She would look different from now on. Tom had changed her. He made her to how he wanted her to be. No more.

With a sigh, she realized the only way to hide her large curls was to braid her hair. Over the last two days of the holiday, she learned how to do it. It was easy braiding string together, but a lot more difficult when it came to her real hair.

The next thing she fixed was her uniform. After searching through a few of her textbooks, she found a simple spell that undid whatever had been done to the uniform. Her shirt was made larger, and her skirt longer; everything was back to normal.

She had managed to avoid Tom, though she could tell he was actually looking for her this time. He even followed her when she tried to ditch him after a dinner one evening, and she was forced to hide behind a statue for nearly twenty minutes, at that point she was forced to leave by Peeves the poltergeist, who began throwing bits of chalk at her.

It was a new term, which meant Elodie could finally push past Tom. She still kept his ring on a small chain around her neck; she wasn't completely over him. It was hard to go from being completely obsessed with someone to ignoring them within the same week. Hopefully she could get help from someone. Dumbledore. Edward. Anyone.

Denise and the other girls made polite conversation with her when they returned, and when they asked about Tom, she found it difficult not to cry. She still cared about him, but she didn't want to. It was so terribly confusing.

Her first breakfast in the Great Hall proved no different then the last hundred. She made sure to sit in her usual spot, away from everyone else, and began eating, somewhat content to be on her own. Her eyes drifted over to Tom as he hurried into the hall, his own eyes landing on her in an instant. Oh, she wanted him to sit with her again. She wanted to kiss him again. She loved how he kissed...

No. She had made up her mind. Her life would not ever involve Tom Riddle again.

Julian and Adrian sat a few metres away, while Tom slid onto the bench next to her. She shot him a glare, then shuffled down, dragging her plate with her. Tom sighed, "Elodie, kitten, please talk to me."
She shook her head childishly and scooped some eggs into her mouth, staring pointedly at the table. His hand gently ran down her back, "Please? I'm sorry-"
"Don't g-give me any more of that," she snapped, throwing her fork down and picking up her bag, flinging it over her shoulder. The thick sac nearly hit him in the face, but he ducked just in time, "You're horrible, Tom Riddle, you know that?!"
With that, she stormed out of the hall, bumping into Edward as he made his way in. He smiled, "Elodie! How was your holiday?"

To her surprise, he actually hugged her, and she welcomed the affection. She smiled over his shoulder at his friends, who grinned back. With a sigh, she whispered in his ear, "I... Well... It wasn't the best, to be honest."

"What did he do now?" Edward groaned, waving his friends off and walking with her down the hallway. Elodie picked at her nails for a moment, then looked up at him. His eyes were blue, bright blue, and looked quite well with his head of black hair. It was the first time she had ever noticed it.
He raised an eyebrow, "Elodie?"

"Oh," she mumbled, flushing, "Right. Well... He asked me to come see him, said he missed me."
"Ah. How... nice," he grunted, his eyes completely betraying the words. Elodie smiled weakly, "Yes, well... It wasn't nice. We sort of... You know..." her cheeks reddened and his eyes widened, "And afterward he told me we couldn't see each other anymore, since he was going to be busy or s-something like that."
She brushed away a frustrated tear and groaned, "I just picked up my stuff and left, and I haven't talked to him since. Stupid b-bastard."

Somehow she couldn't believe she was talking about Tom like that. Her Tom.
Not anymore. She couldn't.

"I'm proud of you," he stated earnestly, smiling, "He deserves whatever you say to him."
"Oh stop sucking up to her, Potter," Tom spat, strolling down the hall towards the pair, "Please, it's sickening, and I just ate."
"The sight of you first thing in the morning is sickening enough, thank you very much," Edward sneered, glaring at him. Tom rolled his eyes, "Oh very clever. Really... I almost didn't see it coming. Elodie, kitten, come sit with me. We should talk."
"No," Elodie protested weakly, her eyes narrowing, "I d-don't want to be around you."
"Rightly said," Edward muttered.
"Shut up, Potter," Tom snarled, drawing out his wand. Elodie stepped in front of the Gryffindor, "D-Don't you dare, Tom... Just go back and eat. Pretend like it's a normal day and you i-ignore me."
She turned back to Edward, "Are you all still going to Hogsemeade?"
He smirked, "Every weekend... Much more fun than studying."

"Meet me b-before you leave then," she babbled, sending him a quick smile before hurrying off to Divination.

*-

Tom seethed at Elodie's back as she scurried down the hall. No one says no to Tom Riddle. No one. No matter how easy they are. No matter how smart they are. No matter how good looking they are.
His eyes widened at the last reason; good looking? Oh, Gods, he was actually starting to fancy the damn girl!

"Stay away from her, Potter, I'm warning you one last time," he hissed, shooting a hex at Edward before stalking back to the Great Hall, sitting down across from Adrian and Julian with an irritated growl.
"She got away then?" Julian mused. Tom glared, "Thank you for stating the obvious."

An idiot, Tom, an idiot.


Of course he is.

Tom ground his teeth together, "I don't know who she thinks she is! She's not important enough to turn me away!"
"Maybe she just needs time," Adrian commented, pouring himself a glass of milk, "Perhaps to let off some steam. Did she still have the ring?"

Tom grinned; she wasn't over him yet. He had spotted a little chain hanging over her shirt collar, and he knew his ring was attached to it. He swelled proudly, "Yes, the silly little chit still has it. Around her neck on a chain... Perhaps she'll come back to me yet."
Adrian and Julian exchanged looks and Adrian shrugged, "She is a girl though, Lord, and they can be fickle."
"Yes, yes they can."

Tom smirked; hearing the word 'Lord' used to address him brightened his morning considerably.
Over the past two months, he had been working with many of his house mates, both of his age and younger, to form a secret society. All were Pureblooded, and each stood behind his belief that Muggles no longer deserved to stink up their air. The Ministry of Magic was letting the ignorant fools get away with too much; Mudbloods and Squibs... What next?! Muggles strolling down Diagon Alley without a care in the world?!

No, someone needed to stop all this filth. It was ruining the lines of so many pure families. While Tom himself was not pure, it only drove on his hate for the non-magical folk who lived on the borders of wizarding civilization.

He had had the first meeting in November, just to see how many were interested. To his shock, people turned up from outside of school, mainly older, well dressed men. When they saw they had come to a meeting hosted by a mere boy of seventeen, they laughed, but he made them silent. He dazzled the wizards with his powerful knowledge of the Dark Arts, a field he prided himself in. One man was exceptionally arrogant, and he made him writher in the middle of a jeering crowd under the Cruciatus Curse.

Another meeting happened the following week; more members turned up. They asked what they should called him, and he answered with the name he had fashioned out of his own; Voldemort.

He led them on a raid, moving through a local Muggle town near Hogwarts and torturing the inhabitants during the vacation. When he was finished, many of the men bowed at his feet, inquiring he share his power with them. Of course, they were punished for asking such a stupid question. His power was his alone. However, he did share a few more dangerous spells with his friends, bringing them closer to him then the outsiders who did not attend Hogwarts.
It all happened so fast, but he wanted it to. He wanted to have his band of men once he was free from the confinements of Hogwarts.

Throughout the entire time, he had made two horcruxes. One, a diary from his sixth year at Hogwarts, when he found out he was the true heir of the great Salazar Slytherin, and could control the Basilisk, sending it to prey on the schools Mudbloods. That plan did not prove as successful as he had hoped, but he kept a record of his daily events in a diary. Hopefully, it would prove useful.

The second was the ring he gave to Elodie. She cared for him too much to throw it aside, and would treasure it, keep it safe for generations, prolonging his life.
His task with the girl was not over yet. No. Soon, when she had come back to him, he would take her to a meeting, introduce her to other people like him, and make her like them. Make her serve him. The wizards who flocked to him were bloodlusting, rich wizards, a few who were already giving him offers to fund whatever he needed. However, their intelligence did not come close to his, while Elodie's did. He needed someone smart working alongside him.
For now, all he could do was wait.