The Announcement

Tom sat at breakfast staring across the room. Minerva was sitting next to her friends reading a book, as usual. He couldn't help but smile a little. She was so incredibly rigid, it almost seemed as if it had to be an act. She had barely spoken to him since the night of the kiss. True, she was incredibly preoccupied with preparing for exams, but she seemed to be avoiding all mention of Dumbledore's plan or the kiss itself.

He wasn't really sure what had possessed him to kiss her. It was part of his plan to gain her trust, but it wasn't all that necessary. Tom let out a swift breath - her eyes did look amazingly beautiful when she was angry. He only wished she would let something slip. It wasn't likely, considering Minerva's incredibly stubborn nature, but it was possible she might someday let her guard down around him.

He glanced at her again. Her hair was pulled back in its normal fashion - stern and rigid. Her eyes drooped slightly and she rested her chin on one hand. She looked exhausted. Tom thought back to the night before. He had an idea of what had kept her awake. Rubeus Hagrid was not the stealthiest student at Hogwarts, and Tom had become incredibly aware of his presence stomping through the hallways and talking at the top of his lungs about dragons. He had seen them both on his way back to the Slytherin common room, but was fairly certain they had overlooked him.

"Hey Riddle," Titus Avery called, jabbing him in the side. Tom frowned. "My mum says it's alright if you come to the manor for Christmas. Do you want to?" Avery held up a letter that his owl had just brought him and waved it in Tom's face.

Tom pushed the letter away and drank some of his tea. "I'm staying here. I already told you, remember?"

"Well yes, but I thought you would want to get away from that McGonagall freak for a while. She's staying -"

His sentence was interrupted by a suffocating pull at his neck. His eyes ran to Tom in fear.

"What did you call her?" Tom growled.

"Nothing," Avery rasped. "I only meant…"

Tom's wand lay idle at his side as his fist clutched tighter. Avery gasped in pain. Tom suddenly realized what was happening.

"I have to work with her. That's all I meant," Tom mumbled. The pressure on Avery's neck subsided. "Call her whatever you want."

Lestrange and a few other Slytherins looked at Tom in shock. Avery was shaking slightly.

Tom felt their stares and slammed his hand down on the table. "I hate her and she's a bloody nuisance, okay? Does that make you happy?"

That seemed to appease the rest of the table and they resumed their breakfasts. Avery, however, turned to Tom. "What is she doing to you, Tom?" he asked.

"Nothing." Tom sighed. He was going to have to tell them about the plan at some time. "If you must know, I think she's spying on me for Dumbledore."

Avery scowled. "And that makes you want to defend her?"

"No of course not. I've just been doing my best to get on her good side - if you know what I mean - to see if I can gather any information. We've been working together very closely, so I'm sort of used to protecting her. That was it."

"That was wandless magic, Riddle. You have to really mean it for it to work."

"I didn't," Tom snarled. "It was completely subconscious. Do not lecture me on things you know nothing about."

"Whatever," Avery muttered. "So that's a no for Christmas?"

"I'm staying here - with McGonagall. I have to know what she's telling Dumbledore. I do not take kindly to people meddling in my affairs. She is going to know what it's like to go up against Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Avery glanced over his shoulder and looked at the Gryffindor prefect who was still immersed in her book. "So are you going to have to -" he winced "talk with her on a regular basis?"

Tom grunted slightly in frustration. "I'm seducing her, you idiot. Of course I'm going to have talk to her often. Were you born this stupid, or did someone drop you on your head?"

"S-seduce her?" Avery hissed incredulously. He apparently had not caught Tom's full meaning. A few people looked their way, including a couple of Ravenclaws at the next table. "Minerva McGonagall? Are you bloody well out of your mind?"

"Quiet, you imbecile. Do you want everyone in the school to hear?"

Avery leaned forward and lowered his voice. "What makes you think that she'll trust you? You've never gotten along. She hates you."

Tom smirked slightly. "I happen to have a few reasons already," he replied smugly. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table. "Though I think the best way to a woman is through her best friend, don't you think?" At the other table, Avalon Figg shrieked something loudly at Minerva who rolled her eyes.

Avery suddenly understood. "I guess so. I don't know how you're going to do it, but good luck." He dug into his breakfast. Tom lowered his eyes. Had he really just said all that to someone? Oh well, it was better that way. At least now he would have an excuse if he an Minerva ever - well Avery would know the truth. The truth. As if there was even such a thing anymore.

Tom's thoughts were suddenly broken with a loud voice at the front of the Great Hall. "Attention students," Headmaster Dippet said. He cleared his throat loudly. The hall quieted some, but a few whispers continued. Dippet ignored them and continued in his low, droning voice.

"Effective immediately, all students will return to their dormitories immediately following dinner. The only exception will be the prefects who will now be performing their duties every night." Tom looked across the room at Minerva, who looked incredibly annoyed at the news. Dippet surveyed the now silent room gravely. "I would suggest that you stay together in groups," he said cryptically. "This castle is not always as safe it seems. Oh, and I would like to see the Head Boy and Girl and the prefects in the room adjoining following the meal."

The hall broke out into worried whispers as the headmaster sat down.

Tom froze. That was it? That was all the explanation he was going to give? He wasn't even going to say what happened to cause these new regulations? He looked up at the head table. The professors all looked incredibly ill at ease.

"What do you think happened, Tom?" a second year Slytherin girl asked him nervously.

He patted her on the shoulder slightly. "I wouldn't worry about it. The headmaster doesn't always have a reason behind his actions." The girl bit her lip and ran to the end of the table to sit with her friends. A few of the older Slytherins snickered.

"Oh, grow up," Tom hissed.

He finished his meal and stood to join the rest of the prefects in the room at the back of the Great Hall. It was magnificently furnished, but cold. Sunlight streamed in through the windows doing little except to light the room. Minerva stood by the window. Tom took a seat next to the empty fireplace. They looked at each other.

"Where were you last night?" Minerva asked quietly as the rest of the prefects streamed in and began chatting.

"I had a meeting with Dippet. Then I went to bed. Why?"

Minerva shifted nervously. "The Ravenclaw portrait said that he spoke with you."

Tom examined her quickly. She looked peaked and suspicious and slightly apprehensive. Before he could reply, Dippet and a few professors entered the room.

"I have called all of you here to inform you that one of your own has fallen under attack."

The prefects gasped. Tom rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe the extent of Dippet's dramatics.

The diminutive headmaster strode forward and whirled to face them. "Last night, Josiah Smelting disappeared." Tom searched Minerva's eyes to see if she was at all shocked; she didn't seem to be. "He was found early this morning by Professor Merrythought. He was stunned, in a full body bind. His clothes were torn, his face was bruised, and when asked what happened we found that someone had wiped his memory."

Tom surveyed the prefects who seemed to all take the news differently. The Ravenclaw prefects were, of course, exceedingly fearful for their friend. The Slytherin prefects looked indifferent. The Hufflepuff prefects seemed worried, while the Gryffindor prefects were whispering about avenging Smelting. None of their reactions were at all surprising.

"Where is he now, sir?" one of the Ravenclaw prefects asked.

"Josiah is now in the care of Madame DuMedici and Poppy Pomfrey where he will stay until Christmas break. If he is well enough, he will return home for the holidays. The shock, however, may not have worn off by then. He is severely distressed."

Dumbledore folded his arms and looked directly at Tom who recoiled slightly. Did he suspect something? Minerva also glanced his direction, but didn't make eye contact.

"It is imperative that all of you are alert about the possibility of this happening again. You will tour the school in pairs, as usual, but all of you will have a task each night until we apprehend whoever did this. Professor Dumbledore will brief you on your duties. I only want to convey the gravity of the situation. Do you understand?" Everyone in the room nodded solemnly.

"Headmaster?" One of the Hufflepuff prefects raised her hand. Dippet looked at her pointedly. "Why would anyone do something like this?"

"That is what we are trying to uncover, Miss Marquette," Dippet replied coolly. "I only hope that his status as a muggleborn did nothing to inflame the prejudice that has so recently tainted the wizarding world through Grindelwald." On that cryptic note, he swept from the room.

Dumbledore cleared his throat to quiet the whispers that had erupted with the headmaster's departure, and the prefects fell silent. "Now for your assignments. You will stay at your posts from six o'clock to nine o'clock and may then retire to bed. Report anything and everything of a suspicious nature to your head of house." He pulled out a piece of parchment and began reading off names. "Parkinson and Hopkins, North Tower. Marquette and Applegate, Astronomy Tower…" Tom tuned out, vaguely listening for his name. Dumbledore had mixed up the pairs so that they were in different houses. He wasn't surprised. The transfiguration professor was constantly promoting inter-house relations.

"Churley and Bones, fifth floor…" Tom snuck a look at Minerva. She would have looked reasonably calm, if it were not for her tight grip on the windowsill that was turning her knuckles white. He smirked slightly. Her thoughts were so easy to read.

"Turner and Grassley, third floor…" Dumbledore continued his list. People murmured as he said their names and met eyes with their partner. He finished the list, down to the dungeons. Tom realized his name had not been called. "Ah yes, one more," Dumbledore said, reading his thoughts. "McGonagall and Riddle, if you two would please tour the grounds. The headmaster seems to think someone from the outside may have come in and I believe you are both capable of handling yourselves in a less-than-amiable encounter."

Minerva let out a sigh. Tom grinned. They would have more than enough time to talk about the kiss. She was worried and he could tell. "Now, do you all understand what is expected of you?" The prefects nodded. "Very well. You are excused."

The room cleared, leaving Minerva and Tom alone. Minerva overcame a moment of slight hesitation and walked swiftly towards Tom. "What did you say to the portrait last night?" she asked meaningfully.

"Why do you care to know so much?"

Minerva took a step forward. "I asked you a question, Tom."

"I asked you one as well, Minerva."

Minerva clutched her fists and sat down in the chair next to his. She leaned forward.

"Don't you think it's slightly peculiar that the night the Ravenclaw prefect goes missing, you were seen chatting with the Ravenclaw portrait?"

"Are you accusing me of attacking Smelting?" Tom asked incredulously.

"Perhaps," she replied. She shifted her eyes agitatedly. "Or at least for concealing something. You are not being very open with me, Riddle."

"Oh so it's back to surnames then, is it?"

Minerva slammed her hand on the desk. "I just want you to tell me what you said to the portrait, Tom," she yelled. "That's all. I thought you might have some insight into what happened to Smelting."

"And how will you be able to tell if I'm lying?"

"Tom-"

"No." He stood to his feet and towered over her. "If I'm so good at hiding things, how will you know I'm telling the truth?" He took a step towards her. "I could tell you that I know nothing about Smelting, but I might be lying. How will you know?"

Minerva took a deep breath. "I know you didn't attack Josiah, Tom," she said quietly. "I just want to figure this out so I have time to study for exams and we have time to work on the project over break. That's all." She tapped her fingers together. "I'm a bit on edge right now."

Tom relaxed slightly. After a few moments of silence he added, "I suppose I am too."

They both looked at the floor.

"I probably should go to class," Minerva said finally. "I'll see you tonight after dinner?"

Tom nodded. "I'll meet you in the entrance hall." She turned for the door. "Don't forget to bundle up, Minerva," he added with a slight smile. Her face brightened a little. "We wouldn't want to freeze off that pretty little nose of yours." He winked at her and she turned red before leaving the room.

Tom ran his fingers through his hair in relief. He'd almost lost it. She was suspicious and for good reason. He knew it wouldn't be long before she figured everything out. By that time, he needed her on his side. She was a powerful witch - someone he could definitely use.

He glanced out the window. The sun had disappeared and snow was beginning to fall. They were in for a long evening. He only hoped it would be long enough.

Authors note: Keep in mind that Tom's thoughts aren't very reliable. Did he lie to Avery? Did he lie to Minerva? You don't really know. Next chapter should be pretty interesting...the snowy outdoor rounds. Keep reading!

Also, I'm reminding you now so it's fresh in your mind. Review! I have 46 hits on the last chapter after two days, so that means that 46 people have read the story all the way through with very few of them reviewing. Please review guys! I need to have your input. (Hint: press the Go button at the bottom left-hand corner.) Thank you!