Ch.3

Hey everyone, sorry for spelling errors and what not. This chapter was pretty much just to set up the timeframe of the 6th and 7th and following year. There are some good ponts though I hope you like it.

It wasn't until Minerva's sixth year at Hogwarts, that things for Minerva really started to get interesting. It all started when long time beau Moody had crossed paths with Tom Riddle…something that was fatal from the start.

It was early in the school year of 1950-1951 when Alastor Moody and the King of Slytherian, and Minerva McGonagall had all met on a weekend afternoon . It had started as any other Saturday at Hogwarts for Minerva. She had been spending her lunch strolling the campus with Alastor (who did look considerably better than he does later in life). To understand this event properly (because it is rather vital to the story) you will need to know a cupol of essentials. For one, ever since Minerva's second week and Hogwarts she had been (much to the dismay of fellow Gryffindors, befriended by a slytherian boy named Tom Riddle. Minerva was very defensive about Tom, saying that he was simply misunderstood and really very polite. Tom was always civil and kind to Minerva, and it seemed even to the most doubtful that he really cared for the girl. In fact what ate away at most Gryffindor's was that they could find absolutely no wrong in him, other than the fact that he was a slytherian. And while Minerva agreed that slytherian's as a whole were an unpleasant lot, she thought it seemed rather prejudice to think someone bad just because he/she had the…misfortune of being placed in the house. So through thick and thin the two had remained the best of friends, both with top grades, top popularity in their houses, and top of course on the quidditch team. It is very important that you understand what good friends Minerva and Tom were, this is key.

No matter how good of friends she was with Tom, however, Minerva had never allowed herself to become anything more. Not even really registering the fact that this was possible. It was one thing to be friends with the head boy of Slytherian, but it was another thing all together to think of him romantically. Not to mention that Minerva had never thought Tom would think of her that way. Minerva trusted Tom, more than she trusted anyone else.

As much as all the Gryffindors, and many of the Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs hated this, there was really nothing anyone could do about it, after all Minerva was the smartest witch of the age, so who could really say she didn't know what she was doing. So for the most part people seemed to take it under their belt, everyone except for two people. The first being Alastor Moody, Minerva's boyfriend since her fourth year, when Alastor has confessed his infatuation with her. Minerva who had never in her life had anyone to outwardly display some kind of feeling for her was immediately swept off her feet. Alastor Moody was the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain (girls weren't allowed to be team captains until the late 60's) . He played seeker, ironically enough. Moody, was of stout build with chestnut curly brown hair that came down very attractively to his shoulders . He had piercing blue eyes, and was not at all bad looking. As far as personality he was intelligent and had a nice but down to earth sense of humor. So no one really questioned Minerva and Alastor's relationship it just seemed to fit. One thing that didn't fit was Tom. Alastor hated Tom, he believed, and with good reason, that Tom was out to snatch Minerva away from him. Or at the very least, to anger and humiliate Moody by always showing up to see his best bud Minerva at the most inconvenient times. Not to mention that for all times "wonderful" qualities he was downright creepy. Alastor was convinced that those horrific glares he sent to him over Minerva's shoulder when he would hug her hello or good bye were more than just simple looks of dislike. There was something not right about Tom, he knew it, and it ate him away that Minerva refused to see it. It was his secret deepest ambition to prove to her what her platonic soul mate was really all about.

The other person that loathed Tom was none other than Albus Dumbledoor himself. Although no one suspected this except maybe Riddle himself. Dumbledoor, could sense….but I am getting to far ahead we will come to all that later….where was I…ah yes the stroll across the grounds…

Anyway, so It was early in Minerva's sixth year at Hogwarts, and Alastor and her were spending some time together before their quidditch match against Hufflepuff that afternoon. Minerva was just teasing Alastor about being too paranoid about the silly match when a lone figure came striding towards them across the grounds. It was Tom, Alastor's heart sank.

"Oh good Tom is coming, now at least someone will agree with me about your silliness. She smiled lovingly up at Alastor but his eyes were fixed on the Raven haired head boy who was now starting to run. Tom's hair was eschew, his face horrible blotched and his robes torn, in short he looked horrible. Only when Minerva looked back did she notice. Gasping she bolted towards Tom with determination.

"Tom! Tom! What happened? Are you alright?" Minerva reached him and he came to a halt taking her hands in him tightly.

"Minerva?" His eyes glazed slightly and he looked like he was about to be sick. "A little girl, a little girl is dead….I heard her scream I went to check….Myrtle was her name. I-I, Minerva I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." He sunk to the ground his hands went to his head and he began to cry. Alastor was beside Minerva now, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at Minerva with a shocked expression, a girl dead at Hogwarts?

Minerva sunk to her knees and stoked Tom's hair. "Did you tell Dumbledoor?" she asked in a calm voice, but still rather urgently, if there was one girl dead, than whose to say others might not be in danger, something had to be done.

"Dumbledoor! Tell an oaf like him, I went straight to the headmaster, a girl is dead Minerva, dead!…but that's not the worst of it." He paused and suddenly grabbed Minerva's face desperately his mad black eyes searching her's. I know who did it Minerva, I know who killed her!" Minerva's green eyes went wide with fear,

"She was murdered, Tom? Are you sure?" Her voice sounded weak and very small. Tom held on to her face but dropped his head down again, shaking all over.

"I didn't want to tell on him, I thought he was a good boy, a bit odd yes but a good boy. But I guess you can't really judge something on human standards if it isn't even human." Minerva was extremely confused now.
"Tom what are you talking about?"

"Rubeus….Hagrid the giant killed her. He killed her and he opened this chamber Minerva, a chamber of secrets. He is going to kill all the muggleborns like this poor girl and all the half-bloods and anyone else who doesn't fit his sick standard! I had to stop him I had to so I…I told, It was hard but…for gods sake he is murdering people. So he was expelled."

Alastor who had been silent up until this point, now scoffed loudly.

"Hagrid would never do such a heinous thing, he's a Gryffindor for crying out loud what the bloody hell does that tell you…plus he is only a kid, a second year! He wouldn't go around opening chambers and killing muggleborns! Why he isn't even pure himself!" Alastor ignored Minerva's shocked expression and continued boldley "Why I wouldn't be surprised if it was you who killed Myrtle, it's a bloody better explanation than Hagrid!" Minerva jumped to her feet, Tom seemed not to have heard him and only slumped lower on the ground without Minerva to support him.

"Alastor! What an awful thing to say! I am shocked! I thought you had more character to you than that, but now I see that you are so blinded by your infernal prejudice that you wouldn't know a good soul if it jumped out and bit you, you fool! Her face was flushed and she was fuming. Alastor as angry as he was had never saw her more beautiful.

"So you think then, that Hagrid, Hagrid! Would kill someone because they weren't pureblood! Well I am sorry Minerva but if that's what you'd believe over sensibleness than you are the one whose blinded. it's a shame that such brains has to be wasted clearing the tracks form this abomination. He jerked his head roughly at Tom who was rocking on the earth at their feet. Minerva stared at Alastor hard, not quite sure what to say, but her face showed complete disgust. She glanced back down at the heap of robes on the floor. Tom Riddle as it appeared was completely broken, much like Minerva's heart. Only Tom was broken in another way, he was not at all the same boy who had befriended her in his second year. Although he hadn't been exactly good then either, but the boy that Minerva had once trusted was gone. Gone to a world of destruction, hatred, and venom. Unfortunately for Minerva it would take her a while to see her. Myrtle was going to be the first in a long serious of life losses at Hogwarts.