The Other Side

Disclaimer: I'm not J.K Rowling.

FYI: Italics are Allie's thoughts if they're directly after her dialogue. If not, you'll be able to tell what they are for. Sorry if there's any confusion.

Allie stumbled down to breakfast the next morning, not really caring to straighten her hair. Her loose curls bounced with each step and people stared at her. Her thoughts immediately zeroed in on Tim. Jeez, aren't I allowed one messy morning. I was up at four o'clock and it's barely… She checked the time and groaned. Arggghhh! Eight o' freakin' clock! I hope Tom looks at least a little exhausted. She looked up and down the table for him. Spotting him (Looking as handsome as ever) sitting close to the end by himself, she wondered why death eaters didn't surround him. Or the knights of whatever they were called in school. She sat next to the other girls and asked, "Why is Tom always by himself? What's his story?" She grabbed an apple and took a bite thoughtfully, trying to look uninterested.

Abraxas sat next to her and, hearing her question, answered. "Because he's a filthy half-breed and no one in their right mind fraternizes with such dirt! To think he was sorted into the noble house of Salazar disgusts me. Father very nearly sent me to Durmstrang when he learned that they were allowing filth into the ranks of Slytherin." He shot Tom daggers with his eyes' and Tom glared at the group of sixth and seventh years' with malice. Abraxas draped his arm around Allie and huskily spoke into her ear. " You know, I don't usually date sixth years, but I'm willing to make an exception for you love." He trailed off, practically molesting Allie with his eyes.

She sweetly smiled at him, making sure everyone was listening. She ran one finger down Abraxas's chest, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. "Really, you'd do that. For me?" He nodded, smiling smugly. Allie locked eyes with Tom down the table who looked like he was about to puke from watching the scene before him. She winked at him and turned her attention to the white-blonde boy, leaning forward she whispered, "Close your eyes pet, I've got a surprise. "

He did as he was told, arrogantly smirking to himself. "I knew you would come around-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence, because Allie picked up the closest bowl on the table in front of her and emptied steak and liver pudding onto the seventh years' lap. Allie stood up, turning red with anger. "You sodding git, how dare you think you can insult him. He is no less dirty then you, you spoiled brat, regardless of what the contents of his blood are. You ever wonder why your mum is also you aunt? Purebloods now a day are either inbred or faking. It's because of blokes like you hatred is born. If I EVER hear of you insulting, harassing, talking to, looking at, hell even thinking about anyone with your prejudiced mind, I will personally turn a very important part of your male person into a blast ended skrewt."

She knew she had to do that, Tom obviously alienated his self from the rest of his house and if she could entice him to confide in her she might have a chance of befriending him. With that she picked up her plate and stormed down the table to sit next to a pale, sick looking tom. They ate in silence, as did the rest of the Slytherin table.

A few minutes later tom looked up from his untouched bowl of porridge. "Why did you do that? And don't say cause we're housemates. You don't know me." He looked suspicious.

Allie put her apple down and lifted her head. " You know Tom, I did that because I don't know you. But I know Abraxas, because I've had to put up with people like him all of my life. People who sit up on a high pedestal looking down on lowly 'half breeds' and those not worthy. Frankly, I am not going to put up with it and you're too polite a gentleman to stick up for yourself. In the muggle world right now, there is a man who is exterminating a whole race of people just because of his silly prejudices… and to think that Purebloods think themselves so much better than muggles. That's all Grindelwald is doing, he's pissing on us and calling it rain." Allie was fuming, her eyes bulging; she slowly counted to ten in her head.

Tom's face screwed up in confusion. "Why do you care? You come from the Dumbledore family; old and pure as they come. You wouldn't know what it was like to grow up in Slytherin where everyone knows you as the 'half breed.' Why should I take your pity?"

"It's not pity I offer you Tom, it's salvation. I do understand growing up different. I had no friends to confide in; I didn't understand why I was different. Then I find that Albus freaking Dumbledore is my dad, my mom is some powerful deity that I've never met and I have so much pressure to do great things. Tom, do you know that I haven't even ever had a boyfriend? Sixteen years old and nobody wants me." Allie was sobbing into her school robes and she felt a hesitant hand on her shoulder. She knew she was overly emotional because of her 'cycle', but she still let her tantrum roll on. She looked up to see a sullen tom mulling something over in his head.

He spoke hesitantly. "On my eleventh birthday, my father came to the small German orphanage I was living at and took me out for the day. At the time I though it was wonderful, that I had someone to call family and a place to call home. But he didn't take me home, after we were done he just dropped me back off at the orphanage without a backwards glance. You see my mum was a witch that fell in love with a muggle down the road from where she lived. She decided she would give him a standard love potion weekly so that they could be together. Once she had gotten pregnant with me, she thought she could stop giving him the potion and he'd stay for me. He was repulsed by the fact that she was a witch and left immediately. She died giving birth to me and even though I was his fault she still loved him. So she named me after him. Tom Riddle. I hate him." He confessed.

Even though his pat had gotten reassuring she sat straight up. "But Tom, you can't blame your dad for what happened. People deserve to be forgiven. You can't let that hate for him consume you. You're an adult now you can reason with him and show him that being a wizard isn't a bad thing-"

He cut her off. "You don't know what you're talking about. Repeat any of this and I'll… you'll…." He struggled with a suitable threat, but not finding an appropriate one stood up and stalked away.

Allie tried to forget the trouble she had gotten herself into earlier that day while she was doodling on her potions notes. Making an enemy out of a powerful, potentially violent wizard like Malfoy was probably something she should have thought about. What was done was done; she still had Fenwick's class to look forward to. Casablanca had been an obsession of hers' as a child. She loved to sit up in her normal room, in a normal house, knowing her normal family was downstairs, and get lost in the black and white drama that for a few weeks consumed her. That was after she had gotten over Titanic. She would have to make Fenwick show that one next.

Allie was so relieved to see her Muggle Studies class door in sight she nearly sprinted through the crowd in the hallway. When she finally did reach her class, an excited Fenwick who ushered in the class and gave Allie a wink greeted her. When everyone in the class was seated in their respective places, Allie studied the assemblage. Girls outnumbered boys' 5:1. That was to be expected, but what had surprised her was that she was one of two Slytherin's taking the class. Only Lillian had shown up. Finally, the young professor spoke. "For our first lesson class, I thought it would be a treat to engage in a very popular muggle recreational activity in which young people like- no, Mr. Bones not that activity, we are going to watch a movie and then I'll explain the basic mechanics." He readied the screen and sat his unofficial fan club down in their respective seats whilst nonchalantly looking for a vacant beanbag, plopping down on the bag next to Allie's.

Allie looked over annoyed. "You better not be one of those guys that like to talk during movies, this one is my favorite."

Fenwick looked nervous. "Alright, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted-"

A boy who had barreled through the door, with erratic breathing that gave Allie a headache, interrupted the Professor.

The boy, who Allie recognized as one of her housemates, Cygnus, clutched a desk while struggling for breath. Allie lazily cast her wand to the side, without looking up. "Augeoper." The result was immediate; Cygnus turned a more appropriate shade. He straightened his school robes and stood up straight. He opened his mouth to say something, but it was not his voice that came out.

"Well, well, well. Started all the fun without us, did you lot?" Tom's voice drawled from the doorway. The entire class turned in horror as the two Slytherin boys stepped into the classroom.

Professor Fenwick, remembering the events of the night before, turned an embarrassing hue of purple before speaking in a low, deadly voice. "What are you doing here Riddle?"

Tom faked a shocked look. "Why, Professor Fenwick, whatever do you mean? I only want to partake in this educational experience of a lifetime. Right, Cygnus?"

Fenwick was livid. "My class roster is full boys, so I'm afraid I can't-"

This time Cygnus spoke up with a timid voice. "But sir, Professor Dippet approved it, he said the class needed a few more males. He said-"

"I'm not entirely sure I care what he said," Fenwick was a violent shade of eggplant and practically snarling at Tom.

Tom's indifferent mask faltered for a split second and underneath Allie saw the monster that one-day would prove to be such a tyrant. Tom's eyes were an unforgiving black and his face was screwed into a look of hatred. Allie, seeing this, knew something had to be done. If no one corrected this behavior he would slowly get away with more and more.

She wondered why her two male housemates wanted to take Muggle Studies, but she threw that to the back burner. Stepping in between the two men, she shocked the entire class. Slowly, gauging his reaction she stepped closer to Tom. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder she hesitantly spoke to him. "Ruhig, ruhig. Nicht hier Tom, es lohnt sich nicht. Menschen beobachten und sie sind gnadenlos." Allie was understandably nervous and faulted in her German a little. She knew the chance she just took was a long shot, but her voice was soft and comforting. Tom slowly reacted, at first he tensed up, but gradually he relaxed and nodded towards her in recognition.

Allie turned to Fenwick and pleaded to him with her eyes. "Professor, do you need help starting the movie now?"

His gruff reply was immediate. "No thank you, I've got it." His cold stance was unsettling to Allie but she spoke to the Slytherin's. "We're watching a movie so just pick a seat. We're discussing the mechanics afterwards." They instead chose to sit in stiff backed chairs in the back of the room. The black and white movie calmed her; Allie was even more transfixed by it than the witches and wizards around her. She laughed, she spilled popcorn everywhere, she talked back to the screen (Which annoyed a few Hufflepuff boys sitting next to her) and she cried. Everyone around her was either a mixture of annoyed and entertained or kind of scared. Finally her favorite part came on, and she was quoting alongside Humphrey Bogart, "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life." As the final credits rolled, Allie was the only one talking, "What a great movie, spectacular movie really. Didn't ya'll just love the part when they-" She stopped talking as soon as she saw the looks her classmates were giving her.

"Alright class, instead of going over the mechanics, I was wondering if ya'll would rather take a vote. All those who want to find out about the complicated mechanics of this 'picture', raise your hand." Three older Ravenclaws did as well as one or two Hufflepuffs. "Alright, all those who want to skip the explanation for tomorrow's lesson and instead partake in another muggle activity called 'acting', raise your hands." Allie eagerly raised her hand alongside a majority of the class. "Alright class that settles it, tomorrow will be running scenes from muggle plays, movies, and books. Class dismissed. Oh, Allie do you think you could stay for a minute?"

Allie grinned and nodded, happy that he wasn't mad about the Tom incident. She walked over to him at his desk and asked, " What's up Professor Henry?"

He shuffled papers on his desk, not wanting to look up at the younger girl. "Yes, well there was something I've been wanting to ask you and I really can't seem to find the time – or the courage, he muttered. – but…"

Allie leaned forward, confused at his nervous jabber. "Yes, Professor?"

This only served to worsen his nerves." Yes, well I was wondering if you could help me get together the scripts for tomorrow."

Allie smiled, confused at his worry over such a trivial thing. Maybe he took his job really seriously. "Sure, no problem. Okay, first and foremost we'll need to get Pride and Prejudice. We could also do some scenes from… my own work. I'll gladly write out the appropriate scenes tonight and bring them tomorrow. Are you in opposition to musicals as well?" She was not able to hide her excitement.

He was hesitant. "No, by all means whatever you like I am quite sure your peers will like as well." With that he dismissed her and since Muggle Studies was her last class she set out to the common room, determined to write out scripts from the greatest romance movies of the century for her class's next lesson.

By the time 2 o'clock in the morning came she had already written out the most romantic scenes from Titanic, A Walk to Remember, Pretty Woman, Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Romeo and Juliet, and even threw in a Phantom of the Opera scene. She was just finishing one of her favorite scenes of Pride and Prejudice when she slowly unknowingly fell sound asleep. She woke barely realizing two strong arms wrapped around her. She was about to protest when she recognized him from his robes. Only one person in the entire school kept their robes so immaculately clean: Tom. He looked down with an amused look and quietly asked, "What, no fight? You didn't even know who I was."

Barely registering the fact he was laying her down in her bed besides her many rolls of parchment from the movies scripts she had been writing she calculatingly huffed, "Of course I did. I knew who ever it was that was carrying me was a Slytherin because no one else had our password. That rules out three-fourths of the school. Second, I registered the fact that the arms that were carrying me were strong so that ruled out females and Abraxas. Lastly, I noted the disgustingly clean condition of your robes and realized it must have been my pal, Tommy. Thanks by the way. I shudder to think the consequences if anyone with a lesser sense of propriety found me asleep on the couch."

He stood awkwardly at the foot of her bed. " In class today, how did you know I speak German?" He changed the subject.

"Because you told me you were raised in a German orphanage. I went out on a limb, I wouldn't have told you anything in English, because then everyone would have understood. That would've embarrassed you," She said sheepishly.

"Yes well, thank you. Goodnight." He made a sharp bow and turned quietly making his way out of the dorms. She wondered how he able to get up the stairs until she saw him place a charm on his shoes. Then he stuck his foot on the wall of the staircase and easily walked along the stairs. She contemplated why he had carried her instead of using magic. She wondered why he had even bothered at all.

Her dreams that night featured Tom. He was dressed up liked Mr. Darcy and was asking her to dance and when she refused him he walked up the wall and danced with another woman. She woke up early that morning, grabbed her scrolls and walked to the bathroom. "I have got to stop eating after midnight."

Yeah! Supeeeer pumped(: Next chapter will be pretty wicked, I'm not sure if I want tom to be jack from titanic or Mr. Darcy….Hmmmmm. Well, regardless he's going to be sexsterious;D I just made up that word for tom. Sexy/Mysterious.

Anywho, keep reading.

P.S: The German roughly translates to "Calm, calm. It's not worth it Tom. People are watching and they aren't forgiving."

XOXO

-Ella Mentry.