Blinded By The Past, Ignored In The Future

Chapter 6

SIX: Snake and Phoenix

***************

A/N: Argh! I'm sick! Sorry if this took long. I had to take a short nap to get rid of my headache. But here it is: Chapter six!!!

*******

Response to Reviews:

gothic_neelam: Thanks for another review! Sorry if I take too long to post.

Miss Mina Murray: Actually I wasn't going for a love fic with Hermione and Tom but I was trying to get Hermione to see past the Slytherin façade while Tom wants nothing to do with her. But let's see how far Hermione will go to learn something that isn't written in books, shall we?

Dolphingirl79: Don't worry. I won't stop writing this as long as I get good feed back!

Marauder1prongs: Thanks for telling me about that mistake! I fixed it. Oh and Riddle is a Slytherin. How would you expect him to reply to a bunch of Gryffindors?   

radarPLO: Is it really that funny? Hmmm…maybe it is…

Emma Ackroyd: It says in your boi that you live in Britain, do you really? I wish I lived there…But no. I'm stuck in Illinois, America. Anyway…I have to continue typing this chapter.

**************

Previous Chapter: Granger, Potter, and both Weasleys were looking at him like he had come back from the dead. Riddle took advantage of their silence and said, "I thought they didn't let riff raff in anymore." The Slytherins laughed with him and they turned to leave Potter and them starring after them as they headed up to the castle.  

************

Draco took the lead and, against his better judgment, Riddle followed with the other Slytherins in the back of the group. Silence took over him all the way until they reached the school and joined up with the group of students from all houses, slowly making their way from the doors to the great Hall.

Riddle could feel Potter's eyes on him from across the hall once everyone took a seat at their house's table. He met the Gryffindor's eyes and smirked. Potter glared in return then took a glance at the head table, probably trying to see if Dumbledore knew that Tom Marvolo Riddle was sitting in the Great Hall.

 Moments later Professor McGonagall came in leading a group of small first-years who were looking around the room nervously and as soon as they reached the front of the room McGonagall retrieved a four-legged stool with a dusty, old hat on it. Riddle paid no attention to the hat as it burst into song. Riddle yawned when the hat finished and McGonagall called their names out one by one in alphabetical order. He pushed some of his sleek, black hair away from his face and sighed in boredom. 

"Lighten up," said Draco next to him.

"How about you shut-up," Riddle growled.

Draco was about to retort when his father's words echoed through his mind.

Do everything to make sure that he likes you and hates Potter…

It would be a lot easier if Riddle wasn't so damn infuriating! Draco thought bitterly. Draco wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Getting insulted by his snake was bad enough but him getting the pleasure of it? That definitely wasn't the Malfoy think to do.

"Umm-Draco?" Goyle said in a grunt voice.

"What, Gregory?" snapped Draco.

"Feast began a few minuets ago," he said, pointing to the piles of different foods in front of him. Draco grabbed himself some as Riddle scooped some mashed potatoes onto his fork.

Riddle couldn't take his eyes off of the Gryffindor table. Potter kept throwing him dirty looks and the youngest Weasley (who he believed to be called Ginny) starred at him. She seemed terrified of him for some reason. Deciding he didn't even want to even try to fathom the way Gryffindors thought, he finished eating the food that was on his plate before the desserts came.

Soon enough the food disappeared and the desserts came and went. Dumbledore stood up and the hall fell silent. Riddle yawned loudly so everyone heard him and Dumbledore smiled in his direction.

"First off I would like to welcome everyone back for another year at Hogwarts and to the first-years I sincerely hope you enjoy your time here. I believe we're all aware but to those of you who may have forgotten over the summer magic is forbidden in-between classes."

"I have been asked to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is indeed forbidden to all students. Please remember not to wonder to close to it without a Professor."

"Now lastly I would like to introduce you all to a young friend of mine that has decided to join us here at Hogwarts this year, Tom Riddle." Potter' jaw dropped, realizing that Dumbledore knew that Riddle was at Hogwarts. The Great Hall door swung open and then closed.  Riddle glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw Potter. Weasley, and the mudblood run after who ever had ran out of the hall.

Morons, Riddle thought. The whole lot of them.

"Prefects if you would please show the first years to their dorms," Dumbledore said. "Goodnight to all." Slowly everyone in the hall made their way out of the hall and to their common room.

Riddle walked with Draco, Pansy, Goyle, Crabbe, Blaise, and Arden. They all laughed at the expression on the Gryffindor trio's faces as they ran from the hall, but for some reason Riddle failed to see the humor. However Riddle didn't want them to question him so he laughed with the group and forced a smile to creep over his face.

They reached an area of bare stonewall and Draco said the password, "serpents." A stone door concealed in the wall slid open and Draco led them in and up to the sixth year's dorms. Blaise and Pansy went off in the direction of the girl's dormitory. 

Riddle, sick of being the tag along, pushed his way to the front of the group and made his way to his bed. Arden glared at him at being pushed and Draco tried to control his rage. Quickly he grabbed pajamas from his trunk that had been moved there and changed. Silently he crawled into bed (another one had been added for him), ignoring the looks everyone was giving him.

Riddle closed the drapes around his bed and listened to everyone else get into bed. Loud snores came from Crabbe and Goyle's beds and there didn't seem to be any sounds indicating that someone was moving about in their bed. After five more minutes he decided that everyone was asleep and opened the curtains around his bed.

Slowly his feet made contact with the cold, stone floor, and without making any noise that could wake his roommates he tip toed across the room and down to the common room after he slipped on his shoes. Silent as a stalker, he walked the halls of Hogwarts, using the halls that Prefects often didn't walk which he remembered from his time.

It turned out that his memory was correct. He managed to get to the front doors and outside without running into anyone. He bit his lip as he continued across the grounds and sat down at the lake's dark edge.

The summer night's air filled his lungs as he pushed his hair back and let it fall into his pale face. He wasn't feeling well and the cold Slytherin dormitory wasn't helping.

"Do you think he's one of the humans that knows?" a voice hissed.

"Don't be silly. No human knows," another answered. Riddle got up and scanned the grounds for the source of the voices.

"Hey, I think he's looking this way," the first voice said. There was something familiar about it.

"Then let's get out of here before he figures out we're here," said the second voice.

"I can hear you," Riddle said.

"I know he can here you but how can he understand me?" asked the second person.

"How should I know," replied the hissing voice.

"Nagini, is that you?" Riddle asked, looking around.

"Yes, young master, it's me," said the snake, slithering into the open.

"Who were you taking to?" inquired Riddle.

"Talking to? I wasn't talking to anybody," Nagini lied.

"Don't lie to the child, Nagini," said the voice. "His ability to trust is remarkably low for someone his age." Slowly he heard the flapping of wings drawing closer and he stepped back so a mighty, silver, swan-sized bird could land in clearing front of him.  

Riddle fell backwards and a look of horror creped upon his face. "I-I can understand y-you!"

The Phoenix chuckled to itself and steeped forward. "Do not fear me. I come with no intentions of harming anyone." Riddle backed up as the Phoenix walked closer. "We Phoenix do not harm living creatures it's against our will. Though maybe you will believe me if I introduced myself. My name is Ho-neaou."

Riddle stood up slowly, eyeing the bird that called itself Ho-neaou. "Wh-what do you want?"

"I've said before that I come with good intentions. Do you not trust me?" asked Ho-neaou.

"No, I don't," Riddle growled.

"Please, master," Nagini pleaded. "It's true. He means no harm. He comes from the stars to guide you."

"Indeed, young one. "There is a plot. One that could destroy both you and this world," explained Ho-neaou. "A plan that was created by Lord Voldemort and can only be stopped by Tom Riddle."    

Riddle didn't know whether to laugh or not. It was the stupidest thing he had ever heard of. Him saving the world? No, that couldn't be right.

"You're out of your mind," Riddle told the bird.

"Am I?" it questioned him. "Or do you simply not believe in miracles?"

"Look," started Riddle, "you've got it all wrong. I'm a Slytherin and-"

"Just because you're a Slytherin doesn't mean a thing. Or do you suddenly believe in fate? If I'm not mistaken you never did think very highly of that sort of thing," said Ho-neaou.

Riddle starred at the bird, his brow furrowed. "How dare you come here and-"

"Do you, Mr. Riddle, or do you not wish to see what I'm talking about?" Ho-neaou asked, interrupting him.

"Fine," Riddle agreed.

Ho-neaou flapped his wings gently and hovered above the ground. "Then follow me." Riddle picked up Nagini and followed the Phoenix into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.