Double Potions with the Slytherins wasn't too terrible in Poppy's day. On the contrary, the Slytherins and the Ravenclaws got along pretty well. Especially when it came to Tom Riddle. He thoroughly enchanted all of the Ravenclaw girls. Particularly Poppy.

She was an expert at making Potions. She hoped to be a Healer some day. Never was she more happy than when mixing a delightfully healing Skele-Gro potion. A dreamy expression would cross her face when she thought about what Tom would think when she received an "O" on her Skele-Gro potion.

The one thing she longed for more than being a Healer was Tom Riddle. Poppy pined after Tom relentlessly. She had been in love with him since second year, and only one other person knew: Minnie McGonagall, her best friend.

Although Minnie was in Gryffindor, she still found time to hang out with Poppy. They spent many lazy days on the lake, reading, tanning, gossiping, and giggling like mad, the sun catching Poppy's auburn hair and highlighting her joyous features. Her green eyes sparkled when she laughed, making her one of the prettiest girls in the year; the only other girl who compared was Minnie. Her long, flowing raven black hair caught everyone's eye--- even Professor Dumbledore's. Poppy often caught Dumbledore swiveling around to watch Minnie walk away before he, spotting Poppy's curious stare, blushed and dashed into his classroom. Whenever Poppy pointed this out to Minnie, she, too, would blush furiously and try to change the subject.

One day, as Poppy and Minnie were laughing by the lake, Poppy brought this up. "I swear, Dumbledore is in love with you. You should see the way he looks at you in class." Ravenclaws had Double Transfiguration with the Gryffindors in those days.

"It's only because I'm the only one in the class who can master a new Transfiguration by the end of class," Minnie insisted. "I think the squid is going to come to the surface today. Look at how the water's rippling."

"Quit trying to change the subject. I know for a fact that you threw rocks into the water. Anyway---after he heard about that last attack, he made sure to find you in the crowd. Remember that?"

"Well, he knew that a Muggleborn had been attacked along with a Pureblood Prefect. He wanted to make sure it wasn't a Gryffindor. Oh, look, Tom's coming over here." Minnie was glad for the distraction.

It almost seemed like Tom was walking in slow motion towards Poppy, the soft breeze blowing back his jet black hair, the sun shining on his pale, handsome face, a gorgeous smile playing upon his lips. He looked almost sly as he grinned at Poppy. "Could I borrow Poppy for a moment?" he asked Minnie.

"If Poppy doesn't mind," Minnie replied, throwing Poppy a mischievous look.

Poppy's cheeks turned very pink at this as she nodded and let Tom help her off of the grass.

"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" Tom asked casually.

"Yes, let's," Poppy stuttered, suddenly feeling that her arms were in the way. What could you do with your arms while walking with the love of your life? You couldn't cross them, you didn't have pockets in which to stuff them and even if you did, you wanted him to be able to suddenly grab your hand, you can't put them behind your back because you'll look like a teacher, and you can't just let them swing at your sides. Come on, who does that anymore? Right?

"I really like you, Poppy," Tom blurted out, not looking Poppy in the eye. "I had been thinking. . . would you like to go with me on the next Hogsmeade trip?"

Poppy was silent from shock for a moment. Then she stammered, "Yes, I'd like that very much." And then, unexpectedly, she giggled. Then she became somber, remembering something that Dumbledore had hinted around with Minnie that day. He had told her to be wary of going to Hogsmeade, for she was more vulnerable to attack there. He had also hinted that the trip might be cancelled. "That is, if they let us. With that attack last month, they might just cancel it."

"I'm sure they won't. I'll meet you at the doors of the Great Hall tomorrow, alright?" Tom was being quite optimistic.

"Sure." Another giggle, another blush.

"Well, I'll escort you back over to Minnie. We don't want you getting attacked, now do we?"

"No," Poppy whispered.

They were silent until they reached Minnie. Tom said a quick goodbye and walked away very quickly. "What did he say?" Minnie asked excitedly.

"He asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade tomorrow!" Poppy squealed. Minnie shrieked with joyous laughter and hugged her best friend.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Now you won't be stuck here or there alone!" Minnie was staying at Hogwarts to assist Professor Dumbledore with some research. He requested her specifically to help him. She had felt quite awful that Poppy would have to go to Hogsmeade alone or stay with the First and Second Years in Ravenclaw Tower.

Poppy had never had so much fun on a Hogsmeade trip. She and Tom giggled as they pulled pranks on the owner of Dervish and Banges and drank Butterbeer by candlelight in the Three Broomsticks. Minnie commented after the trip that she'd never seen Poppy so starry-eyed. She and Tom talked about everything, including the attacks.

"So, what do you think is causing the attacks?" Tom asked, veering into the subject.

"I don't rightly know," Poppy replied. "I wish I had the faintest idea, but I haven't one."

"Do you know if those attacked can be cured? By a potion, I mean." Tom asked, his eyes seeming to blaze passionately. "Nothing else anybody has tried has worked.

"Well, anybody who's been cursed can be cured by a simple Mandrake Drought. It's just a matter of procuring Mandrakes," Poppy said matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Tom replied quietly before changing the subject.

"Tom! Tom! Hi, Tom!" Poppy called, waving, as she passed Tom in the hallway on the next Monday. Tom didn't seem to hear her. Why didn't he hear her? He must have been out of it that day or something. He was headed straight towards the first floor girls' lavatory. That wasn't anywhere near his first class. Weird.

Instead of going into the bathroom, though, he leaned against the wall next to the door. That's odd, Poppy thought, hiding behind a staircase to watch. Who cared if she skived off of History of Magic? Professor Binns didn't care. He couldn't remember her name anyway.

Almost as if on schedule, Moaning Myrtle Middlethwaite rocketed towards the bathroom, tears streaming down her face. She didn't notice Tom. She probably wouldn't have cared had she seen him anyway. She was too busy wallowing in self pity to notice anybody else.

Tom watched her go in. What was his sudden interest in Moaning Myrtle? After waiting a moment, he gave a furtive glance around him, his eyes flashing a very frightening shade of red, and snuck into the bathroom as stealthy as a cat. Moments later, he came back out, a satisfied smile on his face. He looked like a cat who had just caught, killed, and eaten a very appetizing bird.

Poppy's urge to follow him was surpassed by her curiosity about what he had been doing in the bathroom. Was he trying to make Myrtle feel better? That was so sweet, so thoughtful, so like Tom Riddle. So, she went into the bathroom.

"Myrtle?" she called. "Myrtle, are you alright? Myrtle?" She saw Myrtle's feet in her usual stall. They were at an odd angle. They weren't moving. And the door was slightly open. What on earth? "Myrtle?" Poppy pushed open the stall, and let out a bloodcurdling scream. Myrtle, glasses askew and wide-eyed, was lying dead in her usual stall. "My God, my God what has he done?" Poppy shrieked, turning away from the gruesome sight and vomiting. Tom was behind the attacks. Myrtle was his next victim. Myrtle wouldn't have died if Tom hadn't known that there was a cure for his curse. It was all Poppy's fault. She ripped at her hair. It was Tom. Tom was to blame. Tom killed her.

"What? What is it?" Tom cried running into the lavatory.

"You killed her, Tom! You're behind the attacks! How could you?" Poppy dove at Tom, her hands, claw-like, outstretched to hurt him. She was insane with grief, regret and shock.

"Impedimenta!" Tom cried in his head, throwing Poppy backwards. Poppy flew against a sink and was knocked out. Tom ran over and felt her pulse. Good, still alive. "Obliviate!" he whispered. He heard the stampede-like thundering of hundreds of footsteps. "IN HERE!" Tom cried. "SOMEONE'S BEEN MURDERED! HELP!"

Professors Sprout, Merrythought, Slughorn, Dippet and Dumbledore skidded into the room, accompanied by Minnie McGonagall, Abraxas Malfoy, and Romulus Weasley.

"No!" Minnie cried. "Poppy!"

"What happened, Tom?" Professor Dippet asked.

"Well, for firsts, it wasn't Poppy who was murdered. That was what I feared first, but I just now felt her pulse and she's still alive. It looks as though she found whoever was murdered. I don't know the girl's name. She's there, in that stall," Tom said, pointing. "I came as quick as I could, but no one was to be found."

Everyone present turned paper white. "Dear Lord," Slughorn whispered.

Dippet peered into the stall. "Diana, send for Aurors," he whispered. "Get all of the students back into their respective Houses. With a killer still on the loose, we don't want someone else dead.

"What's going on?" Poppy mumbled, her eyes opening sleepily. "What's happened? Where am I?" Dumbledore bent down and looked into her eyes.

"Poppy, try to focus on me," he said gently. Poppy tried with all of her might, but couldn't. "Her memory has been erased," Dumbledore sighed sadly. "I don't know how much has been erased, but it has been tampered with. Minnie, would you help me escort your friend to the hospital wing?"

"Certainly, Professor," Minnie replied shakily, helping Poppy up.

Poppy's memory was erased for the whole day. She remembered everything up to right before she tried calling Tom's name. All she knew was that something horrible had happened. It was assumed that she was the only person besides Myrtle who had seen the murderer. No one knew how, but the shipment of Mandrakes didn't come in until someone had been able to sneak into the hospital wing. Rubeus Hagrid was accused of committing the crimes. Poppy, Minnie and Dumbledore, like many others, didn't believe it was him, although the attacks stopped when he was caught by Tom.

Tom's alibi for getting to the bathroom before everybody else was that he'd needed to use the bathroom and he was running late. He was awarded for Special Services to the School. He was never interested in Poppy. Poppy felt uncomfortable around him for an inexplicable reason. The event changed her forever. It still haunted her fifty years later, when the same sort of attacks began happening again.

Fortunately, she blocked out her infatuation with the boy who would become the Dark Lord. She never spoke of him again, not even as "He-who-must-not-be-named."