Heather's pov
Time….it hasn't really changed a thing. Not even now, the memories of Tom Marvolo Riddle haunt me since that horrific night in the chamber of secrets. Then again not for the reasons most would expect, that night I'd came so close to finally for filling my lifelong ambition. Every year the ambition has grown stronger, somehow it seems that luck has always wrecked my life. Luck on my side has always been of the bad sort; all it has brought is pain and never any closer to falling into the abyss many have feared threw out there lives. I've never been normal but I've always wished I was. The Dursleys had always called me a stupid freak, a waste of space and they were right I never deserved to live in the first place.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was the being of nightmares, or so Dumbledore has claimed. Apparently he was charming to your face, clever but most of all cunning. Those are all true. According to Dumbledore he was a murderer even at this age. In his time line last year was when the Chamber of secrets opened resulting in the Death of Myrtle Anastasia Puffin. He attempted to purge the school of muggle borns or rather mudbloods in his words. Last year he became a murderer and it continued.
Dumbledore had given me the records that the year after he killed the remnants of his family. That's after this year. According to Dumbledore he cannot be trusted one bit and he'd use any method to charm me into falling for him. Then he'd use it in the future to stab me in the back. None of it adds up though at all. Why would Riddle become a killer, insane if you asked Dumbledore or any of the teachers, after this particular year? Did he see his future and it consumed him? Looking into a glass wall and you become distorted. This year completes the transformation of an O grade student into a killer Dark lord. Something this year shall happen which shall completely twist the course of the future but what?
Hermione thinks I'm mad. She thinks he already is that psychopath who shall one day kill my parents, who shall one day attempt to kill me. Despite the evidence she has presented me, and the evidence I have in turn given her she doesn't believe me at all. She believes Dumbledore. No one believes me; my whole house bar Ginny think I'm insane. The only difference with us is that we know Tom Marvolo Riddle still has human emotions, has fears and cares about people. Although we were attacked by him in my second year, we saw him face to face and saw through the cracks.
Tom Marvolo sought glory but he felt remorse as he saw me die. 'All must face there fears', he feared death yet I fear pain. At least I know I'm sane or at least I hope I am. The news that I defended a Slytherin over a Gryffindor has quickly spread throughout the whole school. Very few people agree with me, the Hufflepuffs understand 'why' I did it and as for the Slytherins… They ponder whether or not I'm turning dark. To them this is good news considering my power but the others…. The only people who are standing by me are the Hufflepuffs, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley. (Hufflepuff because they thought it was because I was trying to give Riddle a chance, and Ron was in the wrong not because Riddle had defended me first. No one had found out I was almost placed in Slytherin ether to my surprise!)
I hate it!
Why can't they just leave me alone?
For havens sake I cannot be the only Gryffindor to defend a Slytherin!
Even Snape seems to be treating me differently. Although he doesn't seem to pick on me anymore during potions he seems like he's seen a ghost. It's almost scary. "Potter…." It was Draco Malfoy; I could recognise his voice anywhere. His voice is unmistakable. His voice has bled so much into my mind I recognise him automatically. He's affected my past so much, if not for him my life would have leaded into a similar direction as Riddle's had.
"Draco Malfoy, what a surprise…." I muttered not looking up from my book.
"Is it true?" He murmured.
Well it's not surprising that he would come to ask that question, after all it was me who had declined his offer of friendship first. In his eyes it was I who had insulted him first, which in all aspects is true. The reason I had declined was because he had reminded me of my cousin. Hypocrite was all my cousin was, all he taught me never to become. Draco Malfoy had also, alike my cousin, insulted people because they were pure. "Yes it is if you are asking whether or not I defended Riddle." I replied icily.
"I thought you hated Slytherin Potter, why help Riddle of all people out?" He asked voicing his thoughts.
I snickered. "For a Slytherin you never have been very subtle have you?"
"Well Potter your very good at avoiding answer." He replied softly. "From the fact Granger and Weasel seem to be avoiding you right now like your whole house I assumed it was true. Why did you help Riddle? You know who he becomes, yet you didn't with me and you insulted me on the train when I tried to be polite and aid you." I looked up into his eyes of mercury.
"IT was he who defended me first you knows…" I murmured.
He blinked. "The young dark lord defended you?" He gaped in shock.
"Yes, not to mention I am not prejudice against your house Malfoy. I am merely against your prejudice against those who have little wealth and have a bad blood status. Not to mention, if I hadn't of met you I would have been placed in Slytherin." I replied icily, trying to add as much formality as possible to my words.
"Then why did they seem to abandon you Potter?" He asked. "If it was merely that then why are they acting this way towards you?"
"Good question." Sickly I laughed. "They think I'm obsessed with him. Remember Dumbledore had asked me to choose whether or not Riddle stayed here in Hogwarts remember?" I reminded him, my voice was soft. MY emerald eyes met his as I looked up. "No one ever believes me, all they ever do is assume things about me Malfoy no one ever really cares about me as a person only a symbol."
"Surely though Granger and Weasel know you enough not to push you?" He asked almost sympathetically.
"No, they think I have been charmed by him." I replied.
"How the hell could you be charmed by your parent's murderer? He may not have done it now but hell knows you're not foolish enough to let your guard down around him. I even overheard a conversation with you and Ginny Weasley where you told her not to fall for him and I know that wasn't because you've fallen for him instead." Shock crashed threw me like waves.
"You heard that?" My cheeks reddened considerably.
"Yes, and I know you haven't turned dark. Your core is the same colour it has always been; the colour of a rising storm." I gasped.
"You can see cores? You must be incredibly powerful! How come you haven't succeeded in beating Ronald Weasley yet when I know you've tried to do it millions of times?" My eyes widened. "Not even Dumbledore can do that and he's the icon of the light, admittedly he's not very light but still….that beside the point Malfoy. It must be amazing to read cores, how did you learn to or do you always see them?" I asked eagerly. Although Malfoy hates me my eagerness to know consumes me.
"I just see them, I always have." He replied. "As for why I lose battles with Ron my affinity is pretty much banned." He answered drearily, affinity? That is probably dark, seeing as mines grey. The other core colour is white. My eyes widened in interest. This is fantastic. I love knowledge but I prefer to hear it from people with experience because the textbooks are often wrong. They're also at an angle, and are very bias against certain types of magic.
"So your affinity is dark magic, seeing as people seem so prejudice against it then?" I replied quickly eager to learn more even if it is from Malfoy.
"You're not bothered about it then? Most Gryffindors are prejudice against dark magic, with your past and our interactions you seem against any form of dark magic." He asked surprise. That's not much of a surprising question actually seeing how we do as a whole seem to be completely against that type of magic.
"Of course not, dark healing magic is the most powerful in the world. It is stupid in my opinion that people are against magic that can be used for a good cause. Besides it is all about intentions. The unforgivables can be used for good causes to, well not exactly crucio but the other two can. What is the problem of using the killing curse on someone who wants to die?" I began spouting off, my cheeks reddened slightly as I realised that I had just revealed that I was not against the unforgivables.
"I guess I a weird way it make sense… you do have a grey core so you probably are fairly unbiased against magic's." He bit his lip trying to hide his shock.
"What is Riddle's core?" I asked with curiosity.
"His is like yours; stormy grey." My eyes widened slightly. How odd that Riddle and I are so similar… As much as I hate to relate to the young dark lord I cannot help but know that we were similar. Our eyes for one, his before they became red, were/ are emerald green and we were also raised by magic hating muggles. Then again we both are very different; he feared death yet death was welcomed to me as a friend, I feared pain yet he welcomed it for it made him stronger.
"Malfoy, why did you insult Ron in front of me on the train?" I asked softly.
"His family have a feud with mine; we naturally hate each other Potter." He explained. "Why did you decline my offer?" He replied in turn.
"You had insulted the first person who actually seemed to like me. You also reminded me of my cousin who tried to rid me of everyone, every single friend after trying to completely break me. That's what my relatives do Malfoy, Dumbledore's excuse is the fact he didn't want me to become a spoilt brat. Ha!" I laughed sickly, was I really revealing this to Draco Malfoy? Yes it seemed I was, my subconscious wanted to rant and rave about the stupid Dursleys who had put me through hell. It was because of them I constantly wish for death because I cannot help but remember what they've put me through. Every time I even see someone in pain I feel it too. It's living torture. I seem to sense people's emotions easily and especially there pain. Although I've been able to block them out to some extent the pain seems to always find me.
"They hurt you?" He asked softly, almost with sympathy.
"Yes they did." I replied my eyes narrowed with suspicion; when had Malfoy ever been this kind to me?
"Relax, Potter they shouldn't have hurt you." He murmured.
"Well they do and to be honest no one cares about me." I replied annoyed slightly.
"Potter that isn't true, for one Riddle seems to care about you right now. Even I pity you and I still hold a grudge against you. Anyone who is a true friend would believe you; know you wouldn't lie about something like this. Hell when have you actually lied about anything? When people claim you do it always comes out that it was the truth by the end of the next few years. Apart from a few twisted truths when have you ever told anything but the truth?" He spat.
"Glad to see you care so much?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Potter its wrong for them to treat you like this." He replied.
"Look Malfoy don't even pretend to care about me Malfoy." I glared fiercely at him.
"Let's start over." I blinked.
"Excuse me Malfoy?" I asked unsure whether or not I'd heard his words correctly.
"Let' start over, pretend the past with us had never happened. Both of us have made mistakes and right now it would be better for both of us if we do. For me, seeing as Slytherin always have motives, when this is over Gryffindor will stop looking at our house like we're vermin and you will have someone to be around you corner when people start picking on you." He explained quite reasonably.
"Agreed, but Malfoy…" I trailed off.
"Yes?" He asked.
"…We should start calling each other on a first name basis shouldn't we?" I asked smiling slightly.
"Ok call me Draco." He beamed at me.
"Draco please call me Heather." I grinned back at him. At this we laughed.
"Ok it seems we need to get used to it a little but more. We need to start talking to each other more, and preferably where we can cause more mayhem for the gits who've been insulting you." I snickered at the thought of everyone's shocked and stunned faces. The world wouldn't know what had hit them once they see well-known enemies acting like best friends in front of everyone. Although after the rumours that had travelled around the school after I had defended Riddle…
"So true can you just imagine they're faces once they see us being civil? We should really take a picture of it." I snickered, it would be great fun to see and capture seeing how crazy the pupils at Hogwarts are right now.
"So true." He laughed. "But I don't really have a camera or have anyone reliable to take it at all."
"We could try and get Fred and George too; they'd probably be up to it. They also owe me for funding they're future joke shop, they'd be more than happy to do it seeing how they're always up for a laugh." I smiled at the thought of the two twins. They are really good fun to hang around with, and don't seem to have the prejudice of the rest of the school. They know me, better than most and know I'm not a foolish idiot.
"Riddle would probably be up to it seeing as how he seems to like you Heather." He grinned as I groaned.
"There is nothing going on between Riddle and I!" I exclaimed.
"That's just what you say, we both know there is whether it is anger or curiosity there is. You fascinate each other Heather. I can see it in your eyes. The way he kept glancing over towards you from the Slytherin table." His voice was deadly serious, Riddle? Oh my gosh… I hadn't realised he'd been watching me! My face reddened slightly. "He's even argued with Bellatrix Black about you, she seems to hate you by the way."
"He's been?" I asked feeling faint.
"Yes, and I also caught you looking over when he didn't seem to be looking at you." He grinned. "I did notice you know Heather. It was quite obvious to every single person that you two seemed to want to know more about each other." He rolled his eyes.
"But I thought he'd hate the very idea of someone having the power to defeat him… especially a girl like me." I murmured.
He smirked. "He's noticed you a lot Heather."
"Please tell me you've been hallucinating Draco." I groaned.
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