Tom Marvolo Riddle. The most infamous dark wizard of all time. His legendary rise to power as the Dark Lord will forever strike fear in the hearts of those who hear the tale. Still, little is known of Tom's life before his transformation into Voldem...
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It was a crisp fall day on October 3, 1943.
Ellison Pennifold's petite frame strode down the east corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, late for her first class of the day.
The morning sun gleamed through the windows, reflecting off the long dark curls that framed her heart shaped face. Her freckled cheeks flushed a light pink as she hurried down the corridor, her emerald eyes darting to the watch on her wrist. 8:15 ... Slughorn has surely started class by now. Smoothing down her robes and striped green tie, she picked up the pace.
It had come as a shock to most when, six years earlier, the sorting hat had been placed on her head only to blurt out, "SLYTHERIN!" Everyone had expected her to be a Gryffindor like her mother, or a Ravenclaw like her father. Maybe even a Hufflepuff like her great grandmother Gretchen Gwendolyn, but a Slytherin?
She would be lying if she said it hadn't come as a surprise. She knew the sorting hat took the student's opinion into account when picking their house, but she had honestly not put much thought into which house she had wanted. At least not as obsessively as her classmates had. However, when the sorting hat had said Slytherin, her eleven year old self had been shocked. Despite the reputation Slytherin had though, her house had welcomed her with open arms, and she had never regretted her placement.
Truthfully, she could have been a Gryffindor. She was brave, and kind. And she could have been a Ravenclaw. After all she was one of the brightest in her year. She could have even been a Hufflepuff. She considered herself to be a loyal friend to all, not just those who wore silver and green as she did. But Slytherin was her home, and she couldn't have been happier.
She slipped inside the potions classroom, housed deep within the dungeons of Hogwarts. If she were lucky she could slip to her seat, unnoticed by Professor Slughorn.
"Ms. Pennifold, my dear girl!" Just as she had reached her work bench, a voice boomed cheerfully through the classroom. She turned briskly on her heel to face the voice. "I see we are not keen on punctuality this morning," the voice continued.
"I apologize professor. You see, Professor Dumbledore stopped me in the hallway and wished to have a word before class."
"I see ... and I suppose Professor Dumbledore failed to send a note explaining your lateness?" She smiled the most charming smile she could muster,
"I'm afraid in my haste to get here sir, I forgot to request one."
"I see..." Professor Slughorn smiled, "very well, take your seat ... And I trust these early morning rendezvous will not become a habit Ms. Pennifold?"
She smiled, "Of course not sir." She nodded curtly before turning to take her seat.
"What did Dumbledore wish to speak with you about?" The question had come from the boy sitting next to her. He had dark wavy hair pushed to one side and deep brown eyes. His face was thinner than most, with prominent cheek bones, and a stern jaw. Some considered his features to be hard, as if chiseled from stone, but Ellison had always found him quite handsome.
"Sorry, but that's confidential." The boy did not look at her, but Ellison could see a small smirk forming on his face.
"Very well," he replied smoothly, and returned to the textbook he had been immersing himself in just moments before. Although this was all part of the banter they so regularly engaged in, truthfully, she couldn't tell him. Because, what Dumbledore had wished to speak with her about was the boy sitting in that exact chair.
He had wished to gain some insight into Tom Riddle's bizarre behavior, however she had not been of much assistance. She herself did not know what Tom was doing these days, much less what was going through his mind.
Tom Riddle had been her friend since their first year at Hogwarts. But ever since the untimely death of Myrtle Warren at the end of their sixth year, just months before, Tom had not been himself. He had always been the reserved type, content with his nose in a book, but as of late he had been particularly secretive, refusing to share things with her he once had. He spent countless hours in the library amercing himself in the restricted section when he thought no one was looking. She had once caught him and had come face to face with an enraged Tom, who demanded why she was always sticking her nose where it didn't belong.
However, despite his recent secrecy, their friendship had remained. She, after all, was the only friend he had, that is except for the gang of Slytherin boys who accompanied him at dinner and in the corridors between classes. She had often wondered if his lack of companionship was because of his cold demeanor towards other students, or by his own choosing. She liked to think the latter.
Despite what others said about him, she liked Tom, and truly enjoyed being in his company. She liked to think she brought out a softer side in him. A side no one was allowed to see but her.
Class flew by in a whirlwind. Potions was a class she had always excelled in, and with Tom's equal aptitude for the subject they had finished the assignment much earlier than the rest of the class.
"Well done you two, well done!" Professor Slughorn had boomed upon inspection of the Drought of Living Death potion they had prepared. The potion had bubbled a bright lilac before turning clear as water. "Wonderful! Wonderful!" Professor Slughorn had clapped. He had allowed them both to leave early as reward for a job well done. They now walked down the corridor, climbing back up the staircase that exited the dungeon.
"So I suppose you're not going to tell me what you and Dumbledore discussed before class?" Tom asked coolly.
"I'm afraid I can't, you see Dumbledore swore me to secrecy," she shrugged, giving a look of mock innocence.
He smirked, "I'm sure it's not so important that you can't tell me." His voice was still calm, feigning indifference. For a moment she contemplated telling him the truth. That Dumbledore had asked her about Tom's whereabouts on the night of Myrtle's death. Rubeus Hagrid had been found guilty of the girl's murder and had been expelled, his wand snapped in half. Tom had been the one to catch him, but Dumbledore still had his suspicions. He had wanted to know what Tom had been up to. Where he spent his time, and with who. She had simply told him she didn't know. Which was true, considering Tom rarely shared much with her these days.
She resolved to keep the specifics of hers' and Dumbledore's conversation to herself. Tom would be infuriated to know the teacher, which he had grown to despise early on, had questioned her concerning him.
"If you can have your secrets, I can certainly have mine." She said curtly. He didn't look at her, but she could see the corner of his mouth twitch ever so slightly. He knew the topic had been closed for debate. "Unless you'd like to share some of yours..." She continued smoothly. The twitch widened into a full on smirk and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Don't you have Defense against the Dark Arts homework to finish before class?" He asked, changing the subject. He was right, she had failed to complete her Defense against the Dark Arts essay the previous night and had approximately thirty minutes to finish it before class.
"Very well, have it your way Tom." With that, she turned the corner, and headed towards the library, leaving Tom standing in the corridor looking after her as she glided away.
Okay, I know what you all diehard Harry Potter fans like myself, are thinking. 'this is SO not cannon.' But hear me out and give the story a chance. I've always been extremely fascinated by the character of Tom Riddle. JK Rowling only ever divulges information about him that is pertinent to the Harry Potter story, which is completely understandable considering she's not telling the story of Tom, but of Harry. So, I wanted to shed some light on his days at Hogwarts. Maybe it could've happened, maybe not. But, I have done research and gathered a (rough) timeline of events so that my story line at least matches up with the cannon chronological order of events.
Let me know what you think and feel free to leave comments and feedback. (I'm no JK, so don't be too hard on me). Chapter two will be here soon so stay tuned!
