Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

SEPTEMBER, 1943

"Ella!"

My head shot up in surprise to see Margaret, with her trunk trailing behind her, hurrying towards me through the crowds of other students in the corridor. Wisps of her dark hair escaped her bun and floated around her face, while her blue eyes glowed as she approached me with a smile. "How was your summer?" she asked as soon as she was next to me.

"Same as usual," I replied, shrugging slightly. "Yours?"

"Eh. Alright." She tugged my arm. "Have you found a compartment yet?"

"No…"

"Well, come on, then!" Walking briskly away from me down the hall, she peered into compartments. After a second's hesitation, I began to follow her, weaving through excited Hogwarts students coming back for another year. All too soon, I lost sight of her. Letting out a sigh, I turned on my foot, glancing around for any friendly face that I recognized.

Uncomfortably, I realized that I was standing outside of a compartment full of third year Hufflepuffs, who were giggling and looking at me. Letting out another sigh, I made my way down the train, glancing in different compartments, trying to find my friend. Without looking, I accidentally ran into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, looking up into the cold, dark eyes of Tom Riddle. A chill ran through me as he narrowed his eyes at me slightly, but a charming smile was plastered on his face.

"It's quite alright, Miss Linden," he said coolly. "Are you alright?"

I instantly felt my guard going up. "Yes, I'm fine." I slid my eyes to behind him to where Margaret had come out of a compartment, staring at me in confusion. "Now if you'll excuse me…" I made my way past him, ignoring the way his eyes narrowed even more, and followed Margaret into the compartment, closing the door after me.

"I thought I'd lost you," Margaret was saying as I hoisted my trunk into the luggage rack. "Why were you talking to Riddle?"

"Riddle?" echoed another voice. Taking a look at my surroundings, I could see that there were two other people sitting on the seats across from Margaret. One of them was a sandy haired boy called William. He was in my house, Gryffindor, and also a sixth year. The other was a Ravenclaw girl, who I vaguely recognized as being a fifth year. I could not recall her name.

"I just bumped into him. That's all." I collapsed in the seat next to Margaret, glancing around at my three companions. A familiar ache settled in my heart, and a flash of black hair and a wide smile flittered across my memory for an instant. Shaking my head to clear it from the dream-like memory, I came to and listened to what Will was saying.

"-hate him being a prefect. All the teachers fawn over him." Will scowled.

"You just hate him because he's given you detention twice last year," the Ravenclaw pointed out mildly. "I remember you complaining about it."

"I didn't complain!" Will retorted, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I was expressing my disgust over the situation. I hadn't done anything wrong."

"You threw a Dungbomb at a group of first years in the Great Hall. The second time you were dueling a Slytherin." Margaret smirked at him.

Will struggled to hold onto a shred of dignity. "That Slytherin was Abraxas Malfoy, the biggest pain in the-"

"How was your summer, Anna?" Margaret cut in, looking at the Ravenclaw. "Will didn't annoy you too much, did he?"

Anna let out a small laugh, and it suddenly clicked who she was. "A little. Nothing I couldn't handle," she assured Margaret.

"So you're Will's new step-sister?" I asked. "I remember him mentioning it at the end of fifth year."

"Yes. My mother married his father at the beginning of the summer." Anna cast an amused look at Will. "It was an interesting wedding."

"Don't you dare," Will threatened, the red in his cheeks becoming more pronounced.

"What happened?" Margaret immediately asked.

"Will snuck a couple glasses too many of firewhisky. He attempted to sing while dancing on top of a table, just after being caught flirting with the Minister of Magic's wife." Anna flashed a grin at Will, who put his head in his hands, humiliated.

Margaret looked like Christmas had come early. "Dear William! I would have never thought you to be so-"

"Don't start," Will groaned. He peeked out of his hands to glare at Anna. "I will get you back for this. I promise!"

"Have you two been like this all summer?" I asked, a grin creeping over my face. It was always nice to see Will taken down a peg or two.

"No," Will answered at the same time Anna said, "Yes."

It was silent for a moment before Anna looked at me. "How was your summer, Ella? Did you have a good time seeing your family?"

The compartment suddenly got quiet. Anna quickly realized her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," I interrupted. "My summer was alright. The only good part was that my orphanage was near a Muggle library. Muggle literature is fun to read sometimes, isn't it?"

Before anyone could respond, the door slid back and the cheerful face of the trolley witch appeared. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Will immediately jumped up and walked out. I also stood and walked out, intending to grab a couple Pumpkin Pasties. As Will was searching in his pockets for coins to pay for his handfuls of sweets, I glanced up, down the hall.

Tom Riddle, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes, was patrolling the corridors. As he walked this way, I began to feel uncomfortable, and immediately put myself on guard. Riddle started to pass by me, and I glanced up to see him look at me with disinterest. I gave him a small glare before I could catch myself. I watched him frown slightly, before I looked at the trolley witch, who had just finished accepting Will's gold.

After collecting my Pumpkin Pasties, I hurried back inside the compartment. Will was stuffing his face while Anna was engrossed in a book. Margaret was toying with her wand, making it shoot sparks of different colors. She looked up at me, and her eyes widened slightly. "What happened to you?"

I shook my head and concentrated on my Pumpkin Pasties. Margaret shrugged and returned to playing with her wand. Looking down at the food in my hand, I let out a sigh. I can't explain why I dislike Tom Riddle. He's never done anything to me personally. There's just something off about him… Newt always said that my instincts were very good and to trust them. I'll have to take his word.

The image of my old friend Newt Scamander appeared in my mind. I let out a fond smile. All through Hogwarts he was always obsessing over some sort of magical creature. We all expected him to do something with them, but instead he took that crappy job at the Ministry.

Reaching into my carry on bag, I pulled out a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt's name on the cover drew my eyes immediately. When I reappeared here, I looked him up to see what happened to him after I disappeared. The lunatic; he was off chasing magical beasts and documenting them for the Ministry. Apparently, I also just missed him as Headmaster of Hogwarts. He retired from the position two years before I reappeared here. I would have had a lot of explaining to do if he was still Headmaster, though.

The window drew my gaze. The green, rolling hills looked inviting, as did the shining lake that we passed. My time here is almost up. I have about a year and a half before the curse takes ahold of me and transport me to a different time. Fuzzy memories of being sorted into Gryffindor plagued me; I could see Newt's disappointed face from the Hufflepuff table. The memory had a hole but I could remember Newt and I deciding to stay good friends, even though we were in separate houses.

It was harder to leave that time than it was the previous time. I let out a small frown. I don't remember much from it… The more the curse moves me through time, the more memories I lose. As it is, my memories from Newt's time are becoming fewer and far between. They have almost a dream-like quality to them that makes me doubt whether or not they actually happened.

"Ella!" Blinking, I came back to myself to see Margaret waving her hand in front of my eyes. "You clocked out there on us."

"Sorry," I mumbled, stuffing Newt's book back into my bag. "It happens sometimes."

"Yeah. We know." She shook her head. "As I was saying, how do you think this year is going to go?"

"Good," I replied. "We have a year to relax before our N.E.W.T.'s. By the way, how many O.W.L.'s did you get?"

Margaret looked suddenly sheepish. "Well, I passed everything except for History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration..." The sudden memory of Margaret's cauldron exploding in the middle of the exam crossed my mind.

"It's alright," I said comfortingly. "Transfiguration and Potions are always really hard."

"Yeah, I failed it as well," Will assured her. "I passed Potions - barely. My best O.W.L.'s were Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"What about yours?" Anna asked me.

"I didn't pass History of Magic. I can't help but fall asleep in that class. I didn't pass Divination, either. That was to be expected." I let out a half-smile.

"I heard that Riddle passed all of his classes with flying colors," Anna mentioned, turning a page in her book. I was positive she said that because it would annoy Will. Sure enough, his eyes darkened and a scowl appeared on his face at the name.

"Goody two-shoes," he muttered under his breath.

"You have to admit that he's handsome," Margaret said, grinning.

I chose not to say anything, and instead left to change into my Hogwarts robes. The rest of the train ride seemed to fly by, and soon enough I found myself standing on the Hogwarts platform. Dodging the first years who were following Ogg, the groundskeeper, I followed my friends towards the carriages pulled by the thestrals.

As I caught up to them, I saw that Will was locked in a fierce argument with Abraxas Malfoy and a couple of other Slytherins. "Great," I muttered under my breath, gripping my wand, ready to defend the hot-head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Slytherin raise his wand at Will's back.

Without thinking, I swung my wand up and pointed it at the Slytherin. "Melofors!" I shouted. Instantly, the Slytherin's head was encased inside a pumpkin, and his wand went flying out of his grasp. There was a shocked silence before the small crowd began to laugh as the Slytherin tried unsuccessfully to tug the pumpkin off of his head.

Abraxas Malfoy had raised his wand. Before I could react, a jet of red light shot out of his wand and at me, but a Shield charm blocked it. Swinging my head around, I saw that Anna had deflected the spell for me. Will, seeing that Malfoy had tried to hex me, abandoned using his wand and instead opted for punching Malfoy in the nose.

Malfoy toppled to the ground, and the surrounding Gryffindors and Slytherins raised their wands at each other, challenges shouted and proverbial gauntlets thrown to the ground. Before any jinxes were cast, a red light hit in the middle of the group. We all fell silent as we turned to see Tom Riddle striding up, his visage disapproving and cold.

The Slytherins grinned triumphantly at each other while the Gryffindors scowled. "Fighting already?" Riddle commented with a slight sneer on his face. His eyes fell on the Slytherin with the pumpkin on his head. The Slytherin was laying on the ground, having given up trying to get it off of his head.

Riddle's eyes flicked up to me, and I could tell that he knew it was me that cast the spell. With a flick of his wand, the pumpkin on the Slytherin's head shattered, leaving the Slytherin with orange pulp and white seeds covering his face. I was half-surprised that Riddle already knew non-verbal spells, though we weren't going to learn them until this year.

"Get into the carriages," Riddle ordered, and the students surrounding the scene disbanded, albeit grudgingly. No one complained; no one was bold enough to disobey Riddle.

Turning, I quickly tried to escape into a nearby carriage, but the call of my surname made me stop. Margaret hovered near me, clearly unwilling to leave me behind, with Anna pausing in front of her. With a sigh, I looked back to see Riddle stalking up to me. I tensed. "Exactly why would you see fit to turn Mr. Goyle's head into a pumpkin?" he asked disdainfully, coming to a stop in front of me, his cold, dark eyes boring into mine.

A number of responses passed through my mind, but I decided against most of them, sure that they called for an early death if said to the prefect in front of me. "I saw it fit because he was about to hex my friend," I replied, working to keep the scowl off of my face.

He saw right through it. "Fifteen points from Gryffindor." He glanced at Will who had just come up. "As well as ten points from Gryffindor for you."

Will didn't bother to hide the glower on his face. Riddle ignored him as he turned and walked to a carriage full of his fellow Slytherins. I grabbed Will's arm and tugged him towards the carriage that Anna and Margaret were sitting in. It wasn't until the thestral began to move forward towards the castle did anyone say anything.

"Where'd you learn that spell?" Will demanded. "I've never heard of it. Turning Goyle's head into a pumpkin? Priceless."

"I read about it somewhere. Decided it was time to try it out." I shrugged, still in a foul mood over having points deducted before we even stepped foot in the castle.

"Thanks for that. Though I could have handled it. I had it all under control," Will tried to assure me. I rolled my eyes slightly, deciding to let him keep his shreds of dignity. Margaret wasn't so generous, though.

"You would have been taken out if it wasn't for Ella! Admit it."

Will obstinately opened his mouth to retort, but Anna beat him to it. "Nice punch," she said mildly.

Will paused to consider it. "Yeah… It was a nice punch, wasn't it?"

The conversation was minimal after that. As Hogwarts came into view, a deep contentment settled in me. It was good to be home. I couldn't wait to wander the halls, walk across the lawns to the greenhouses, practice magic, eat the delicious food… Memories of the good times at Hogwarts flitted through my mind swiftly, bringing a warm smile with them.

The contented feeling helped ward off the festering glares from the Slytherins, Goyle in particular. His knuckles cracked threateningly as I passed him, but he didn't dare try anything, mindful of the horde of teachers in the Great Hall. Even Goyle wasn't that stupid.

Walking through the doors into the Great Hall widened my smile immensely. No matter how many times I've done it at the beginning of the school year, spanning into the past, it always brought a source of joy and comfort at the thought of being back in the school.

Margaret nudged me. "It's good to be back, huh?" I could only nod in response.

We sat down at the Gryffindor table, and I glanced up at the staff table. Professor Dippet, who was becoming more bald every year, was chatting with the Charms teacher, Professor Hollingberry. Professor Merrythought was deep in discussion with both Professor Kettleburn and Professor Beery. Professor Slughorn was fighting back a yawn.

Before I could continue on with the examination of the staff table, Will leaned over, capturing my attention. "Several Slytherins are glaring at us right now. They look like they're itching for a fight." He looked hopeful.

"You really are the model Gryffindor," I commented idly, sneaking a peek at the Slytherin table. They were indeed glowering at us. I guess that encasing Goyle's head in a pumpkin makes them mad. Huh.

"They got you back with house points," Margaret reminded the two of us. "The Gryffindor hourglass is already in the negatives. I checked when we were walking in."

"Blame Riddle for that," I muttered under my breath.

The door to the Great Hall opened dramatically, and the Transfiguration teacher, Professor Dumbledore, swept in with a herd of first years trailing behind him. Each first year looked more frightened than the last, and once again I was surprised about just how small they seemed to be. Dumbledore brought them up to the front of the room, his auburn beard glistening from the thousands of tiny candles suspended in mid-air over everyone's heads.

Everyone waited with bated breath, staring at the Sorting Hat sitting on the stool. After a few seconds, it opened its mouth and began to sing. Its song this year was just a description of all the different houses you could be in, just like in previous years. When it finished, everyone applauded.

Dumbledore stepped up to the stool, holding a list of parchment. "When I call your name, step forward and I'll place the Sorting Hat on your heads." He paused to consult the list. "Anderson, Walter!"

A first year practically swaggered up to the stool, placing the hat on his head. After a moment of deliberation, the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" As the Slytherin table cheered, Walter Anderson walked off towards it, a smug smirk on his face.

The list continued. A few Hufflepuffs were called, with several Gryffindors spanning in between. After a gaggle of Ravenclaws were called, Dumbledore had finally reached the last student. My stomach was grumbling loudly, and I could hear similar protests from Margaret's and Will's stomach.

After Alice Walker had been sorted into Gryffindor, Professor Dippet stood up. The hall immediately quieted. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts!" Dippet said, smiling at us. "First off, I'd like to welcome the first years! I hope that you find fulfillment in your thirst for knowledge at our school. As for the seventh years, welcome back! We will be sorry to see you go."

"He makes this same speech every year," Will muttered crossly. "If I was Headmaster, I'd wait till after everyone has eaten, and then try to spice up the speech a little bit."

I noticed that Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes glanced at Will for a second. He let out an amused smile, as if he heard what Will had said.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of Dippet going over the rules, he sat down and the feast appeared in front of us. Will cheered for a moment before grabbing every available platter and piling everything he could reach onto his plate. Rolling my eyes, I pulled a bowl of mashed potatoes towards me.

No conversation was made around me for a while until everyone had slowed down in their feasting. To my left, the seventh year Peter Bell nudged me. "I heard about your splendid jinx towards that Slytherin." He let out a broad smile. "Wish I had been around to see it. Love a chance to see them taken down a peg or two."

"It cost us House points we haven't even earned yet," I reminded him sheepishly.

Peter snorted. "Doesn't matter to me. We'll earn 'em back. Trust me on this."

Will nodded from across me, his mouth stuffed with food. "I gwee wit Bee er."

"What'd he say?" Edith Johnson inquired from across Peter. She had been listening in on the conversation.

"'I agree with Peter'," Margaret translated. Will nodded in confirmation.

Peter led the conversation into battle plans for a duel with Slytherin. He described jinxes that I doubt even existed, walked us through several ambushes, and assured us all in certain victory against our foes. I had been listening to him in amusement. Knowing Peter, he'd try to put a number of these into action. He'd already dragged Will into a bunch of his schemes and earned numerous detentions from every single teacher in the school.

"I hope you're not talking about dueling," Catherine Phillips called from further down the table, her eyes twinkling in humor. "As Head Girl, it would be my obligation to stop this from happening."

"But you won't," Peter replied, winking.

Dinner passed in this familiar, easy manner. All too soon I found myself trudging up the moving staircases and walking up the twisting stone steps to Gryffindor tower. Approaching the Fat Lady, the three of us paused awkwardly, with several second years behind us. "What's the password?" Margaret asked.

Will rolled his eyes. "Does it look like I'm a Prefect?"

"No, but I certainly do." We turned to see Elizabeth Moore come up, her usual cheery expression in place. "Dragon's Egg," she told the Fat Lady. The portrait opened and we piled in. The squashy red armchairs were a welcoming sight, as was the roaring fire in the hearth.

"How was your summer?" I asked Elizabeth as we walked up the girl's staircase to the sixth year dorms.

"Great! I vacationed in Spain for most of it." As Elizabeth, Margaret, and I claimed beds, the door opened again and Lydia Brown walked in. Elizabeth waved at her. "Look! You can get the bed next to mine."

Lydia nodded and quietly sat down. There was little conversation between the four of us as we readied for bed. I was finally able to fall into the sheets. The pillow felt like a cloud against my head, and the bed was drastically more comfortable than the one at the orphanage. My eyes fluttered closed, warm and content for the first time since summer began.

A/N

Hello, and welcome to the first part of Time's Curse! I have a good deal of this story written already, and I will be posting more soon. If you're a little confused, then don't worry. More will be explained later. I'm planning on making each part rather long.

Romance between Tom and Ella will not happen immediately, and even then it's not fully what one would expect. I do stick by with the thought that Riddle cannot love because he was conceived under the effects of a love potion, and that will definitely come into play later in the story. Also, this story is not all about the romance. As you can see, I want to create a whole life for Ella that does not revolve around Tom (...yet...).

I hope that you liked it. Please review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!