Helllooooooooo! Here's a prologue to get this show started! I don't have a set posting schedule in mind because my real-life schedule can be varied, but I'm going to try and work on this as often as I can! I already have a rough draft finished for chapter one, and I'm almost done with one for chapter two! I apologize ahead of time for how rushed my writing can be. Like I said, I'm not a writer, but I was really excited to try and bring this idea to life! I'm trying to slow down and add details as I go, and I'm hoping that I'll get better with time and practice.

Thank you to Starr27000 for looking this over for me and giving me feedback! And thank you to everyone for the support of this journey! I'll try to explain anything I think needs explaining as it applies, and if anyone has any questions, please ask!

Thank you so much for following along, and let's get this party started!

September 19th, 2002

Tom looks over the faces of the new batch of first years in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class. This is his 56th time seeing new faces, and it's his 56th time being disappointed that none of those faces were the one he really wanted to see. Every year that she doesn't show up, the emptiness inside him grows larger. As the emptiness grows, so does his rage. He's beginning to think that the Seer lied to him, and that he will never meet her. There's only one thing that keeps him from leaving this school, finding the Seer, and torturing her until she wished she was dead: the chance that he could be wrong and that he could miss out on meeting her.

"No, Miss Stewart. Flick your wand up at the end of the movement, not down," Tom sighs. He dreads first year classes. It's the same basic introductory lessons year after year. The advanced classes are more tolerable, but even those are starting to grate on his nerves recently. He's tired of waiting with no sign of an end. At least his well-known temper keeps all his students in a constant state of fear that he'll blow up. It's the little things that help keep him going all these years.

"Alright, now everyone partner u—." Suddenly, Tom bends over with a gasp. He feels like he's just been hit by a powerful Flipendo. The first years all stare at him in confusion and horror. Disoriented, Tom gasps out, "Lesson's over. Everyone out!" The students hesitate, wary and concerned. "OUT!" Tom shouts, his eyes flashing silver, and they all scramble to gather their things. They've all heard stories of Professor Riddle's quick temper, but this is their first time experiencing it. A mere shout is nothing compared to what they've heard he can be like, so they all quickly leave to avoid his wrath.

Once he's alone, he takes a deep breath to calm down and figure out what's happening to his body. Then, he senses it. It's like somewhere, far away, he can feel something calling to him. It's like a warm, bright light, and suddenly he knows. She's been born. His mate is finally here. Tom runs out of the classroom and heads toward his personal quarters. As soon as he enters, he rushes to the fireplace and floos to Malfoy Manor.

"Abraxas!" Tom storms through Malfoy Manor in search of his oldest and closest follower.

Abraxas rounds the corner to find Tom shouting out his name and barreling through the halls. He hasn't seen Tom this fervent since he went through his Veela transformation 56 years ago. He's instantly expecting the worst. "Tom? What's going on? What's wrong?"

"She's here!" Tom chokes out.

"Who? Who's here?"

"Her! Who else? My mate! I can feel it. She's been born. I have to find her. You have to help me find her!" Tom is frantic. He knows he's being unreasonable, but he can't control it. He needs to find his mate now. He's waited years for her, and now that she's here, he can't wait to be with her. He needs to keep her safe.

"Tom, just wait a minute. Take a second to breathe. The Seer told you that you would meet her at Hogwarts, not before. You're not supposed to go looking for her," Abraxas reasons.

"I don't care what she said! I need to find her. I need to go to her. She needs me! She can't protect herself!" Panicked, Tom starts to rush toward the manor's entrance so he can leave and begin his search when he's pulled back by a hand gripping his arm. Eyes flashing and fingers morphing into talons, he lashes back at his captor.

Abraxas jumps back before he can be clawed. "Tom, wait! You need to stop and think. You only know that she's alive. Do you know where she is? Can you find her?" Tom's scowl is all he needs to see to know that he can't. "You're never going to find her if you just blindly search for her. She could be anywhere. You need to stick to the plan, stay at Hogwarts, and meet her there like the Seer told you." He can see that Tom's at least considering what he's saying. He stops to think. "The school year has already started, so she'll be starting school when? In 2014? Just before her 12th birthday."

Tom's heart clenches. Twelve years? He can't wait that long for her. "That's too much time. I need her now. What if something happens to her? I won't be there to protect her." Another round of panic, with a new hint of rage, flares at the thought of someone hurting what's his. He'll kill anyone who tries to harm her.

"Nothing will happen to her," Abraxas stresses. "You know that you're supposed to meet her at Hogwarts. If that's when you meet, then you know she's going to be fine."

Tom visibly relaxes. Abraxas is right. If he's to meet her at Hogwarts, then she'll be fine while they're apart. This knowledge helps him calm down, his talons shrinking back down to his normal fingers. Tom's head falls and he sighs, "You're right. I'll just have to wait for her to come to me."

Abraxas settles his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I know it's going to be hard, but now you know she's here. You know when you're going to finally see her. The end is in sight."

Tom smiles softly at the thought of finally seeing her for the first time. His stomach tightens in excitement. He'll finally get to meet his mate. Now that he has a plan in place, he nods at Abraxas and starts to say his goodbyes. He needs to get back for his next class now that he's not going to rush off in a mad search. All he needs is Dumbledore breathing down his back more than he already does.

Abraxas walks him back to the floo and steps back while Tom steps inside. "It looks like Lucius and Narcissa are going to be having a little one of their own soon. That means they should be starting school the same year as your mate. She can count on having a close friend in them."

Tom congratulates his old friend and then shouts out his destination. He steps out of his floo into his personal quarters with a smile. Now, he finally has something to look forward to.