Heart of Darkness

Prologue

Third Year

I sat on the Hogwarts express in my third year. I was reading a book, all alone in a compartment when the door slid open.
"Oh, sorry." The boy standing in the doorway said. "Um... mind if I join?"
I shook my head. "I don't care what you do." I said, not too pleased at being interrupted.
He smiled, amused, and took a seat across from me. "I'm Tom."
"I know." I looked back to my book.
"What's your name?" He pressed.
I put my book down. "Angelica Black."
"Black. That's a pureblood line, am I correct?"
"Yes. You're a Gaunt, are you not?"
"Yes. Riddle, but yes. Gaunt. It's a pleasure to meet you." He gave a charming smile.
"You too." I said.
I'd heard some things about him, not all of them good. He seemed pretty okay, though, so I chalked them up to rumors.
As we were going to the Great Hall, Hagrid walked by.
"Hagrid! Hey!" I beamed.
He grinned down at me. "'Ello, Angelica. How was your summer?"
"Utterly boring. Yours?"
"Good. Me dad and I traveled a lot."
"Sounds fun! How is he?"
"Good. Thanks fer asking." He smiled.
"Hello, Myrtle. How are you?" I smiled at the timid girl.
"I'm all right, I suppose. How are you?" She pushed her glasses up her nose.
"I'm decent, thanks." I said as we split up to go to our separate tables.
"You are Slytherin, correct?" Tom asked, giving me a strange look.
"Yes. Does that mean I can't be a decent human being?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"No. No, I suppose it doesn't." He smiled.
My cousin, Alphard, sat beside me at the table. "Hello, Tom. Angelica, how many times have I told you not to talk to people like them?" He asked.
"How many times have I told you that I don't care? Just because they're different than you doesn't mean they're less than you." I retorted.
"Yes, they are. They are less than you. You're a Black."
"And you're an arse. May I eat in peace, now?"
With a roll of his eyes, he got up and moved to the other end of the table.
"I'm starting to see the Slytherin." Tom grinned.

"Myrtle?" I called, walking into the girls' bathroom later that year, knowing it was her favorite spot to hide. "Are you in here? Olive's--" I cut off with a scream when I saw her body.
A million thoughts raced through my head. I started to cry. "Oh Merlin." I said.
"Hello, Angelica." Myrtle's voice said.
I screamed again, whipping around to see the ghost of Myrtle. "Oh Merlin." I repeated.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Well, you did. What happened?" I kept crying, and I don't know why, considering I was talking to her.
"I'm not sure. I heard a boy talking, so I opened the door to tell him to get out, and then... I was dead. Why are you crying?"
"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because you're dead? I have to go get Professor Dumbledore."
"Okay."
I ran to get Dumbledore. I bumped into Alphard on the way, though.
"Slow down." He said.
"Shut up. Myrtle's dead."
"Myrtle's dead?" He asked, but I kept going.
I dragged Professor Dumbledore up to the bathroom. He sent me to Madame Pomfrey immediately.
"Come back to visit." Myrtle said.
I went to Madame Pomfrey, still freaking out.
She calmed me down and made me to sit on one of the beds.
I guess Al told Tom, and so they both came up. "Are you all right?" Tom asked.
I shook my head, starting to cry again.
Al put his arm around me.
"But she was Muggleborn." Tom said, looking at me kind of weird.
"So? She was my friend." I said patiently.
"But Muggleborns are... beneath us--beneath you."
"No they aren't." I shook my head. "We're all human, Tom. We aren't better just because of our blood status."
He nodded slowly. "Okay. I guess that could make sense."

"Professor, can't you do something?" I begged Professor Dumbledore. "I know he didn't do it."
"Yes, Ms. Black. I know Mr. Hagrid's innocent." Dumbledore said.
"Then why don't you do something?" I demanded, resisting the urge to stomp my foot like a petulant child.
"I can't, unfortunately." He patted my shoulder. "I'm sorry."
"This is barbaric!"
"I know."
"Are you sure you can't do anything?"
"I've done all I can."
"Thank you. Sorry for wasting your time."
"You're never a waste of time, Ms. Black. But, may I offer you a word of advice?"
"Please, sir."
"I noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Mr. Riddle."
"Yes sir." I said, my heart hammering nervously. What could he possibly have to say on the matter.
"You're a wise young lady, but you might ought to be careful. He has great potential."
"Yes, he does. Why should I be careful?"
He shrugged. "Just a bit of advice from an old man."
"Thank you, Professor."
When I got back to the common room, Tom was still up. "Where were you?" He asked.
"Talking to Professor Dumbledore." I sat beside him, picking my book up from where I had left it.
"Why?"
"Hagrid. He doesn't deserve this. I know he wasn't--"
"Angelica, who else could it have been? Face the facts."
"I am, and I know Hagrid didn't do it! He's too nice!"
"He did it, Angelica. He was caught red-handed."
"He didn't do it." I crossed my arms.
"All right, Angelica. Why did you go to Dumbledore, though?"
"Because he's Dumbledore. He can do anything."
"He doesn't like me." Tom flipped the page of his book.
"Why?"
"I haven't a clue."

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A/N
Okay, well, we'll see how this goes. 👌😂
XX
Charlie George