A/N: Hey guys, It's been so nice to see the amount of visitors I'm getting to this story. Please review, it really is encouraging and I really would appreciate some constructive criticism! Would be interesting to see where y'all think the story's going...
Thanks to LouiseBlackweather for spellchecking! (yes she is making me put that before every chapter...) but really, thanks Louise!
Fey hated Transfiguration almost as much as she hated Potions. When in life would she ever need to transform a glass paperweight into a rock? The only good thing about Transfiguration was the person who taught it: Professor Dumbledore.
"Duro." said Fey loudly and clearly, flicking her wrist as she tried to turn the paperweight into stone. Tried and failed, that is. Mara had tried to teach her the correct arm movement the night before, but she just couldn't quite nail it.
Professor Dumbledore raised his hand to silence the rest of the class who had begun to snicker at her clumsy efforts. The only other person who hadn't managed to do it was the huge Gryffindor boy, Rubeus Hagrid. Fey had heard about him only what the other Slytherins said about him, which weren't very nice things. Fey was sure he was a very nice person though, judged harshly because of his appearance and social awkwardness. Fey had learnt the hard way that there are always two sides to every story.
Once the rest of the students had passed the test and were preparing to leave, Professor Dumbledore called Fey back up to the grand desk scattered with parchment and rocks (and two sad looking paperweights) at the front of the class.
"Miss Clearwater, I'm sorry to tell you but your results are getting increasingly worse, is there a reason for it?
Fey swallowed and shook her head. If there was one class she'd like to succeed in it would be Transfiguration; Professor Dumbledore was the type of person who it felt good to please, and who really tried to make the classes interesting.
"I advise you, Fey, to seek help, as I understand you're also struggling with Potions, Professor Slughorn has informed me, am I right?"
Fey nodded. "Yes, sir." She didn't have any excuses as to the decreasing grades, the classes just seemed to be getting harder and harder, and she couldn't keep up.
"Do not dismay, Miss Clearwater. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who need it," he winked. "There are plenty of top students who would be willing to earn some extra credit by tutoring." He lowered his voice and leaned toward her, peering up through his half-moon spectacles. "Might I guide you in the direction of Tom Riddle." He nodded towards the door, where a boy with pale skin and jet black hair was just leaving. Fey recognized him immediately as the boy she'd seen in the Slytherin common room late the night before. Now she could finally put a name to his face.
The thanked the Professor for his advice, gathered up her things, and hurried to her next class: Muggle Studies.
That evening Fey sat in a large armchair playing wizards' chess with Mara. Fey had already claimed Mara's queen, bishop, and two towers as her own, while Mara only had a couple of Fey's pawns. If she continued to fail at Transfigurations and Potions, she could always pursue a career in chess playing. It was meant to be quite popular among muggles as well.
"What was Professor Dumbledore saying to you after the test today?" Mara asked as her bishop got crushed to dust by Fey's queen. As Fey told her, Mara's already huge eyes grew larger and larger.
"You didn't know who Tom Riddle was? Everyone knows who Tom Riddle is!" Mara blurted out when Fey had finished her quick recount. Fey shrugged.
"Well obviously not everyone did if I didn't."
Mara rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."
And Fey did know what she meant. Fey was a nobody. She mostly kept to herself and was happy that way. Many a mean Slytherin had joked saying the Sorting Hat must have been half asleep when it sorted her into Slytherin. Fey sometimes wondered if it had made a mistake putting her in Slytherin. Sometimes she felt she would have been a lot more at home with the kind and loyal Hufflepuffs than the outgoing extroverts that made up most of the Slytherins. She also detested the colour green.
Fey put off asking Tom Riddle about tutoring so much that in the end Mara did it for her. Fey could only watch in silence, wishing she could run away and hide somewhere, while confident and beautiful Mara marched across the Great Hall to the corner Tom Riddle was seated in, laughing rambunctiously with his group of friends. Fey looked away, not wanting Tom to look across the room at the girl they were talking about and see her staring back at him.
A few moments later Mara was back, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Tomorrow study period." was all she said before grabbing her bag and walking towards the exit. Fey sat there for a moment longer before following her friend. Why oh why couldn't Professor Dumbledore have suggested a girl to tutor her?