An Otherworldly Experience (Tom Riddle Era)

Chapter Five

"Miss Watson, I'd like for you to attend a dinner with me and a small group tonight," Professor Slughorn, the potions Professor asked her just after potions ended. Kelli tilted her head. "Sometimes I hold dinners for students of whom I feel are exceptional, and I'd love for you to join us."

"Oh, who else will be going?" Kelli asked curiously.

"Other first years, a lot of Slytherin's - after all, I am their House Leader, I get a lot of sight into their grades. Abraxas Malfoy, Tom Riddle, Elizabeth Mason - though she does lack in some other subject, I find she makes all that up in Potions. Marian Doge-" Kelli kept a straight face. Doge. "Hopefully you'll be in attendance."

"Well, I'd love to," Kelli lied with a smile.

Professor Slughorn smiled and said, "I'll see you in my office tonight around 5:00pm."

Kelli couldn't help but think that if this was happening in the 21st century, he'd be thought of being a predator. And since she was a 21st century girl, she was going to go with someone else and ask if the aforementioned by him were going to go. Even if she knew for a fact that he was a perfectly fine person, she really didn't trust the proposition. But that was probably her century showing.

"You're going to go?" Elizabeth asked, surprised at Kelli's reveal.

"Yeah," Kelli replied.

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Did you know that you speak very differently?"

"I guess I was exposed to a different kind of situation," Kelli replied with a casual shrug, before picking up a few books and said, "Well, I'm going to go out to the common room and help some people out, did you guys want to come out?"

Lauren shook her head and Elizabeth said, "I don't want to put a stop to your apparent endless patience with other people."

Kelli laughed and said, "It most certainly isn't endless. I do have very zero tolerance subjects, as you two know very well. Sexism," Severus Snape, " and racism." But also Severus Goddamn Snape.

"Ah yes."

"I wonder why he's having a dinner," Elizabeth commented.

Kelli tilted her head to either side before saying, "He has a club of people he feels will grow up to do extraordinary things."

Elizabeth frowned. "I'm only good at Potions."

"You're also extremely amazing at potions," Kelli told her. "I'm only very good because my head usually only exists looking in a book."

"If it weren't for your constant studying, one would think Riddle would be top. He seems naturally gifted."

Kelli frowned and said, "But half the books I read have nothing to do with my course subjects . . . at the time."

"That is true," Lauren said. "Either way, hope you two have fun. I feel I may have to take you up on your study lessons, Kelli, maybe we can join this club together."

"Of course!" Kelli said cheerfully.

"We should definitely do that," Elizabeth agreed with a bright smile shot at Lauren. Kelli felt a tad guilty for talking about the Slug club in front of Lauren but didn't say anything on it.

"Speaking of studying," Kelli said, jumping onto her bed and lifting a book. "Well, not studying. Reading," she corrected herself. She cracked open the book and started around where she left off.

The Slug Club wasn't actually as boring or awkward as the books and films laid it out to be. There was always a talking point. After making the quick, sad discoveries of Kelli and Tom's lack of parent situation - although both hers were alive and well and had the full knowledge that Kelli existed and loved her - he brushed over it changed the subject after what felt like a sincere apology.

He wasn't terrible at collecting students as he was portrayed to be bad at.

Elizabeth's parents were alchemists and Elizabeth had picked up a lot of knowledge from them. Professor Slughorn apparently remembered his last year very fondly, a man with a talent similar to Elizabeth's.

If Kelli didn't know that she, and all the others, were being manipulated for his life to be quite easy later on, she'd have fallen for it. But the thought was in the back of her mind surfacing whenever she was getting maybe a tad too comfortable.

But even so, Kelli couldn't say it. She most certainly had tried earlier to Elizabeth and Lauren, but it wasn't happening. She wondered why she couldn't say it, though she did have a vague idea that it was because she wasn't supposed to know the future. What she didn't understand was what had happened to her for her inability to speak, to write or anything.

If the Sorting Hat knew anything, could it say anything like she couldn't? Was that why? Did it not have enough time to know? Maybe it was a total block?

Kelli realised that she hadn't been paying attention when Doge was speaking. Upon the thought of her name, Kelli hid her smile behind a piece of salad. Kelli was raised in a way of, 'Eat everything on your plate, don't take seconds if you don't like it'. She didn't enjoy the salad. Actually, Kelli didn't really like many foods Mum made, Dad was the much better cook, but Mum mostly cooked.

Dad had been a chef and he didn't really like going home and cooking. And Mum really didn't like him going into 'chef-mode' because he was quite rude to her. So the unspoken rule of the house was that she cooked.

Kelli frowned, thinking of her parents again. God, she missed them.

So Kelli forced herself to listen to the conversation.

"Your Father's a reporter?" Slughorn asked Benjamin Hill, a first year Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had potions together so that was probably only the reason why Kelli knew his name.

"Yes," Hill said, speaking quite clearly. "And Mum's an Auror."

Slughorn let out a joyous laugh and said, "They must come across each other often in their lines of work?"

"Not anymore. Although, that is how they met," Hill explained.

"And what of you? What do you want to be?" Slughorn asked Hill intently.

Hill paused and spoke quietly compared to before. "I . . . I don't really know, Professor."

"Oh, of course, silly me," Slughorn spoke with a graceful smile and no trace of disappointment. "You're a first year, you've got a few more years to think about it. And even then, you change your profession. A girl I'd gone to Hogwarts with, Polly Flourish I think her name was. She never really knew what she wanted to do, long after she left Hogwarts. I heard she found her passion - she joined the Ministry, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Just goes to show you it's never too late, no matter what anyone tells you."

Hill smiled at Slughorn, apparently grateful for the advice via story he, and the rest of them, had just received. A few others had appeared to be hanging off his words - one of which happened to be Elizabeth.

Kelli glanced at a clock and frowned. It had been two and a half hours? They'd barely even finished their dinners.

"Watson, dear, are you alright?" Slughorn asked.

Kelli turned her attention back to Slughorn and smiled. "No, Professor. I'm surprised it's half seven. I wasn't expecting to have so much fun for the time to fly."

Slughorn looked back at the clock and gave a jovial laugh. "I see. Well, I'd better stop distracting you all before your prefects start wondering where you all left to. Let's finish eating, then?"