I was patrolling the hallway one night when I saw Tom Riddle stride by with a few of his friends. They made their way into Professor Slughorn's office. I knew they had another Slug Club meeting and I was glad I had my Head Girl duties as an excuse to get out of it.

The Slug Club had been fun in my first few years at Hogwarts. It made me feel special to be there, because I felt like Professor Slughorn had noticed my intelligence and invited me because of it. However, it was not only that but also because of my ancestry that he took a liking to me and thought I was someone special.

Now the Slug Club was made up of Slytherins, and I could do without most of them. The only Slytherin I've ever gotten along with is Garrett, and he is not very Slytherin-like at all.

Apparently no one was in the mood for causing trouble, because the corridor that I was in charge of was completely deserted. I was bored, so I sat with my back against the wall, next to the door of Slughorn's office. I took care not to sit so that the door would hit me if it opened- I learned that lesson already.

I could hear the muffled voices of Tom and his friends and Professor Slughorn, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Suddenly the clock struck eleven and I jumped up as some boys, Lestrange and Avery among them, left Slughorn's room. I returned to my duties and paced up and down the hallway.

I was technically done at eleven and was just about to head back to my common room, but I noticed that Tom hadn't left the room yet. Once the footsteps of the other boys had faded away I saw that the door to the Professor's office was slightly ajar and I could just make out what was being said inside.

"Sir," said Tom's unmistakable voice, "I wondered what you know about… about Horcruxes?"

There was a pause during which I held my breath before I heard Slughorn answer, "Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?"

That was rubbish. Tom and I were taking the same DADA course and I'd never heard of a Horcrux before in my life.

Tom and Professor Slughorn must have moved to the other side of the room, because I could only hear snatches of their conversation.

"An overview, of course… horcrux is the word used for an object… part of their soul." That was all I could make out of what Slughorn had said. Tom said something in his quiet voice that I couldn't make out, and Slughorn continued. "Split your soul… one cannot die… of course, existence in such a form…"

It was really making no sense to me. I studied just as much as Tom did and I had never come across anything that sounded even remotely like the word "horcrux." Something about splitting your soul? And immortality? Why was Tom asking about such a thing?

"How do you split your soul?" I heard Tom say clearly, sounding almost eager.

I strained to hear Slughorn's voice. "Supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart…" Slughorn's voice got quieter and I could no longer hear anything that he was saying. Tom questioned about something and Slughorn said a bit loudly, "Do I look like a killer?"

Tom quickly apologized, and I decided it was definitely a good time to leave. From what I could gather, a horcrux could split your soul, but only if you killed someone.

Was Tom more evil than I ever made him out to be? Was there more to him than simply stealing from people… would death be next?

The next morning I spent the whole day in the library, trying to find anything I could on horcruxes. However, I could not even find the word once, so I eventually had to give up. Perhaps it was all some sort of joke, and there really wasn't any such thing as a horcrux. Deep down I knew that wasn't true. I'd heard Tom speaking about it and I could tell he wanted to know about it more than almost anything. I felt a bit ill and went back to my common room with a headache for the rest of the day.

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I actually did not have to interact too much with Tom Riddle. We spoke for very minimal amounts of time and mostly avoided each other the rest of the year. I never mentioned horcruxes to him- I knew better than that- and I tried to forget about them myself, since I knew I would probably never find out anything and no good could come from it. I never mentioned what I had overheard to anyone.

Graduation came all too quickly, and before I knew it I was saying goodbye to the people and the school that had meant so much to me for the last seven years. The ceremony was beautiful, and Tom and I stood together and both made a speech to our fellow students. I need not go into detail, for it was much like every other graduation that has ever occurred.

Afterward there was a party in the Great Hall. Tom and I led the graduates into the Hall, and once there we parted ways. However, before I went off to be with my friends and he went to be with his, he took my hand and slowly brought it up to his lips. I was trembling and I knew that he could feel my hand shaking within his. He kissed my hand and then let it drop, saying to me, "Thank you, Phoebe." With that, he was gone, and it was the last time I would see Tom Riddle as he was then.

I didn't know what his last statement meant. Whether he was thanking me for helping him with all the Head Boy/Girl stuff, if he was grateful to have known me, or even if he was saying thank you for the kiss we had shared almost two years ago. I stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, gazing at where he had just stood.

Suddenly Garrett was behind me and my thoughts were shattered. He took me by the hand and led me over to a table where there was food waiting. "There you are, I'd been looking for you!" he said to me. He obviously hadn't seen anything that had happened between Tom and I, and I was thankful for that.

A band had been hired and everyone danced and had a wonderful time together as the afternoon became evening. As the night wore down the tears began to surface on many people's faces, realizing that they might never see each other again.

I myself had plans to go for an internship and training program and St. Mungo's. I had been unsure about what I wanted to do for a career, but after flipping through brochures and pamphlets I thought being a healer might be a good job for me. Garrett would be going to a similar program at Gringotts.

With only a few minutes left before we had to leave Hogwarts, Garrett led me outside to get some fresh air. We were the only people out there and it was quiet and serene.

He said to me, "I can't believe our time at Hogwarts is over."

"I know," I agreed. "It's going to be a completely different life now."

"It is," he said slowly, "but that doesn't mean that I don't want to keep on spending my life with you. Phoebe, I love you. We're leaving school now and starting new lives but I still want one thing to be the same- I still want to be with you." Before I knew it he was down on one knee before me. "Phoebe, will you marry me?"

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A/N: Cliffhanger! I hope you guys enjoyed the appearance of Tom in this chapter. Please note he's not going to be appearing in the next chapter or so- don't be mad! The lines in the horcrux scene were borrowed from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I know it's technically supposed to take place in Tom's 6th year, but it just worked better for me if it was his 7th.

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far!