-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

I dropped onto the bustling King's Cross station with a small popping noise. To my surprise, no one around me seemed to care or even notice that anything was out of the ordinary.

"Out of the way." A man with a trenchcoat and mustache shouldered me aside rudely and I glared at his retreating back. I then remembered that it was 1938 and no one really cared about women or acknowledged their rights.

The air was filled with cigarette smoke, shouting voices and screeches from the trains. "God, I hate the past." I ran my hand through my hair, starting to get anxious from the frantic atmosphere.

I walked as quickly as possible towards Platform 9 ¾. I hadn't even finished my fifth year yet and here I was starting in sixth.

I only hoped that I'd know enough to be able to keep up with everyone else. Dumbledore had said that Riddle's sixth year was when he started getting serious about Horcruxes and would be the best time for me to meet him. My age wasn't a problem because each year had a relatively wide range of students.

I sighed when I got to the brick pillar and turned around, acting like I was casually leaning against it so that when I fell through none of the Muggles would notice. I walked backwards and spun back around while walking, not changing my stride. After doing this so many times, it kind of lost its shock value.

"Oh fuck, I'm gonna have to make new friends," I realized as I boarded the train. I hated having to meet completely new people, it was like starting new classes and not knowing if I'd have a friend in any of my classes. The worst part is when I don't have anyone I know in a class and we have to do group projects. I cringed just thinking of the memory.

I walked along the hallway looking for a compartment and breathed a sigh of relief when I found an empty one. I entered it and put away my suitcase, getting out a book to read on the ride: It was a muggle book I'd recently gotten called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I'd only just opened the first chapter when the compartment door slid open again.

"Hey, you mind if we sit here? All the others are full." A slightly raspy female voice made me look up and I saw two girls around my age standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, of course." I gave a small smile and inwardly berated myself for sounding so meek. I always try to be more outgoing, but I consistently fall back into my shy demeanor when meeting new people.

They sat across from me and introduced themselves. The girl that had talked first stuck out a hand that I shook, wincing slightly from her strong grip.

"I'm Lucretia. Lucretia Black." She had slightly frizzy, dark brown hair that was cut to her shoulders and strong facial features to match her powerful attitude.

"Eileen Prince." The second girl shook my hand as well. Her voice was softer and she had long, straight black hair that hung around her face like a sheet. I got the feeling that she also had trouble meeting new people and it was strangely comforting.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/N L/N." I grinned.

"So you must be new here. I think I would have remembered your face." Lucretia stated, leaning forward.

I nodded, "Yeah, I transferred from Beauxbatons this year. I'm going to be a sixth year."

"Oh, us too." Lucretia gestured to her and Eileen. "I hope you're sorted into Slytherin, that's what we're in."

I felt a rush of warmth, relieved that I'd know people in my house.

"Yeah, I hope so too."

We chatted for the rest of the train ride. Eileen gradually warmed up and started talking more once she got used to me, and I learned that she loved Herbology while Lucretia was a prodigy at Potions. Eileen actually had a wicked sense of humor once I got to know her and I caught myself laughing at her sometimes morbid jokes many times.

Although I'd been checking every time someone walked past the compartment, I hadn't seen Tom yet or even heard anything about him.

I was hoping to get some dirt about Tom or his friends before entering the school, and asked, "So...any hot guys in our year? What's the tea."

They both looked at me weirdly.

"Tea?" Lucretia said confusedly. I remembered it was the '30s and balked.

"Oops, I mean...any swell fellas you've got a fancy for?" They stared at me like I was certifiably insane, which I honestly might be.

"Man, the language barrier between Scotland and France must be huge." Eileen muttered and Lucretia nodded.

"Well, there's one group of boys in Slytherin that all the girls drool over." Lucretia rolled her eyes, expressing her obvious disdain in their taste.

"Ooh, who?" My eyes widened.

"It's Tom Riddle and his goonies. Some of them have the IQ of a boulder, but there are a couple that are fine as hell." Eileen said dreamily, "Like Evan Rosier? He's gotten so much more attractive since first year."

Lucretia wrinkled her nose, "They all look so plain, not to mention that weird vibe they all have. Rebecca Hornby on the other hand..." She smiled wistfully.

"Oh my god, you've been pining over her for six years just ask her out already." Eileen groaned.

"Noooooo," Lucretia whined, "I don't even know if she's into girls."

Eileen raised an eyebrow, "She reads Sappho's poetry and listens to Ma Rainey."

Lucretia still looked uncertain.

"When someone said that Katherine Hepburn was topping the Hollywood movie charts, she said that she wished she was the Hollywood movie charts."

"Ok fine but I'm still too much of a coward to ask her out."

-/-/-/-/-/-

When we left the train and got to the Great Hall, I separated from Lucretia and Eileen to get sorted with the first years. I was already dreading the eyes that would be on me.

The sorting ceremony started and I felt my nervousness increase with each first year that got sorted; I was last because I was a transfer.

"Zabini, Randall." He was the last one before me and I could hear people muttering about me since I stood out so clearly amongst the children.

"RAVENCLAW." The blue table clapped and it was finally my turn.

"L/N, Y/N." I walked up the steps and sat on the stool, trying to control my breathing. I scanned the hall and my eyes instantly went to the green table in the back, most specifically the teenager with black, wavy hair that curled perfectly across his brow and piercing green eyes that were currently boring holes through me.

It was him. Riddle.

The Sorting Hat was placed on my head and it started muttering.

"Back for a second time, eh L/N?" It said lowly.

"How did you know?" I whispered.

"My knowledge transcends time, my dear. I already know what house i need to put you in, but I'll stall some more just to build up the suspense."

I giggled softly and his felt folds curled upwards in something resembling a grin.

After several moments, he bellowed, "SLYTHERIN."

Loud cheering emitted from the green and silver table and as I walked towards it I could hear some disappointed mutters from the other tables.

"How come they got the hot transfer." One guy said saltily to a chorus of agreements.

When I got to the table, several students moved aside so I could sit down. Across from me were Lucretia and Eileen, who were grinning happily.

"I'm so glad you got our house." Lucretia shouted over the noise. I laughed, "Me too!"

"It is the best house, after all." I looked to my right and saw a guy with wavy brown hair grinning at me.

He held out his hand for me to shake and I took it, only for him to raise it to his lips and kiss it softly, causing a blush to spread across my face. "The name's Evan Rosier, but you can call me your future boyfriend."

I laughed and he chuckled, only for the boy sitting next to him to scowl, "Stop harassing the new students, Rosier."

It was Riddle and I stared at him openly before averting my eyes so he wouldn't think I was a creepy stalker fangirl or something.

Rosier pouted, "Aw, but she's so fun to tease. Look how red her face got." Just then, a chicken leg came flying from across the table to hit him in the face and I saw Lucretia glaring at him. "It's the first fucking day, you pervert. Keep it in your robes."

I laughed again and smiled as I watched Rosier try and chuck a handful of peas at Lucretia that she dodged with ease. Maybe the past wasn't so bad after all.

Just then, I felt a chill run down my spine and felt eyes on me that I was nearly certain were Riddle's. I glanced over and saw him scrutinizing me in a way that made me feel like he could see straight through my robes and into my bones. I couldn't forget the purpose of my mission no matter what, and I can't get too attached or it'll only get more difficult to leave.

I made eye contact with Riddle boldly, and he only continued gazing challengingly at me. I let the corners of my mouth curl up into a soft smile and he looked taken aback, as if he'd never had someone look at him without malice before. He broke his eyes away after several seconds and continued eating with a puzzled expression on his face.

After leaving the Great Hall after dinner, Lucretia and Eileen showed me to the Slytherin common room. The entrance was near the dungeons behind a bare stretch of stone wall

"Gorgon Bile." Eileen said, and the doors swung open with a creak, revealing a passage that led to the common room. They showed me to my room, which I shared with them and two other girls that I hadn't met yet but that Lucretia apparently couldn't stand.

While they were getting ready for bed, I decided to go downstairs and look around the slytherin common room. I'd never been in it after all, and I was curious.

The main setup was the same as the Gryffindor common room with only the color scheme differing. The whole room was filled with a watery light that moved gently and I remembered that I was currently under the lake. It was honestly pretty cool and I found myself admiring the decor.

It was getting late and there weren't many other students around so I went upstairs to try and get some sleep. At least, those were my intentions; Instead I lay awake for two hours running over every possible scenario that could happen tomorrow and imagining the worst possible situations, convincing myself that they would definitely happen.

I gave up on sleeping and got out of bed to go for a walk to tire myself out.

I forgot that I was in my pajamas, which consist of short flannel shorts and a black tank top. I was just glad that I'd worn shorts today, cause I usually sleep in my underwear.

I left the common room and walked along the halls until I got to the courtyard and sat down in one of the bench-like spaces between the arches, admiring the way the moonlight illuminated the stone.

I leaned against the pillar behind me and stretched my legs out, hugging one to my knee. Watching the wind wave the tree's branches and the noise of the leaves rustling was soothing and right as I was starting to get sleepy, I heard a voice like a sheet of metal.

"What the fuck do you think you're playing at."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-

If y'all listen to Panic, tell me why did I just realize how dirty Turn Off the Lights is ??? Also it's such a fucking BOP like spotify needs to get on that shit.