Title: Snake Eyes

Author: Crystal Charmer

Genre: Drama/Horror

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Some violence, some mild language, some self-harm

Summary: In 1942 it was Tom Riddle's fifth year at Hogwarts. It was also the year that the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the first time. Many students who have known him for the past years are noticing strange things happening in the school.

Disclaimer: All characters recognized in the Harry Potter books are under copyright of J.K Rowling. The characters Princesa Ozean, Loretta Ozean, Adam Ozean, Esterella Jewell, Lucy Jewell, Janet Jewell, Olivia Lonton and Georgina belong to me.

-oOo-

Chapter 1 – Meetings & Recollections

September 7th, 1942

The Great Hall was bustling with excited voices and eager whispers as the students of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry were pleased to be back. Their first week had been done with, and they had all settled into their lessons and were ready to start learning again after a long summer break.

The Ravenclaw table was filled again, many new arrivals after the Sorting Hat ceremony. They were all tucking into their breakfasts, laughing and talking contently.

One of the students at the Ravenclaw table was a young fifth year girl by the name of Princesa Ozean. She was certainly glad to be keeping up with her magical skills at last, after being at home for so many weeks. Life at home was rather difficult for her, as her parents were very strict and dignified, especially her mother. Since being a Muggle-born, her family didn't exactly appreciate the idea of their daughter studying magic at first, but they had soon warmed to it eventually.

Her mother, Loretta, was stately in her own right, as she was of Spanish blood and had been born in the country. She had emigrated to England due to marrying her British husband, Adam Ozean, and they had settled down and had a baby daughter sometime later. They were very proud of Princesa because she was very intelligent and pretty, with her mother's long auburn hair that hung to her waist, and her piercing icy blue eyes. Despite this, Loretta still thought that her daughter wasn't as attractive as she would have liked her to be.

Princesa had to deal with this flaw whenever her mother brought it up, just like she had the day before she left for her fifth year at Hogwarts:

-oOo-

August 31st, 1942

"¡Prisa para arriba, Princesa!" Loretta shouted impatiently, making her way over to platform 9 ¾, dragging her husband by the collar of his shirt and glancing behind at her daughter. "You are going to miss the train!"

The young student grunted as she pushed her trolley forward that was carrying her trunk, with her brown barn owl Opal in a small cage that she was holding in one hand. The bird was fast asleep, her head tucked beneath her feathery wing.

"Coming, momia!" she called out, glancing nervously at the clock above the platforms. It read 10:35am. That meant that the train for Hogwarts would leave in twenty-five minutes. She blew a piece of her red hair out of her eyes.

"Now remember, amor," Loretta told her, finally letting go of her husband to give him chance to breathe before he choked, "Feel free to write home to us anytime, just send your owl with a message. We want to know everything exciting that happens to you." She beamed at her.

Princesa smiled. "I will."

Adam drew his daughter into a tight hug, causing her to almost drop Opal's cage. Her father was rather strong. "Enjoy yourself," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek and grinning at her with his green eyes. "We'll look forward to you at Christmas break." His long black hair hung untidily in places.

Loretta sighed and caressed her thumb over Princesa's cheek. "Oh, mi pequeña muchacha," she murmured, a hint of regret in her voice. "You are growing up so fast. Soon you will be beautiful and elegant and you shall find the hombre of your dreams."

The girl's eyes seemed to flicker a little with sadness at these words, but she offered Loretta a weak smile anyway. Her mother was always telling her that she wasn't beautiful. Why couldn't she just appreciate her for who she was?

Adam glared at his wife and mouthed: 'Take no notice' to Princesa.

"Oy! Princesa!" a familiar voice suddenly cried out, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps and the clank of rolling trolley wheels. "Wait! Wait for me!"

Princesa turned and laughed when she saw her best friend Esterella Jewell running along the platform to catch up, her short blonde hair flapping in the wind. Her flushed face shone with amusement as her trolley almost wheeled out of control and she managed to pull it to a halt, inches away from Loretta's foot.

"Hi!" she greeted in an exasperated gasp, her blue eyes smiling. "Caught you just in time!" She giggled as she wrapped her arms around her friend in an embrace. "God, I can't wait to be starting Hogwarts again! Thanks for visiting me over the summer! If it wasn't for you and Rosa then I would have died having to be stuck with Lucy all the time!"

Loretta's neatly plucked eyebrow shot up a little. Esterella was a little too loud for her liking, very bold and unafraid to speak her mind. The girl had only her mother to look after her and her younger sister after their father had died a few years ago.

Princesa smirked as she hugged her friend. "You're welcome. It was fun. Is Lucy ready for her second year?" She sighed a little enviously. All of her life she had never wanted to be an only child. She had always liked the idea of having a brother or sister.

"Yeah, she is," Esterella groaned as she whirled around to stare at her sister, who was hurrying to keep up, closely followed by Janet Jewell, their mother, who almost tripped as she sprinted along the stand to say goodbye to her children. "She's been annoying us so much – she wanted something new of everything!"

"I'm ready – I'm ready!" Lucy squealed as she skidded to a stop, pieces of her long golden hair hanging over her face, causing her to look quite comical. "I'm ready for the train!"

"It doesn't look like the train's quite ready for you," Esterella chuckled as she stared at her untidy sibling, and helpfully brushed her hair back over her shoulders.

Lucy frowned, her muddy brown eyes sparkling. "Oh, aren't you the riot?"

"Lucy! Essie!" Janet called out as she made her way over to them, managing to slow down a little so she could catch her breath. "Oh, there you are. Right, you know what to do, and please don't try to attract too much attention because the Muggles might – "

It was at this moment that she spotted the Ozeans standing on the platform as well. Princesa waved at her. "Hello, Mrs Jewell!"

"Oh, hello, Princesa!" Janet greeted, tossing her long copper hair behind her shoulders and straightening out her jacket. "It was lovely to see you over the summer. Are you looking forward to another year? I know that Essie is." She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair playfully at this. "It's all she's been talking about, she's especially looking forward to the Yule Ball this year!"

"Mum!" Esterella moaned, her cheeks turning pink.

"Yule Ball?" Loretta repeated, sounding rather interested. She turned to Princesa. "Honey, you did not mention anything about a Yule Ball!"

Princesa's gaze flew down to her hands, feeling her own face turn hot. "Oh, well...I..." she mumbled uncomfortably, but Lucy answered for her.

"Yeah, she's been preparing for it! Whilst she stayed with us then she bought dress robes, shoes – everything! She's really looking forward to it! Aren't you, Princesa?" she asked, staring at the blushing girl and wondering why she was acting so coy.

Princesa nodded a little, still keeping her eyes on her shoes. "Erm...yes – yes...I am."

"Well, why did you not say anything, amor?" Loretta hooted, stroking her daughter's shoulder with a huge grin. "¡Oh, maravilloso! I can remember my first ball! It was so very beautiful! My gown was like a river of silver lights and sparkling pearls! Oh, how I adore a ball – !"

Adam cleared his throat sharply. "Darling, I – "

"How excited you must be!" Loretta exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air dramatically and bringing her daughter's cheeks to an even darker shade of crimson. "You must tell me all about it! I cannot believe that you did not tell me about it before! I – "

"I'm going to miss the train, momia!" Princesa wailed, looking as if she were on the verge of tears. "We have to be there in fifteen minutes!"

After many farewells and a few more hugs, the girls departed from the platform and passed through the barrier between platforms nine and ten, leaving their parents behind and ready for another year. They made their way towards the smoking Hogwarts Express, pushing their trolleys in front of them.

Esterella shot her friend a sideways look. "Wow, what was that all about?"

Princesa sighed, her face rather miserable. "Did you see how my mum reacted? She went into a huge big story all about her. It's my Yule Ball and all she wants to talk about is how beautiful she looked, and how wonderful her ball was." She stared at her feet. "She didn't talk about the dress I bought or anything...just her."

Lucy bit her lip in sympathy.

"It's ok," Esterella said finally, putting her arm around Princesa's shoulders. "You don't have to think about that anymore. Just look forward to your ball. You'll enjoy it." She smiled at her.

Princesa grinned back at her, the corners of her mouth touched by her friend's kind words. "Thanks. You're right, I will enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy the whole year."

-oOo-

As she tucked into her breakfast of sausages and eggs, Princesa glanced up when she saw Esterella join her side at the Ravenclaw table, dressed in her robes, but her eyelids sagged as if they had weights attached to the end of them.

Princesa sniggered. "Good sleep?"

"No," Esterella groaned, rubbing her eyes and reaching for pieces of bacon. "I'd forgotten how badly that Olivia snores. How do her parents put up with her at home? She sounds as if she's got a dying chicken stuck in her throat."

Princesa almost choked on her pumpkin juice. Olivia Lonton was one of the Ravenclaw girls that shared their dorm upstairs, and was a half-blood. She had messy brown hair and deep grey eyes that could fire up like dark clouds in a thunderstorm when she lost her temper. She also had a lisp, which caused her to sound hilarious when she spoke, but she wasn't the world's lightest sleeper.

"God, Essie," laughed Princesa.

"It's true!" Esterella snapped, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. "Try sleeping in the bed next to her! I think I only got at least four hours of sleep last night." She grabbed two slices of toast and began to butter them furiously. "Maybe tonight I could just stick a few corks up her nose," she added with an evil smile.

"Oh, don't," Princesa chuckled. "Just leave her, it's not her fault."

"Don't worry," smirked the Ravenclaw, still wearing her wicked grin. "I'll find someway to keep her quiet. Perhaps a small charm might – "

Princesa eyes flew open in amusement. "Oh, don't you dare!" she scolded, flinging a sausage at her. "I know you! Don't even think about it!"

"Hello!" came a cheerful voice, and little Lucy sat down next to her sister, looking bright with a good-natured beam on her face. "Don't even think about what?" she added, staring at Princesa.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Well, you certainly look effervescent this morning!" she remarked, looking at the young second year.

Lucy's expression went blank. "Err...thanks, I think." She reached over and grabbed a cup of pumpkin juice, slowly drinking it.

Esterella shot her sister a sour look. "Yeah, well, it's all right for some. At least you didn't have a honking whale next to your bed the whole night!"

Lucy took a good look at Esterella's face before going back to her drink. "You look tired."

"You don't say?"

"What classes do you have today, Lucy?" asked Princesa quickly, changing the subject before things suddenly decided to get ugly.

"Oh, erm..." Lucy put her pitcher down and began to rummage through her satchel, searching for her timetable. She put several small pieces of paper and ink blotted sheets onto the table as she scrambled through the mess.

Esterella frowned. "I don't believe you, Lucy! You've only been here a week and already your bag is a state! God, you're so disorganised!" She turned away in disgust.

"Shut up!" retorted the girl, her cheekbones tinting with a little colour. "We can't all be as tidy as you! I know it's in here somewhere, just give me a minute!" She continued to plumage through her books and parchment until she finally gave a shout, and placed her crumpled timetable onto the table. "There."

Esterella sneered at it, her frown returning. "Urgh...it's got yellow stuff on it!" she proclaimed with a revolted gasp, slightly pushing it away with the tip of her finger as if it were toxic. "What is that – ewww, it's moving!" She slid on the bench further over to Princesa and almost shoved her off the edge.

"It's not moving, stupid!" Lucy protested back, desperately trying to scrape it off with another crumpled piece of parchment. "Georgina spilt her pudding on it last night at tea! It's just...gotten really hard." She poked at it.

"Give it here," Princesa broke in, picking up the soiled paper and holding it up to her face, her blue eyes squinted. "Oh, well, at least you can still read what it says. You've got Charms first, Lucy."

"Oh," Lucy moaned, sounding disappointed. "I hate Charms."

"Tough," Esterella sang as she grabbed back her sister's timetable and flicked it next to her, wiping her hands on her robe, looking slightly sick. "Oh, Lucy – please do something about that timetable! Redraw it or something!"

Lucy scowled. "No! It'll take too long!" She snatched it back and stuffed it away once again.

"At least after the first few weeks you won't need it anymore," Princesa brought up, moping up the grease on her plate with a piece of bread. "You'll memorise it and then you won't need to – "

"Hey, what's that?" Esterella suddenly asked with interest, scraping up a piece of creased parchment that her sister had left on the table, staring at the messy writing on it.

Lucy's brown eyes widened in panic and her small mouth fell open. "No, Essie – give that back!" She lunged for it but it was pulled back out of her reach. "You can't look at that! Give me it back!"

"Why, what is it?" laughed Esterella, trying to get a look at it as she struggled to keep it from Lucy's grasping fingers.

"Don't!" whined Lucy, the frustration clear in her voice. "Essie, please! Please, don't!"

However, before Esterella could have a chance to read it, Princesa, who glared at her friend with an angry frown, snatched it out of her hands. "Don't be so mean to her!" she told her, handing it back to Lucy.

"Hey!" shouted Esterella, glowering incredulously at her friend. "What do you think you're doing? I'm only teasing her! Stop acting like a – !"

"You wouldn't like it if she were doing that to you! What if she wants to have something private?" the Ravenclaw yelled back, getting to her feet.

"How would you know!" Esterella spat back at her. "Maybe if you had any brothers or sisters you would know a thing or two about privacy!"

Princesa's rage suddenly flickered, and a hurt look crossed her face.

"I'm sorry," Esterella quickly apologised, all of the rage draining from her face. "I'm sorry, Princesa, I didn't mean to say that, I didn't know...I-I didn't think – "

"You never do think, do you?" Princesa gasped, feeling tears fill her eyes. "You always do this, Essie! You always say things without thinking, and you always hurt me!" With a tiny sob, she scrambled out from the bench and walked quickly out of the Great Hall, trying to avoid looking at anyone.

"I didn't mean it!" Esterella called after her, rising from the table, meaning to go after her. "Princesa, please! I didn't mean it!"

Lucy looked down at the piece of crumpled parchment in her hands guiltily. "Sorry," she whispered, beginning to put it back in her bag.

With a sigh, Esterella sat back down, eating the last slice of her toast. "It's ok," she told her sister gently, her voice rather ashamed. "She's like this sometimes. She'll be fine, I'll just finish this and then I'll go see how she is."

"Do you know where she'll be?"

"Yeah, she's probably gone back to the dorm or something, just to calm down." She looked at her. "I'm really sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean to do that to you, I was just messing about."

Lucy shrugged with a weak smile. "Don't worry about it," she said. "But next time please ask me before you do that, show me some respect."

Esterella nodded slowly, Princesa's last words to her still ringing in her head. She stared at Lucy again. "Was she right?" she asked her quietly. "Do I do that, Luce? Do I say things without thinking?"

Her sister thought about it – for what Esterella considered was a long time – with a concentrated expression, before shaking her head a little. "No, of course not," she finally muttered, but she wouldn't look at the fifth year.

Esterella sighed miserably, picking at her bread with her fork. "Right," she uttered, almost to herself. She didn't think that anyone had heard her.

-oOo-

Spanish Dictionary

¡Prisa para arriba: Hurry up

momia: mum

amor: love

Oh, mi pequeña muchacha: Oh, my little girl

hombre: man

¡Oh, maravilloso!: Oh, wonderful!