Draco left for our home but I didn't think she took it that way. If anything she thought I just wanted him gone and away as soon as possible. Thankfully, she said nothing.

Notes by me: Weeee finally she made it into Hogwarts! Took her damn long enough ne? And what will she do to learn more about her father? And Moaning Myrtle, will she help? And a certain chamber comes into play. Just wait until you hear what she does down there. :grins: hehehehehehehehehe . . . . . . . . . . . . . Muwahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Oh and the whole drinking thing, it was gonna be longer but I didn't have the ambition to write it. More drunken days will come.