Chapter 8
September 1943
Students slowly filtered into the Great Hall, talking and laughing loudly as they recollected stories from the summer. Anastasia tried to blend into the crowd but people still stared and pointed fingers. Everybody knew everyone at Hogwarts and a new student certainly raised questioning looks. She pretended to not hear the whispering surrounding her, instead she took a seat at the Slytherin table and waited for the sorting ceremony to begin. If it hadn’t been Dumbledore that spared her being sorted in front of the whole student body along with the first years, she would have thanked him. However, nobody could spare her from him.
Riddle sat down right next to her and with a stern look shooed some other Slytherin girl, sitting near them, away. Anastasia visibly scowled.
“So we meet again, miss Grindelwald. Did you sleep well?” he flashed a dazzling smile at her. She ignored him. She also noticed his friends sitting on the opposite end of the table but shamelessly staring at the two of them. Damn him, he must have planned this. Cornering her the first chance he got. Anastasia made the attempt to get up and switch seats, but headmaster Dippet had obviously other plans and began his speech. She plopped herself back and crossed her arms, not even looking at Riddle.
“Welcome back, I hope you all enjoyed your summer vacation and have been excited to return, even after the tragic incident last year.” Anastasia glanced at Riddle in question, but he kept his face perfectly stoic. Someone will eventually tell her, gossip spreads fast. “I also do hope you will accommodate the first year students and we can all feel like a big family.” Tom couldn’t hide the disdain from his face. “With that, I want to introduce to you an addition to our said family, a new transfer sixth year already sorted into Slytherin. Everyone, Anastasia Grindelwald!”
Headmaster gestured for Anastasia to stand up, so she reluctantly did. Now she had the whole Great Hall in view. Most of the Slytherin table clapped along with groups from other houses. Some children grew visibly paler, some even looked like they might be sick. But all of them radiating the newfound knowledge that she is superior to them. Except for one. Riddle was staring at her with a content smirk.
When Anastasia sat back down, he whispered in her ear. “Pretty little witch. You look magnificent like that, staring down at the lesser whimpering at your feet.” She still ignored him, but the slight blush creeping up her face gave her away. To such a weird…uhh…compliment? He smirked.
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Tom spent the entire train ride to Hogwarts thinking about Anastasia. He was obsessed with the fantasy of her surrender to him. He wanted to make her beg. The unfortunate mishap previous evening made him wary of her but also showed him a glimpse into her powers, which, judging by her legilimency and occlumency skills, must be undreamed of. He wanted to own her. Make her his.
He also marked her reoccurring reactions to his touch and his proximity. She had given him the power to tease and unnerve her, which he will be abusing a lot. Deep in thought, Tom almost forgot about his knights sitting with him in the train compartment.
“Hey Riddle, how did it go yesterday with that Grindelwald bird? Did you find out anything about her? My mum said you were rather…close,” Abraxas pried with a knowing smirk. Tom ignored the insinuation about the position Mrs Malfoy caught him in just hours ago. She later made an offhand comment about his behaviour being rather rude towards a young lady, but even Tom knew she was too unnerved by him to scold him in any other way.
“Shut up, Malfoy, and do not talk about her that way,” Tom frowned at him.
“Oooh, we finally lived long enough to see the unimaginable. Our almighty Tom Riddle fancies a girl!” Nott shouted in overplayed joy.
“Fuck off, I do not fancy her,” he said. What a foolish idea. Fancying some girl was beneath Tom. He was only interested in solving the mystery she was.
“So she is fair game, then? She is gorgeous, I might try my luck. The corridors of Hogwarts have been rather empty lately.” Lestrange snickered.
“That’s because you slept with almost every girl in the castle. It was bound to happen sometime.” Rosier retaliated.
“Enough, all of you!” Tom shot up and pointed his wand at them. “I had it with your constant bickering.” They all fell silent at his threat. Good. He lowered his wand and headed towards the door of the compartment but stopped in it and turned to them one last time.
“I have prefect duties. But no one touches the girl,” with that he stormed off.
When the boys were sure Tom was out of hearing distance they started laughing and mockingly singing off key.
“Tom and Anastasia sitting in a tree…”
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When he saw her at the feast his heart rate increased. He never really paid much attention to people’s looks and never thought it would influence him in any way but Merlin, Slytherin robes looked good on her. He seated himself right next to her, nodding at the Knights to leave them alone. Anastasia pretended she was still mad at him. She could, Tom didn’t really care how she felt. Headmaster’s speech was quite the rollercoaster for him. The whole thing started expectantly hopeful and boring but quickly changed to the dreaded topic of last year’s events. He was really rather proud of himself regarding opening the Chamber and taming the basilisk. It made the whole horcrux business fall nicely into place and work. But Dumbledore was suspicious, and Tom knew he would be watching him very intently, so he hardened his face and his occlumency walls. It had all failed when Dippet called them a family. Good grief, that man was a joke. A snicker escaped Tom’s lips.
But the best part was introducing Anastasia. He was looking forward to seeing her, once again, embarrassed. However, he was proven wrong this time. She relished in the attention of others, various kinds of reactions to her name made her smile. And when she read the crowd and became aware of their respect (or maybe fear), Tom couldn’t help but smile himself.
When she returned to him, he told her. Oh, the blush was back and Tom was basking in the feeling it brought him.
The feast started and Tom paid close attention to what was Anastasia putting on her plate. He waved his wand above her goblet.
“What do you think you are doing?” she shrieked.
“Oh, calm down. I transfigured your pumpkin juice, yesterday you said you hated it.” He assured her. She sized him up warily. For the love of god, woman. He reached for her goblet, took a sip and put it into her hand. “Not poison, promise.”
Anastasia attentively tried it. Strawberry juice, her favourite. “Thanks, Riddle,” she put the cup down. “You know, you could at least apologise for your little stunt yesterday.”
“But I am not sorry, why would I apologise?” She grimaced again.
“Will you try to do it again?”
“Probably, yes. I want to know what goes around in that pretty head of yours.” He had no reason to lie, he has to know her inside and out.
“Merlin, you are unbelievable. How can your friends put up with you?”
“They are very loyal. I would kill for them. They would die for me.”
What an odd thing to say, Anastasia thought. What a twisted relationship to have. When the feast finished, Tom had to escort the first years to the common room, so she had some time alone to think about their interaction on her walk through the corridors. He seemed to be so immersed with her, but acted like he didn’t care about her at all. He just wanted something form her and Anastasia didn’t like it. But still, the subtle touches they shared when their elbows knocked together or the ever present heat that radiated off of him when he was close to her never left her head.