Persuasive

one

It's almost like I still feel like i'm in a dream. Like what happened isn't real.

-

"Slytherin!"

My heart pounded in my throat, as I felt the Sorting Hat depart from my head and back into Ms. McGonagall's wrinkled, trembling hands.
I peered over to the crowd of kids at the Slytherin table, suddenly bursting into thundering applause, cheering me on. Every single kid at the table signaled for me to come over to them, and had made me feel welcome.

Every kid except for a tall, lanky, sluggish looking boy with long, jet black locks that neatly fell down to his eyes. He transfixed me with a penetrating gaze, his sunken eyes gazed into mine with an unfriendly look on his face.
As I anxiously hurried over to the table, everybody high-fived me and patted me on the back.

It was the year 1938, my brother and I's first year at Hogwarts, and I was so thrilled to be here. My brother however, made it seem like he didn't want to be here, like Hogwarts was equivalent to hell.
I could tell the idiot was secretly thrilled to be at Hogwarts, but didn't want to admit it.

My eyes roamed back over to the Sorting Hat, where I was waiting to see which house my brother was going to be put into.
The Great hall was filled with silence as the kids all gazed at him sitting in the chair, not saying a word.

The hat barely touched his head when it howled,

"Slytherin!"

My brother smirked at the kids, while the Slytherin table all cheered him on and applauded just as they did for me.
He trotted over to the table and seated himself down next to me.

"I knew I was going to be a Slytherin, it was quite obvious." Draco snickered as he glanced over to his new friends, Crabbe and Goyle.
I hit his shoulder to shut him up as we kept our glance on the sorting hat, waiting to see where the other kids were going to be put.

I tried to focus on the Sorting Hat, but my attention was turned to the raven haired boy who was glaring at me from across the table.

"What?" I snapped.
He was really starting to aggravate me.

"Nothing." he shrugged, a snarky innocent tone emerged.

Draco looked back and fourth between us with a puzzled look on his face.
His attention then quickly became focused on the Sorting Hat, his eyes were narrowed and his knees were bouncing. There was a small boy walking up to the Sorting Hat, with green eyes and brown hair that grew down to his eyes. He wore small, circle glasses and his robe was large, and grew past his feet.

"Pottah." Draco scoffed behind me.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Crabbe snickered to him.

"Shut up Crabbe! I just want to see which house he gets sorted into, that's all," assured Draco. "Better not be Slytherin."

I turned around to shush him, until finally the Sorting Hat made it's decision for the boy.
"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table applauded as a bright smile appeared on the boy's face. He strolled down from the chair and up to the Gryffindor table.

I turned away and faced my brother, who was chuckling at the boy.
"Gryffindor. I knew Pottah wasn't good enough to be put into Slytherin. Although, I couldn't imagine how horrible it'd be to be put in Hufflepuff." he scorned with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Who is he?" I questioned Draco.

"Who is he.. sister? How do you not know who Pottah is-"

"Settle down. Just answer the question." I rolled my eyes.

"He is Harry Potter. The boy father warned us about."

I gasped, realizing the boy father always rattled on about for ages and warned us from was standing right in front of us and I had no idea.

"That's the boy?" I mumbled as my head turned towards where Harry was sitting with a bushy haired girl, and a ginger-haired boy.

"Yes." a faint voice replied.

I turned back towards the table and glared around the kids.
"Who said that?" I questioned.

"I did." the raven-haired boy uttered as his expression remained tranquil, and still.

My eyebrows raised up, and I leaned in to get a better look at him.
"What is your name?" I questioned.

"Riddle." he went on. "Tom Riddle. And you?"

"Avalon-" I replied until Draco interrupted me.

"Malfoy. Avalon Malfoy. She's my sister. And I'm Draco-"

"Well.. Tom." I cut Draco off quickly. "How do you know about Harry Potter?"

"Who doesn't know him?"
He maintained a straight face as he talked; not a single muscle movement in his face or an ounce of emotion as he continued.
"My father tried killing him, but unfortunately failed."

I gasped, being reminded of the fact that his father was, indeed, Tom Riddle the first.
His eyes flickered onto mine; dark brown and alluring.

I wanted to know why this mysterious boy couldn't take his eyes off me.

I needed to know.