Hopeless Love

Chapter One

A/n: I won't update this one regularly until TFN (That Fateful Night) is complete because the two do tie in together.

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Tom found himself sitting against one of the chamber walls later that night with his knees drawn up to his chest. His elbows were resting softly atop his knees and his hands were shoved roughly into his dark hair. His dark green eyes were half shut in a wince under his furowed brows. He was quite confused and the confusion showed itself on every inch of his flawless face.

"Why...?" He kept muttering this one word and each time came up with nothing. He couldn't recall storing his seventeen-year-old self in any of his possessions. He also had not used any sort of magical item that would have screwed with the time. So how had this happened? It made no sense. The only option was a spell but he could think of none with the power to transport someone fifty years into the future without their consent. And that left a second question. Who would want to do such a thing? What purpose would it serve to have him here without a goal?

She really was quite interesting... The thought occured to him and an image of the pretty blonde came to him. But he shrugged it off. Sure, she was interesting enough but there could be nothing more said about her. She seemed the type to date any guy she thought looked half-decent. You honestly cannot be considering anything with her. Girls have never been much to you.

He lifted his head quite some time later after this last thought and looked around himself warily. "Of course. It wasn't a dream. Bloody hell..." He heaved a sigh and felt the scowl forming on his otherwise handsome face. A game show host voice placed itself in his head, so Tom, here you are stuck in Hogwarts fifty years in the future... What do you plan to do?

He chuckled slightly at this. "Welcome to hell Tom..." He said softly as his stomach began to rumble. "Great. This is bloody perfect. Stuck in hell and wouldn't it figure...hell ran out of food."

He sat there for a while longer then decided perhaps it would be ok to venture out once more provided he steered clear of Dumbledore, McGonagal, and Hagrid. They and the Weasley girl were the only ones who could identify him. And since his chamber hadn't been raided yet apparently Weasley hadn't snitched yet.

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Some time later Tom found himself in the girl's bathroom above the entrance to the chamber. He was attempting to check himself in the mirror because while a clean-cut seventeen-year-old could blend in with the other students a slime-covered rather rumpled looking one couldn't.

Once he was positive that his hair was as decent as he could get it and his robes were slime-free he snuck out of the bathroom and found himself staring at an empty hall. "Isn't this special... I wish I knew what time it was."

"Breakfast time but are you supposed to be here?" A portrait on his left said. "I would almost swear I've seen you before but not for many years..."

"I've no idea what you're talking about. You must have my father and me confused." He gave the portrait no time to respond and began walking swiftly to the Great Hall. He just prayed that he didn't run into anyone he didn't need to before he got there.

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"Draco..." Aliza said before taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Hmm?" He looked at her, setting his muffin down first. He knew when she had that tone it was going to be a rather lengthy conversation. He just hoped it wasn't another rant about Pansy. He knew the two hated one another but he also knew there wasn't a damn thing he could do becuse the two enjoyed hating each other.

She opened her mouth, took a breath, but then closed her mouth again and sighed. "This is going to sound ridiculous but... is it possible for the Tom Riddle to be here... in our time...?"

Draco blinked, staring at her for a full minute. "Aliza..." He paused, trying to figure out what exactly to say to her.

"Spare me the crazy lecture. Just tell me if it's bloody possible." She snapped. The thought had been bothering her all night and she had come to the one person she'd always trusted for an answer and he was delaying it.

His brows knitted together in thought and only came undone when he slowly began to speak. "Well... I suppose it's possible... Not very likely, but certainly possible." He picked his muffin back up, took a bite, and then set it right back down. "But what brings that up?"

"I saw this guy - don't interrupt, Draco. And my first thought was of course, wow he's really sexy... But then I got a closer look... He looked like he'd always been described and that Weasley girl said it was him and even appeared to want to kill him!"

"Aliza, forgive me, but you just used a Weasley as your reasoning."

"Mitch, you know that McDougal character, saw him too!"

"Still..." He turned around as the owls began to fly in, looking for his, but what he saw made him freeze in place. "Bloody hell..."

"Is it that damn black owl again?" She turned to see what he was looking at and smirked when she saw. "I told you, Draco. Believe me now?"

"That's the dark lord Aliza!" He hissed. "He can't be here for anything good!"

"Well... Apparently right now, he's here to eat. So shall we welcome him to our table?" She raised a perfectly curved brow at him and smiled.