Of course, she had had her courageous moments. When she had finally decided to ask Eric Davies to go with her on a Hogsmeade weekend trip. But she had done nothing spectacular. She'd had slightly above average grades, being better than most in Charms and Potions. There was nothing special that stood out about her. And so it came as a great shock when the mouth at the hat's brim opened wide and shouted.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Chapter Two

As Marie made her way down to the Great Hall, Dippet walking alongside her, shooting furtive questions about her parentage in her direction. Marie was completely numb. The reality of it all hadn't seemed to hit quite yet.

Slytherin! SLYTHERIN! I can't be a bloody Slytherin!

Her mind was in turmoil throughout the whole entire walk. She was barely able to answer Dippet's questions with coherent sentences. All that she seemed to comprehend was… that she was a Slytherin. She now belonged in the House of Snakes.

Well that wasn't the most comforting thought.

The smell of the feast wafted into the Entrance Hall and for the first time in several hours Marie recognized her hunger. She'd been too nervous to eat even a truffle earlier. But seeing as she wasn't dead… yet, there was time to enjoy the opening feast. They'd always had the best food at the start of term.

"This is where I leave you," Dippet said, with an anxious smile. She could tell that he was more than ready to rid himself of her presence. It was one of Marie's better charms, making people nervous to be around her. "I hope you enjoy the feast. And I'll write to Diagon Alley for your things with the gold you've given me. For now, I believe the professors will be more than happy to oblige you."

With a curt nod, he disappeared into the Great Hall, the sound of laughter and animated chatter coming in through the opening. Now or never… She took another deep breath to steady herself and then entered, managing to sneak through the closing door.

No one even glanced in her direction as she sidled over to the opposite end of the hall; her black robes were the only ones who didn't show a representation of a certain house. Marie sat, her eyes darting down towards the end of the table. She was at least ten places away from a single person. And for once the thought of solitude actually entertained her.

The food hadn't appeared yet. And just as her stomach gave a growl of hunger did the wide entrance doors fly open and the first years enter. She craned her neck to get a good look at the newest class of witches and wizards. They were all tiny little things; she hadn't ever been that small. Had she?

"Welcome," Dippet said in a much higher voice than he had used in his office. It seemed as if he was stressed by trying to keep all the students under control. "Welcome first years and welcome back returning students! I'd like to remind you all that our caretaker has posted a list of items banned in the castle on his office door. And also that the forest is out of bounds to all students, new and old." He glanced in the direction of the Slytherin table, clearly meaning the clump of students that weren't paying attention to his speech. He rattled on about other various things business before he finally let the sorting begin. The line of first years was unusually small and it dwindled fast until the only boy "Winbee, Thomas," was sorted in to Gryffindor.

As she watched him move towards the Gryffindor table, the obvious look of relief etched onto his small, skinny face, she felt a pang of envy. That was my house… and now it… isn't.

With a grimace she waited for the food to appear. To her stomach's delight it didn't take long for Dippet to give a few short words and then for the food to become visible to the eager students.

The feast was the same, as always, at least that hadn't changed, she thought miserably, grabbing at another piece of ham. The wondrous affect of being alone had worn off and despite her mainly introverted nature; she was beginning to get lonely. She had gulped down her food, a little relieved to be able to eat ravenously without people watching her in disgust. Even if people were sitting on all sides.

It wouldn't be soon until the students of Hogwarts knew all about her. By tomorrow morning when classes would begin, rumors would flit around like wildfire. She didn't want their attention; she didn't want to hear their accumulated gossip about whom she was and what she was going in school so late. Marie had planned to tell them the truth that her parents had taught her throughout childhood and then after their deaths she was fulfilling their last wish and now attended Hogwarts. No one would think anything of that.

Dippet stood again, ready to make more important speeches and a few last minute notes, like the Quidditch team and other such matters. But Marie tuned him out, taking out her wand and began turning it between her forefingers. That was another thing that seemed to make people a little uncomfortable. The way she stared at something, that deadly serious glare on her face, with her wand rotating around her pale fingers. Odd and Suspicious as some liked to call it.

The familiar loud, scraping sound echoed throughout the hall, and Marie started, jerking upright, and staring around the Great Hall. The students were moving towards their common rooms. And for the first time she realized that she had no idea where the Slytherin common room was.

Panic filling her lungs she moved, following a group of fifth year, Slytherin girls down through a corridor that led into the dungeons. The dungeons? It made sense that the house of snakes would live in dungeons. But she didn't have to like it. Already Marie was beginning to miss the comfy chintz armchairs of the Gryffindor common room.

The girls giggled, and stopped in front of a patch of plain stonewall before muttering something intelligible. The wall slid open in front of them and they stumbled inside. Marie raced forwards, their constant giggling had jumbled the password and if she could just get inside---.

No luck. The wall slid back in place and she let out a furious sigh. She would just have to wait until someone else came and gave her the password. Otherwise she'd end up sleeping the night out in the hall. For a moment, Marie entertained the idea of staying in the damp, gray corridor. It beat being with the… Slytherins.

It was several minutes before she heard footsteps again and faint laughter coming from the other end. Marie stiffened as a group of five or six students entered, their voices louder as if they were unafraid to be heard.

"Nice bit of magic there, my lord," said a dark haired boy, his eyes trained on a much taller boy off to the side of the group. Marie froze, her eyes immediately flicking to the younger Voldemort. Or Tom Riddle as he was now. Her stomach gave a giant lurch as she studied the very handsome boy who was supposed to be the Dark Lord. He was tall, his dark hair falling in his eyes but it was still neatly kempt. And those eyes, she thought, jerking away from the thought, they were a dark gray, flashing at the mention of his magical triumph over some poor victim.

"He went squealing like a pig to his common room, the great, ugly---." He broke off; finally noticing Marie standing in the corridor, just in front of the blank stonewalls.

She felt six pairs of eyes all staring directly at her, and her face burned. But she managed to stare them all in the eyes at least once before asking, "I wasn't given the password."

For a moment they looked ready to pounce upon her, until another asked, this time a pinch faced girl, "And who are you?"

"Marie Adamms, I've just come to Hogwarts." She kept her answers short, staring deliberately past the girls shoulder. She wouldn't look down at the floor; her pride would suffer to that.

"You don't look like a first year," said another of the large group. Marie glanced around for who was speaking but couldn't see him.

"I'm not. Seventh actually, I was educated elsewhere before."

There was a silence to this before Tom Riddle stepped forwards, and giving her the slightest of glances, said "Polyjuice," In a bored tone. The stonewall slid open again and he stepped inside, his cronies following. All giving Marie dark glares before disappearing inside.

This time Marie followed behind, quick to escape the group. They all stopped to kick a few second years out of the armchairs surrounding fires, laughing again and Marie stopped. This was the group of future Death Eaters; she recognized a few from the wanted posters her Uncle had kept in his study. He was a bit of a historian and as a young child they had fascinated her.

There was Mulciber, Rosier, Knott, Avery, and several others she knew to be the ringleaders of the Death Eaters. It was almost comical, watching them from her secluded corner, all chatting as if they hadn't a care in the world. While Voldemort---Tom Riddle sat there, twirling his wand between his long, pale fingers, surveying the rest of the room with keen interest.

So that was why it made others uncomfortable, Marie noted. Watching him continue to flip the wand in his hands. It had reminded them of the Dark Arts. And of a time where terror had reined, Voldemort had reined. Possibly, she had reminded them of Voldemort himself.

It was true; Marie did possess a good amount of power. She had her specialties in Potions and a few other areas, but that was all. She had had no affinity for Defense Against the Dark Arts, sure she had gotten an Exceeds Expectations, but that was only because her best friend, Emily Blasé, was an extreme studier. And she was just about hopeless at Transfiguration, among other things.

Marie sighed, thinking of all things she had left behind and all the things she had yet to do. It seemed, for a moment, like a hopeless situation. There was no way that she was going to be able to kill Voldemort. In the past she hadn't even been able to end the suffering of an injured bird. Resolutely she would have to kill him, she would have to start a new life for herself in 1944, and she would start with finding her new dorms.

The 7th year girl's dormitories were the last space down the long, winding, stone hallway. It was a nice place, with a thick, emerald green rug carpeting the floor, the emblem of the Slytherin House was woven into the center. It was just like the rest of the Dormitories, surprisingly cozy, for the house that has produced more Dark Wizards than any other.

There were only five four poster beds, one in which was empty and her trunks she had left with Dippet were on the left side. She was the closest to water jug, which was a nice change. Marie moved towards her four-poster, the dark green hangings stirring as she brushed past.

And then she stopped, staring at the chair that was sitting next to her bed, the chair that held her new Slytherin scarf, tie, and pin. There it went, the last real shred of disbelief, slipping away. She was a Slytherin now, no longer a Gryffindor, but a member of the most feared house. And… how ironic it was. That she ended up in Slytherin this time around when she was trying to kill one of its most famous occupants.

"Irony, indeed," she murmured to herself, picking up the small pin that had a green and white snake in the center. Absent mindedly, she traced the details of the silver piece of metal, wondering how much she had to have changed to become a member of Slytherin.

"Oh!" A shocked voice said behind her. Marie jumped, turning to see one of the girls she had earlier mistaken as a fifth year, standing inside the room. "Sorry!" She bustled over towards her bed, her stringy blonde hair swinging in her face. She picked up her trunk and began rifling through it before stopping, pulling out a blank piece of parchment out.

"I'm Zelda March," the girl introduced herself as she sat on her bed, scribbling something on the paper, before folding it up again. Zelda looked up, her blue eyes wide with interest as she surveyed Marie.

She seemed almost… innocent, Marie thought, smiling back at the girl. But there was an almost furious glint in her eyes that seemed to disprove her first glance spotlessness.

"Marie Adamms." She said lightly, smiling gently again, still clutching the pin tightly in her fist.

"Are you new?" Well, she gets right into it, doesn't she… Marie noted, surreptitiously raising one of her eyebrows.

"Yes. I was educated elsewhere before." She tried to keep her voice clear of emotion, suspecting that Zelda would jump at the chance to exploit any weakness Marie gave.

"Where?"

Marie hesitated, and Zelda tilted her head sideways giving her an encouraging smile. "My parents. They were a bit---paranoid, about Grindewald." Zelda nodded, understanding immediately.

"Yeah, my mum and dad didn't really want my brother and I to come here too, but my Aunt convinced them otherwise." She gave Marie a conspiratorial glance before bouncing to her feet again. "It all turned out for the best in the end though." She winked, and began striding out of the room, a haughty tone to her walk. "Well, see you tomorrow, Marie."

Marie nodded in response, her throat closing on her words of goodbye. Zelda was an odd creature, a gossiper if her instincts were correct, and possibly a good ally to have in this place. But not someone she could deal with easily if push came to shove, rank wise. Power, however… that may be a different matter.

"Oh, Marie?" She started again, blinking in surprise as Zelda entered again. "What are you?"

Her stomach dropped and her heart seemed to jump in her throat, beating overtime under Zelda's accusatory stare. "Excuse, me?"

"What are you? Pureblood? Half?" Her lips curled and those almost crystal clue eyes darkened as she said the words "Muggle-born?"

"Pure," Marie answered immediately, clenching her shaking hands as the lie spilt out of her mouth with so much ease that she vaguely wondered if Slytherin wasn't such a bad place for her after all.

Zelda looked appeased and she gave Marie a jovial wave before disappearing again. A deep breath of relief whooshed out of her lungs as she sat, bent double, on the edge of her bed. This was going to be so much harder than she had originally expected. What had made her so naïve to think that she could kill Voldemort? That she could deal with living in a completely different time, with completely different people, in a completely different world. One that was before the rein of terror that, now, one of her fellow Slytherins was the cause of.

She stood abruptly; gliding out of the form before it's insides could suffocate her any longer. Hogwarts had become such a depressing place. The happy halls of students, laughing had become the personal rule of Voldemort. What had she been thinking?

Marie paced down the stone corridor into the Common room and then out of the House's quarters all together. No one had seemed to notice, which was good. She needed a break. And it was only the first day. She was going for a very long walk.

By the time Marie re-entered the Slytherin common room it was desolate, and she suspected that it was well past the school's bedtime. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Happy to be back at Hogwarts, or ready to begin their schooling here, but her.

A case of nerves had settled into the pit of her stomach as she sat by the dying fire, the pin still clenched between her fingers. She'd spent the last several hours, re-adjusting herself with the school and the grounds. Spending quarter of an hour by the lakeshore, remembering all the good time she'd had there with her friends. Her friends, whom she missed sincerely and felt a sharp pang of guilt as her thoughts ran onto them. They had absolutely no idea what she was doing. They would have suspected that she'd run off, and if Ron Weasley had done as she'd asked, then they would assume that she'd met a new professional Quidditch player and gone off to live happily in France.

Her lips twitched at the thought of Emily, her best friend's smile as she read Marie's letter of "temporary" good-bye, as she had put it in the note. She could almost see her friend's lips thin gin disapproval as she read Marie's detailed description of her Quidditch player and their new residence in Paris. Maybe, it things had worked out all right and by some far-fetched miracle, she got back to her time, she would consider telling Emily the truth.

The common room was quiet, the only sound were the embers crackling merrily in the grate. But even they were dying as she watched some of the flames sputter and disappear. How symbolic… her thoughts even seemed to be sarcastic.

"Students should be in bed," A soft voice said from the behind her. Instead of jumping like she had several times tonight, she froze. That voice was familiar, even though she had heard it mutter only one word before, and it wasn't to her. But instead to a wall.

Marie turned, her eyes slamming into the teenage Voldemort. Tom Riddle.