A/N: This is a new one shot for all you amazing guys. The idea came on a whim and I just had to write it down. I do hope that you all enjoy it as much as I loved writing this piece. I do not own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!
Warnings: Drama, language and a tinge of possessiveness.
He was a curious person, always had been. That was what set him apart from everyone else.
People were afraid to learn the secrets of life, to twitch things around here and there for the sake of getting what they wanted.
He wasn't.
Like that one time, he'd tied Billy Stubbs rabbit and thrown the animal into a nearby pond just to see if it had any survival skills or not. Unfortunately, Mrs Cole had arrived and saved the measly animal.
Perhaps that was why everyone called him a sadist too.
He wouldn't know. He never had a normal spectrum of emotions, thanks to his mother. Feelings of love, warmth, empathy-they were all foreign to him.
So when the man at his feet begged Voldemort to spare his life, he simply tilted his head to one side before casting the Killing curse. Really, it didn't even take a second.
Then, he plucked a strand of his hair and missed it in the tiny flask of Polyjuice potion he was carrying. He waited patiently as magic washed all over him, and changed his appearance from brown hair and crimson eyes to blond hair and blue eyes.
Without disposing of the body, he simply stepped over it. The beasts of the Forbidden Forest were in for a test tonight, the dead body would take care of them.
He then took eager steps towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Towards home. He reached his destination easily, the slightest amount of excitement coursing through his veins. Like muscle memory, he terraced his steps in direction of the dungeons where the infamous Slughorn's annual party was taking place
What a rookie mistake by Dumbledore? Allowing Horace Slughorn to hold a party at Hogwarts, that too at a time when the Dark Lord could easily get his hands on Harriet Potter, wasn't that a disgrace?
Or perhaps the man was getting too old. Perhaps, he was scared of the Dark Lord and knew the Light side was inevitably doomed.
Either way, when the opportunity to visit Hogwarts presented itself, Voldemort did not think twice before accepting it. Not even his minions knew about his plans tonight.
Within an hour he had all the details of the party and the guest list. It was cherry on the cake when he found a guest roaming lazily about the Forbidden Forest, and he had gotten his hands on a meat-suit for tonight.
Still, he took his time to reach the dungeons. It had been so long since he'd walked through the corridors of the magical castle, so long since he'd felt its familiar warmth.
He inspected every nook and corner and it was deserted. Quite an uncommon sight for a Saturday night. Then again, Draco had informed them about the latest curfew rules-students were to reach their dormitories sharp by nine, and no one was to been seen roaming around.
He'd laughed heartily at that because he knew Dumbledore was frightened and frustrated.
That was the reason the Dark Lord was here tonight. He wanted to see if the task he'd assigned to Draco Malfoy was in progression or not. Whether the boy was anywhere near to reaching his goals- both to kill Dumbledore and to repair the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement.
Though he knew that the former task would be impossible for Draco. Killing Albus Dumbledore was no joke. But he wanted to see Draco struggle, he wanted to see the boy have fear.
Perhaps everyone was right. He was a sadist.
Coming to a halt when he could see then party decorations, he straightened his three piece suit and ran a hand through his hair. Lastly, he touches one of the walls and muttered a silent prayer for strength and forgiveness. A habit he'd developed during his school days.
Then, with determined steps, he reached the entrance of the party hall and tried to maintain a neural façade seeing the horrendous colorful decorations. With another step, Slughorn's booming voice was heard.
His former Potion Professor's eyes lit up as soon as he stepped inside the room. Slughorn practically ran forward to greet his meat suit.
"Oh hello, Lord Wilson. So good that you could come," Slughorn excitedly shook his hand and it took every inch of power to not
Crucio the old man then and there.
He followed Slughorn towards a group of people. By their impeccable sense of dressing and haughty expressions on their face, he could tell that they were either Ministry officials or rich brats from around the world. He even remembered two faces from his time in Berlin before.
"Gentlemen, this is Lord Wilson, a fine officer of the Major Investigation Department of MACUSA…."
On and on it went. The guy whose face he was wearing tonight, was a proficient man too. He was a high ranking officer of MACUSA for Morgana's sake!
So, blending into the party and talking to all the delegates became easy for him. Voldemort would be grateful to Slughorn for introducing him to such useful people.
Excusing himself when the conversation became boring, he looked around to check onto the person he came for- Draco Malfoy. It was easy to spot the boy, his blond hair shining brilliantly amongst the crowd and fear practically reeking off him.
The Malfoy boy wasn't alone though, he had Severus Snape by his side muttering things in his ears. Well, he could wait till Severus left his side. He wanted to have a chat with Draco alone. Till then, he could enjoy the stupidly expensive drinks and the view around.
Voldemort took a sip of the butter Firewhiskey, relishing in the burning feeling down his throat; he could agree that Slughorn outdid himself in terms of the party.
Why did he host such parties was beyond the Dark Lord's understanding?
He took another sip, another scan around the room.
Another sip and this time his eyes went towards the balcony area that was partly hidden with flowing green curtains.
There, standing alone with a navy blue dress tightly hugging her figure, was the object of Voldemort's utmost desire.
Harriet Potter.
How could he have missed her? Then realized that she had placed a Notice-me-not charm around her.
He moved swiftly towards her without wasting a second.
"Pretty night, isn't it?" He spoke in a low tone voice when he approached her, and Harriet turned around to look at him.
It was cruel and fascinating how her eyes resembled the Killing Curse. Perhaps, that was why he always looked her in the eyes- it reminded him of death and destruction.
"Yes," she gave a one word reply and stared at the grounds again.
"Why is it that you lurk alone in the dark then? I thought these were dangerous times." He took a jibe again, wanting a reaction out of her.
"I prefer to be alone; I don't like parties."
"What brings you here then?" There was a smirk on his face.
Harriet Potter eyes him suspiciously. It became clear to her that he wasn't leaving her alone.
"A favor actually. I get to be Slughorn's poster girl for the party and in turn, he answers my questions." Harriet turned around with her hip resting on the balcony's railing, while he stood facing her.
"Careful there. One might think you're a Slytherin, Miss Potter."
A secret smile appeared on her face at his comment. One that held a secret she was keeping to herself, and one that he wanted to desperately know about.
"Who are you again?" She asked politely, wanting to know the gentleman's identity. But he wasn't going to answer her. Somehow, he didn't want to tell her his fake name.
The Dark Lord wanted her to know that it was really him standing in front of her.
"Names hold power in the Wizarding World, Miss Potter."
"And yet, you know mine." She pointed out almost immediately. He was liking this cat and mouse game between them. It ignited a fire in his soul.
"Everyone around the world knows you. The Golden Girl, defeater of the Dark Lord, the Girl-who-lived," he spoke, taking the last sip of his whiskey and putting yeh glass away.
Her playful smile faded at that and the atmosphere changed around them. He could feel it but he couldn't do anything about it. He had never consoled anyone nor apologized.
There was awkwardness, and neither of them dared to move inside the room and attend the party. There were just too many people inside.
He took a deep breath as the wind blew, but it irked him greatly as Potter fiddled with her hands unconsciously. His curiosity, though, peaked again when he saw a tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.
'T.R'
"Someone special?" He asked her again, a slight smirk appearing as he pointed at the tattoo. Although she was alarmed by the sudden question, she masked her emotions and turned her hand over so that it was no longer visible.
He waited for her answer and she knew.
"You could say," Harriet finally replied.
Wasn't that surprising now? The Golden Girl had a weakness. What if he could get his hands on the boy?
This accounted for another drink, so he quickly conjured two glasses and passed one to her; the latter raising her eyebrows at him.
"I'm not of age yet to be drinking this stuff." She informed him with a mischievousness in her eyes that he hadn't witnessed before.
A smile appeared on his face too, a genuine one.
"What is life without a little fun?"
Harriet chuckled and took a sip of the horrid butter drink, and coughed up loudly.
"Oh this is bad," she said between her coughs, still laughing and trying not to spill the drink on her dress.
"Here." Like the ever present gentleman he was, he passed her his handkerchief and simply stood while dissecting her. It was odd, he thought. The twenty minutes they had spent together weren't actually that bad.
He liked Potter's company.
"Harriet, hey!" Alas, their bubble was broken when a dirty blonde haired boy came to the balcony with an expression much too giddy for a sixteen-year-old.
The expressions fell when the boy saw him though.
Was this the same boy whose name Potter had engraved on her wrist?
"McLaggen."
Nope, it was another boy.
Potter however, drew out his name in an almost irritable and bored voice.
"Umm ..ah," the boy made a noise and Harriet exchanged a look with him as if observing a child trying to speak his first words.
"Would you like to dance?" He spoke out; Harriet's reply was instant.
"I'm sorry, Cormac. I don't dance." From the way she replied, the Dark Lord knew she was lying to save her skin.
"A drink perhaps?" There was hope this time, but Potter wasn't ready to budge. She showed him the glass present in her hand with slight guilt.
Suddenly, his guise changed to that of anger and frustration.
"May I talk to you alone for a moment?"
It was quite clear to them both that McLaggen boy was bothered by his presence. So he decided to leave. It would be the appropriate thing, no matter how badly he wanted to stay and enjoy their little drama show.
"No, he stays." Harriet decided, leaving both stunned. The way she commanded sent a shiver down the Dark Lord's spine. It excited him. "He's a friend; whatever you want to say, you can say in front of him."
Harriet looked at him with such certainty that he obliged to her. It was an irony really-Potter using the Dark Lord as a shield to get away from a lovesick boy.
Also the fact that the Dark Lord was willing.
McLaggen looked uncomfortable, but he'd also reached his saturation point. He almost burst out the very next moment, "What is your problem? Why can't you just accept?"
"I already told you twice, McLaggen. I don't not like to, not in the way you want me to. I'm sorry." Potter was assertive and Voldemort was enjoying. He needed popcorn.
He was so enthralled by the whole situation that he missed Draco and Snape slipping out of his sight, and the purpose of his visit altogether.
"If you only give me one chance, you'll see how perfect we are together," McLaggen took a step towards Harriet as if trying to convince an admonishing brat.
Harriet stepped backwards; clear indication of her rejection.
"You're a good man, McLaggen. You'll find a good partner. But I can't be that." Harriet reasoned with him, her tone also getting strained from saying no over and over again.
He, on the other hand, wanted to know about the rejection as well. From what Severus had informed him, Potter was a bratty student with people fawning over her and worshiping the ground she walked on. So, why was she rejecting the prospect of such a dedicated partner or follower, whatever she called them.
And what of that boy 'T.R.'?
Dear Merlin and Morgana, these teenage love stories!
"Besides, I don't do relationships." Harriet said in finality, casting a glance in his direction and he got her cue that they were moving away.
They were almost out of the balcony when McLaggen's voice halted their footsteps firmly.
"Who is Riddle then?"
It had been long, it had been so fucking long that someone had uttered the name.
'Riddle'
His hatred towards his muggle parentage had him totally disregard the filthy name. So much that he would Crucio the life out of anyone that dared to speak it.
Not many of his followers knew about his surname, but those who knew kept mum.
Besides them, only Dumbledore and Slughorn knew his true identity. Voldemort was sure the boy wouldn't have heard his name from either of the two.
How did he happen to know him then?
Standing on his side though, Harriet Potter had gone completely rigid. There was something she was hiding, something very important to him.
"I beg your pardon?" Harriet mumbled out, facing the boy now. There was a change in her demeanor.
"Riddle?"
"Where did you hear that name?" By the tone of her voice, she knew him.
A creepy smile spread across McLaggen's face because he knew he'd hit a nerve. As if he knew her secret.
"I heard you and Ginny Weasley talking about Riddle during the Quidditch practice. How it's so wrong to love him. How he'd hurt you, but you can't forget him. How you so desperately want him."
Now he knew that the boy was exaggerating, but a fuse went off in his brain nonetheless. There were no rational thoughts coming in at the moment.
He looked at Potter who was ready to chop the boy's head off. And why shouldn't she? The boy had spilled her secret in front of the entire world, one that she was hiding from everyone.
As if she was hiding Tom from everyone.
"Eavesdropping now, McLaggen? That's a new low even for you."
"A mudblood, Potter. Really? You could do better than that." McLaggen was treading on dangerous waters.
Foul mouthing the Dark Lord himself, that would have consequences.
"Maybe Nott or Zabini would have been upto your mark."
"He's not a muggleborn. He's a half-blood. And much more capable than you can even think of. " Harriet defended Tom as ferociously as she defended her loved ones. It surprised him to his bones.
"You could never be half the wizard that Tom is, even if you try your entire life."
"You're threatening a Perfect," McLaggen had officially lost his mind.
"Why don't you try me?" Harriet challenges him by moving two steps forward. "You know, perhaps I could show you a trick or two which I learned from the Dark Lord himself when he fought me."
There were hints of Parseltongue in her tone. Whether she realized it or not, he didn't know.
But the absolute surge of Dark energy that he felt from her side was indescribable. It was bliss. How could he have been so stupid.
'T.R' - Tom Riddle.
The girl had his name engraved on her.
The girl had defended him like no one else in his entire life.
The girl somehow loved him.
It only meant one thing to Voldemort - the girl was his.
Fates were truly on his side that he'd attended the party tonight. Or because he simply was a curious creature.
Dumbledore's pawn was actually Voldemort's queen in disguise.
His eyes flicked as McLaggen took out his wand to hurt her, but he instinctively came in between while putting a hand on the boy's chest.
"Get out," he mumbled in Parseltongue. That and the anger in his eyes frightened the poor boy so much that he ran away.
Now, it was only him and Harriet.
He needed answers, he needed a plan. He needed the correct person for this task, because things were not the same now. The war had turned tables in the last hour.
He turned to face Harriet and saw her intake a sharp breath. He realized that his eyes were no longer blue.
They were crimson, and she'd recognised him. Yet she did not run away and neither did he try to harm her in any way.
Lifting her left hand, he placed a possessive kiss where his name sat on her wrist.
"Until next time, my love." With the promise of their next meeting soon, he left the party abruptly.
Voldemort smiled beautifully when he heard Harriet's footsteps running after him. But he didn't look back.
He apparated quickly leaving a breathless Harriet Potter alone in the corridors of Hogwarts.
Thank Salazar for his curiosity.
A/N: Let me know what you guys think about this one! Reads, followers, favorites and reviews are always appreciated! Good day to all! :)
