Back again! Thanks to all those who read, fav'd, alerted and especially to those who reviewed!

Unfortunately, I haven't gained the rights on Harry Potter this week, so I still don't own.

Slytherin has won the first ever Pottermore House Cup, yay! *victory-dance* I'm rather proud of my house ;D

With that said, on to THE Slytherin:


I entered the Potions classroom followed by Olive and Lydia Lovegood. My gaze flickered over the other students. We shared this class with Slytherin. My eyes settled on Tom, who sat alone at his table, although he was chatting with some of the other Slytherin boys. Olive and Lydia gave me an apologetic look as they sat next to each other, but I didn't mind. I wasn't the only one to be alone.

"Is that seat still free?"

"What do you want, blood-traitor?"

I eyed the boy who had dared to speak to me like that. He had light blonde hair, so I supposed he was a Malfoy. "I didn't talk to you."

"How do you even dare...?"

"It's alright, Abraxas," Tom said, almost sounding indifferent. His eyes fixed on me. "It is. Have a seat."

I send Malfoy my sweetest smile and sat down. He scoffed and turned around on his heel.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "If I have interrupted your conversation."

"It's better like this. He was just babbling about how great the Malfoy family is."

"It's not great."

"It's a very old, pureblood family," he said as if he was lecturing on me.

I turned my head to look him in the eyes. Just yesterday we had discussed that! That he was probably a half-blood – he couldn't be a muggle-born as he was sorted in Slytherin – because he grew up in a muggle orphanage! That all this pureblood-fanaticism was just pointless and stupid.

"Well, I'm pureblood, too. Probably more pure-blooded than a lot of these idiots!"

"I'll tell him not to call you like that anymore."

"And why would that stop him?"

He didn't answer me; instead he turned his head to the front, just the second that a fat man stepped in front of the class.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to Potions Class. I'm Horace Slughorn. I would beg you all to open your books at page..."


I didn't only share Potions with Tom. In fact, the Ravenclaws passed also Transfiguration, History of Magic and Herbology with the Slytherins. Charms, Astronomy and Defence Against the Dark Arts were held together with the Gryffindors. As Slytherins and Gryffindors both proved a lot of hatred for each other, teachers had decided to keep them apart. This resulted in the other two houses always sharing the classes with either one of them, but never would there be a Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-class.

Each time, I would sit with Tom.

I had entered Transfiguration earlier than him and he had asked, just like I had before: "Is that seat still free?", thus making it an insider-joke.

We had started easy-off, with that match-to-needle thing, supposedly the simplest of all transfigurations. After two hours of practicing like mad, we finally did it – and were the only ones, both appointed 10 points for our houses.


"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Lydia shouted, but her feather didn't even move. Olive failed with a similar try.

"You're doing it all wrong," I explained, careful not to let our professor hear me. She would surely consider this most arrogant and I wanted to keep a good reputation.

"You're not pronouncing it correctly. It's... Win-gaaar-dium Leviosa, not Wingardium Leviosaaaa – make the gaaar nice and long."

They stared at me in wide eyes. Tom had shown me that yesterday and I had managed after just a few tries. Obviously I was catching up to him.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" I said and waved my wand just right. The feather flew up in the air.

"OH! Everybody look, Miss Riley reached our lesson's goal. 10 points to Ravenclaw!"

I smiled at her widely. I definitely had something to tell him about.


"Transfiguration sucks."

"You just say that because you didn't get that O you wanted."

"Well, easy for you to say, you got it."

I shrugged. When he was angry, there was hardly a point arguing with him.

"We should go outside for a bit."

"I need to finish that essay."

"What's that?"

"History of magic."

"Boring," he muttered.

I grinned. I knew the general lack of interest in Professor Binn's subject here at Hogwarts, but I found it incredibly interesting. And I knew that Tom felt the same.

"Can't share that. Old Binn's is really living his subject."

"Come on, we should enjoy the weather as long as it keeps being that good."

I sighed and looked out the window. The castle's surroundings were enlightened in bright sunlight. He was right. The weather wouldn't keep steady any longer; we were fast approaching the winter.

"Alright then, let's get going." I waved my wand and my essay rolled itself up. I put it in my bag.

We left the library in silence, afraid to get caught by the librarian. As we crossed the Entrance Hall, we unfortunately got held up by Professor Slughorn.

"Mr Riddle, Miss Riley, heading outside?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Enjoying tue splendid weather, I suppose? Well I wanted to ask you..."

"Whatever you wish for, Professor," Tom said at once and I was rather surprised that Slughorn wasn't bothered by his obvious schmoozing.

Instead, he smiled widely. "I've organized a little meeting. My most talented students and maybe I can gain some old friends from the ministry to join us..."

"Both of us, Sir?" I asked and he looked at me, with a wide smile.

"Of course, Miss Riley. The two of you are my most exceptional students in this year and..."

"We would be delighted to attend, Sir."

Slughorn seemed more than satisfied as he smiled again, showing his big teeth and then went off to the dungeons.

"Do you realize what just happened? This will be really boring."

Tom shrugged and started to move and I followed him outside. He stretched out his hand and took mine.


I went home for Christmas and soon regretted the choice. Being with my self-chosen-not-magical family drove me mad. Especially because my parents had managed to teach my younger siblings the fear of magic I had never experienced. I had to dive back in into the muggle-live I didn't want anymore.

I returned after the holidays, exhausted and irritable. I couldn't cope with it a moment longer. How was I supposed to survive the summer without a single hint of magic?
I sat down next to Tom, not even bothering that this was the Slytherin table.

"You're back!" he cheered and I smiled.

"Yeah... muggle live is hell."

"Tell me about it."

I sighed heavily. "What is it, Malfoy?"

Abraxas Malfoy was staring at me with glowing hatred, just as Nott and

Lestrange did. "I don't like your filthy blood-traitor face at our table."

Before any of us could blink, Tom had pointed his wand at him.

"Careful, Malfoy."

I squeaked. "Let it go, Tom."

Of course, he didn't listen to me. A third-year girl turned to us. "What's going on there?"

"It's nothing, Lucretia."

"Malfoy's just being his usual inane self."

"Who's that, Riddle? Are you bringing all other houses here now?"

Tom almost growled while saying: "Her blood's as pure as it can possibly be, what is the problem of you folk?"

"You're that blood-traitors' daughter, am I wrong?"

"Cut it, Black."

Oh, a Black. I eyed her. This family was one of the most obsessed with blood purity.

"No, Riley, truth be told, that is a real wizarding family... pity your parents deny magic."

"It is," I agreed, earning favourable looks from the whole group.

The girl shrugged. "I hope you don't follow their example."

"I don't mean to."

"Well, then – you gonna leave her alone, Malfoy."

Abraxas glared at her, but he didn't dare to object and Tom finally put down his wand, but still kept it lying on the table, as if he warned them.


I had never believed that exams could be easy, but as I had practiced well, I passed them without effort. Of course, it was the same for Tom. Actually, we both were already ahead of our classes. I absolutely adored it.

As I was about to enter the Hogwarts Express back to London, I nearly cried. "Don't cry, sweetheart, you're just going back home."
I glared at Tom, who had put an arm around my shoulders. This was absolutely inappropriate and I could hear Lydia and Olive giggling.

"I'm not going home. This is my home."

He shrugged. "I'm going back to that damn orphanage! Still want to complain?"

I shook my head. Of course, going back home was much better than what expected him back there. "I'm just sad."

"We'll be back before we know it."

I sighed heavily. "We should get in."

"Yeah, we should."

I looked up at him and saw him staring at the castle just as I did, with that longing look. "Cheer up, Tom; we'll be back before we know it."

He smirked and finally let go of me. "I can't sit with you, you know? I have to make sure Malfoy and Avery behave."

"What do you mean, you have to?"

"Well, if you want to be a good leader..."

"Merlin, Tom, you sound as if they were followers, not friends."

He didn't bother to reply to that. Instead he said: "You got Hornby and Lovegood, do you?"

I shrugged. "Gonna see you in London then? To say goodbye."

"Sure." He half-smiled, the best I could get today, and disappeared into the crowd.


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