As Tom was about to sneak through the large mahogany entrance to the library, soft sounds of nearing steps caught his attention. Faster than lightning, he hid in the nearby alcove, crouching as far in the corner as possible, so the passerby won't be able to spot him. The sound of shoes clicking on the hard stone floor gained in intensity until a petite figure appeared at the farthest corner of the corridor. Tom instantly recognized the wild locks of the witch from his dream. She was walking at fast pace, dressed in winter boots and a long coat, which was way too warm for the indoors. Oblivious to his hidden form, Serena rushed pass and swiftly turned into an adjacent hallway. Without much thought, Tom instantly took the opportunity to find out more about the mysterious housemate, casted a basic disillusionment charm and headed after her.
When they finally reached the ground level, Hermione abruptly stopped in front of the statue of Gunhilda Gorsemoor. Cautiously, she looked around and then whispered something Tom couldn't quite hear. The statue shivered and, after a while, slid aside, exposing a dark tunnel. Tom frowned. Over the years, many students whispered of secret underground passages connecting Hogwarts with the outside world, but nobody was ever able to find them. As he remembered, It took him almost three months of careful observations and wall tracing before he was able to pin-point the exact location of the secret passage. How was it possible that somebody who arrived mere two months ago already figured out one of the best guarded secrets in the school? Despite his growing suspicion of the foreign girl, he followed her through the tunnel into the darkness.
They walked for almost 20 minutes, Tom quietly sulking behind, tripping almost every third step, before Serena finally extinguished the light coming from her wand and the tunnel descended into complete darkness. Somewhere in front of him, Tom heard faint rattling noise and suddenly sharp golden glow flooded the narrow space of the tunnel. Shading his eyes from the blinding light, he took a couple of steps forward. The light was coming from a door at the end of the tunnel, that much he could make out. Still hidden behind the veil of his disillusionment charm, young Slytherin patiently waited for the witch to disappear through the entrance and then slowly followed.
There was no mistaking in where has the passage led them- Tom immediately recognized the dark, creaky, cherry-wood flooring of the most famous wizarding pub in Hogsmeade, Hog's Head. Loud music, only occasionally overpowered by outbursts of laughter, reached his ears, and he knew the place was crowded. Hastily, he pulled off his Slytherin tie and messily rolled up sleeves of his white shirt, trying to hide the fact that he was merely a student. Still unsatisfied with his disguise, he casted another disillusionment charm and finally walked down the empty hallway towards the sounds of merriment.
The main room with a bar and a small dance parquet was indeed full of people. Heavy cigarette smoke made it almost impossible to see clearly, providing a temporary hideout for many drunk witches and wizards, whose heads were hanging low, as if they were trying to avoid any possible observers. Confident with his notice-me-not charm, Riddle's eyes bluntly searched the bar for the French witch. To his utter surprise, he found her sitting on one of the bar stools, staring right back at him with furrowed brows and blank expression. For a second, the young Slytherin found himself unable to move. They stared at each other unblinkingly until Serena grabbed the shot of a clear liquid the bartender sat on the counter in front of her, and in one swing, drank it. Her gloved hand reached into her coat and pulled out a box of cheap muggle cigarettes. Grasping on one of them between her lips, she lit it carefully. Only then did he finally made a move to join her.
By the time he reached her, another shot was send her way by the smiling bartender, and like before she gulped it down with ease.
"Smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages by students is for the period of academic year strictly prohibited regardless of their age and/or parental permission." He quoted the table of regulations, and sat down right next to the witch.
"Sod off, Riddle" retorted Serena, downing another shot and taking another drag of off her cigarette.
Tom watched her with silent amusement. Her wild black locks were pulled back in a messy bun except for few ringlets, which curled around her tanned face, complimenting her thick eyelashes and deep red lips. Her normally fiery caramel orbs, were now glossed over and soft, almost unfocused.
"No." he replied simply, cheekily grabbing the box of cigarettes from the table and inspecting it.
"Suit yourself." Growled Serena, spinning her body so that she did not have to face him. Tom's amused obsidian eyes scanned older witch's profile. Somehow her hair were curlier and bushier than he has ever seen them, escaping the hairband and sticking out in all directions. At that moment, she looked just like the girl from his dream.
'Her-mio-ne', the name popped up in his head.
As if she could hear it, Serena's head snapped up, her caramel orbs boring into his, and he could swear he saw recognition flicker in them. The world around them seemed to suddenly vanished into nothing.
Who is she?, wondered Tom silently.
Serena's eyes suddenly widened in fear and the witch swiftly hopped off of her bar stool, ready to flee. Unable to hide his interest anymore, Tom raised his arm in attempt to snatch her before she can run away, but the witch agilely dodged his fingers and took off towards the front door. Riddle did not waste any time and inconspicuously chased after her through the crowd of dancers.
Serena rushed into the dimly lit street, Riddle on her heels. At first, their chase was barely faster than walking, but farther they got from Hogshead the faster they progressed, until at the edge of the town, they finally broke into full sprint. Tom followed the French down the narrow forest path back towards the Hogwarts. Despite her initial head start, he was soon able to catch up with her. Just as he was about to grab the back of her coat, the witch turned and swiftly casted a binding spell to his ankles, causing him to trip and crash onto the mossy forest floor. He cursed through his teeth, as her fast retreating back disappeared behind near trees, and pulled out his wand. A short moment later, he finally managed to remove the jinx from his feet, but Serena was already at the foot of the hill, nearing the Hogwarts' magical shield…but she wasn't there yet. A victorious smirk appeared on Riddle's face as he smoothly apparated right between the escaping witch and the anti-apparating shield.
Noticing him blocking her escape route, Serena stopped abruptly and raise her wand in Tom's general direction. Her hands shook and she had struggle to catch her breath. For the longest time none of them moved, both waiting for the other one to make the first move. Finally Tom spoke: "How about we end this chasing game and have little chat, Miss Durand?"
She snorted at his fake smile and seemingly polite offer.
"Stupefy!" both yelled at the same time and the red beams clashed viciously in between them.
"Reducto!" yelled Tom again. The curse hit Serena square in the stomach, throwing her off of the path down the rocky slope. Luckily for the witch, her body landed in a large patch of Bindweed as oppose to sharp rocks which covered most of the hillside. Before she had a chance to clumsily scramble to her knees, Tom had hoped down the slope and was now towering over her, his wand readily resting midair. The bushy haired girl looked frantically around for her own wand, which had flew out of her hand once the spell hit her. Realizing it was a lost cause, she looked up at him from her sitting positions.
"Maybe now you will be willing to cooperate…" grinned Tom maniacally, fully enjoying the vulnerable position the girl was in.
"Never" gritted Hermione through her teeth and with all her might kicked the wobbly rock Tom was standing on. Thrown off balance, Tom fell backwards onto the pile of gravel, hitting his left temple on one of the larger stones. His free hand immediately went to his throbbing head, checking the injury. Upon brief inspection, he deduced that it was nothing but a small bleeding cut which would fully heal in few weeks. Annoyed, Tom raised his other hand to magically stop the pain, but found that the wand in his hand had snapped in half as a result of his harsh landing. For the second time that night Tom allowed few selected cusswords to escape his mouth.
Serena smirked, hopped back to her feet and quickly started jogging towards Hogwarts' main gate, probably assuming he won't follow her without a want, but she was wrong. Furious, young Voldemort scrambled to his feet and dashed after her. By the time she slipped through the gate, he was only few steps behind, looking angrier than ever. Sharply turning to the left, she willed her hurting feet to move faster, sprinting up the old masonry staircase. Riddle quickly realized that her plan was to run to the Room of Requirement and hoping the door will disappear before he has time to get in. After all, without their wands there was not much else she could do. He had to catch her before they reached the third floor.
Fortunately for him, while turning one of the many corners, her wet shoes slipped on the tiled floor and she had to do everything she could not to fall. Riddle of course used this opportunity to finally catch up to her and to grab one of her ankles. Their bodies hit the floor and he used his strength leverage to pull her closer to him. Pinning her down with his left forearm, he expertly dodged most of her desperate kicks and punches. His other hand finally managed to snatch her swinging fist and immobilize it underneath one of his shins. With most of her limbs out of the game, Tom finally trapped her other wrist in his magic-enforced grip. Gasping in pain, Serena Bbit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from screaming and alerting professors of their presence, as she continued to struggle against his powerful grip… but in the end she found herself trapped, leaning against one of the stone walls.
The tall Slytherin swiftly climbed on top of her, still holding both of her arms in check. Their faces were mere inches apart and he could feel their erratic breaths mingling.
'There is no escaping now..' Tom never spoke those words out loud, but still they resonated between them loud and clear. The familiar magical flow crackled all around, making both youngsters stop dead in their tracks. Serena stopped tossing her torso from side to side and looked at him. If the incredulous look in her frightened features was anything to go by, she felt it too. It was like a surge of energy flowing from their joined hand, swirling around their bodies and pooling somewhere in between. Suddenly Riddle's eyes narrowed, he let go of her left arm and used that free hand to get a good grip on her neck.
"What spell is this?!" he barked, squeezing her throat in attempt to choke her.
The witch desperately grasped for air. The strange magic was now violently lashing around and clashing into the stone walls around them.
"I.." she rasped: "I don't know.." but Riddle's grip did not loosen.
'Please, let me go!' her voice begged in his mind, seemingly fully aware that he can hear her.
"Why should I?" he barked again, completely ignoring the magic, which pulsed more vigorously with every breath they took. He bent his head even closer to her, staring directly in her eyes. She didn't want to tell him? Fine, he had ways to get the information he wanted.
With his hand firmly holding her head in place, he lowered his head even closer to hers, until their noses almost touchedstaring into the amber wells of her eyes.
"Legilim-"
"Legilimens!" With the last breath, Serena spat out the incantation, and suddenly Tom found himself being tossed down a very familiar memory line…
TBC