You found yourself in a corridor. It was dark. So dark, you could hardly see anything but the low light on its end. The light was subtle, yet it pulled you towards it. As you started walking, you noticed that you held something in your hands. It was quite big, but not too heavy and you couldn't see enough to detect what it was. So you kept on walking towards the light. Although it seemed so close, it felt like you had walked for hours on the spot.

Finally, you reached the exit and entered a small room. It was bright and made you squint your eyes. Dozens of chairs were lined up left and right from you, with a path in their midst. The seats were all empty, but there was one person standing at the end of the path. Tom. He wore a black suit and tie, his hands intertwined on his back as he watched you walking towards him.

Now that you could finally see, you looked down yourself and saw what you were wearing. A floor-length, white dress. A wedding dress to be precise, classy and modest. The lace fabric wrapped around your arms perfectly. You also saw the thing you had brought along with you. A bouquet of flowers. Red roses, each one flawless and beautiful.

Tom smiled at you as you were slowly approaching him. He turned around and you saw his grandfather Marvolo standing at the podium. The light suddenly went out and it was dark again. You heard a scream. Elsie. Her voice echoed in your ears as you were turning to find her, stumbling in the dark again. You knocked over a chair when the lights went back on and her voice fell silent. She was nowhere to be seen.

Only then you looked around and noticed how Tom's smile had turned into a grotesque grimace. The floor had turned red and your feet were wet. Blood. All over the floor. It was soaking up on the fabric of your dress.

Hissing noises came from the bouquet in your hands. The roses had turned into snakes. You shrieked and tried to throw it to the ground, but your hand didn't let go of it, no matter how hard you tried. Marvolo's scornful laughter got louder and louder until you couldn't hear anything else and you fell to your knees and screamed.

You sat up in your bed, your forehead covered in sweat. A nightmare. Just a dream.

The poor sleep had drained you. You slouched in the great hall during breakfast, nibbling on your second cup of tea, when headmaster Dippet placed himself in front of the teacher's table.

"Good morning students," the Professor spoke. "Just a brief announcement for your information. I'm aware some of you have already eagerly waited for the reveal of this year's head girl and boy. Well, it's my pleasure to tell you now."

People had stopped talking and the great hall turned quiet. Dippet looked through the rows of students with a big smile on his face. He was probably more excited than anyone else in the room. Head boy and girl. Wow. You hadn't even thought about that yet. Naturally, your mind had been somewhere entirely different.

It would be someone from your year, though. Those were the school rules. The headmaster chooses two students from year seven. And, although most students didn't care that much about the title, you knew that head girls and boys had always had an easier start into the world of employment after Hogwarts. It was a boost. An unspoken recommendation.

Dippet had always chosen students with top grades and little to no detention records. Mostly prefects, but not exclusively. For just a second you wondered if he had thought about you while making his decision. You had good grades. Nonsense, you had great grades. You never got in trouble, you were respectful, reliable, punctual and maybe a tiny bit full of yourself in just this moment.

What were you thinking? You didn't have the nerves or the time for being head girl. But it would feel so good to be valued this way.

Dippet cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him.

"This year's head boy, fellow witches and wizards, is," he announced blissfully. "Tom Riddle."

A murmur went round the hall when Tom arose from the table until Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin, applauded for his student and the crowd joined in. Tom went up to the teacher's table, where Dippet congratulated him.

It was quite clear why Tom was granted this title. He was Dippet's showpiece. Always had been. Top of the class in most subjects, quiet yet observative, intelligent and he came from a well-respected family.

"And now to our head girl," Dippet said.

No, this couldn't be. It would feel like some sort of mockery if he would say your name. First the engagement and now this? No, no. Or maybe? You would make a great head girl, now that you thought about it.

"This year's head girl is," Dippet went on.

Tom looked at you. Maybe he knew. Could it be?

"Freda Morris."

Oh. Your heart sank more than you liked to admit. Tom's gaze went right to Freda when the crowd applauded for her. She stood up from the Slytherin table and clumsily walked to the front as well. Freda... What a swot.

"Congratulations you two," Dippet said and shook both of their hands again. "I'm sure you'll make a great team."

Yeah, great. Superb.

Freda and Tom shook hands as well. A wave of anger burned through your chest when you noticed how awfully sweet she smiled at him.

"Two Slytherins as head boy and girl. Now that'll be fun," Camille said when you walked to your Potions class together. "Totally fair Professor Dippet, as always. Thanks for acknowledging the other houses."

You smiled. "I know, right? And Freda Morris? What was he thinking?"

"Well, I don't know. But she seems quite okay, doesn't she?"

"You think so? She's such a muppet."

"Oh," Camille laughed. "You wanted to be head girl, right?"

"What? No, I..."

"Come on," she grinned.

"Yeah, maybe. I hadn't even thought about it until today. And then I thought well, I would make a great head girl. Then Tom got picked."

"And you thought it was destiny," she enthused.

"Something like that," you said and shoved her playfully.

You entered the Potions classroom and went over to the table Camille and you always shared. When you turned around to check where she was, you saw Tom talking to her. Camille nodded to him and then shot you a look. She winked at you and went to another table. Tom walked over and sat down beside you. Oh Merlin.

"Um, hello," you said, still wondering what he was doing here.

All it took was Tom raising his brow to make absolutely sure he didn't like you one bit. He even seemed appalled that you had the nerve to talk to him. Why on earth would he sit next to you then? Alright, no small talk. You couldn't help but roll your eyes.

Professor Slughorn entered the classroom and started his lesson by congratulating Freda and Tom once more. Your eyes too rolled once more.

He then instructed everyone to brew Moonseed Poison, just like he had taught you in last week's lesson.

"And as always, help each other out," he said and sat down at his desk.

Fantastic. You took a gurdyroot and started cutting it into small cubes, making sure not to breathe in right above it, as the fumes would burn your nose.

When you picked the knotgrass, Tom cleared his throat. You resisted looking over to him and kept on picking carefully. He cleared his throat again. And again.

You turned your head. "Are you trying to talk, or are you choking?"

"I...," his eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"

"You're the one looking at me weirdly when I greet you. So you probably don't want to talk to me, do you?"

He sighed and started picking knotgrass as well. "I did... want to talk to you."

"About what?" you asked and rolled the grass to make it cork-shaped.

"I wanted to apologize on behalf of Lestrange and Avery."

"Oh," you mumbled and finally looked at him properly.

"They won't trouble you again. And, if it makes you feel better, they've learned their lesson."

"What do you mean by that?" you asked and leant forward to put ten drops of leech juice into your cauldron.

"I punished them."

You almost dropped the flask. "Punished?"

"Nothing too bad. Although I think you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Not really," you grinned. "What did you do?"

"Just excluded them from our group for a little while. Separation is the greatest punishment for the spineless."

He really was a ruthless leader. And they weren't his friends. They were his inferiors.

"Wow," you breathed. "And you did that for me?"

Tom crushed a toadstool and smiled. "I did it for myself. And you. If they disrespect you, they disrespect me. And I can't let that happen."

"I see," you said. "Oh, don't put the toadstool into your cauldron yet."

"Why not?"

"It's better to let the leech juice simmer for a little longer."

"It makes no difference."

"It does make a difference. And you need to grind it some more. It has to be really fine."

Tom dropped the toadstool into his cauldron without batting an eye and looked at you provokingly. "I know what I'm doing. I'm good at Potions."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm great at Potions," you said and watched Tom's grin dropping with delight.

"I let Slughorn be the judge of that," he said and you laughed.

Tom stirred his potion while you kept on grinding the toadstool. "Oh, congratulations on becoming head boy, by the way."

"Thanks."

"Were you expecting it?"

"Not quite," Tom said. "I mean, I have been thinking about it last year and was sure I'd make it to Dippet's top three. But then I didn't really think about it until today."

"Yeah, me too."

"I thought he would make you head girl, to be honest."

"Really?"

"Only for a moment. But then he said Freda's name."

The toadstool was as fine as sand already but you ground it even harder now. "Uh-huh."

"She's a git, isn't she?"

"You think so too?"

Tom chuckled lowly. "As spineless as Avery and inane as Lestrange."

"At last, we agree on something," you said and put the toadstool dust into your cauldron. Perhaps hating other people was what you two had in common. "Don't touch the moonseed. It'll burn your skin."

"I know," Tom sighed. "I'm not daft."

You smiled to yourself as you levitated the poisonous plant into your cauldron.

"There was something else I wanted to tell you," Tom said after he had done the same. "My uncle sent an owl. Your sister. She's better."

"What? Really?"

"Yes. Still not cured he said, but she's gaining weight again and has an appetite."

"That's great news," you said and had to suppress the urge to hug him out of pure joy. "Merlin, I'm so happy right now. Thanks for letting me know."

Tom stirred his potion and nodded. "It's ready. Professor!"

Slughorn walked up to your desk and examined both of your cauldrons. "Oh, would you look at that," he cheered. "Tom, yours is excellent."

You could tell how proud Riddle was, especially after you had lectured him.

"But yours Miss," Slughorn turned towards you. "Yours is perfect. Outstanding that one! Very well done."

Even though you had known yours was better, you were afraid to look over and see Tom's reaction. He wasn't one to mess with. When you finally took a glimpse, you noticed him staring blankly down at the table, yet with the tiniest smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't say it," he mumbled. "I get it, you're great at Potions."