A conscious cannot exist separated from it's soul for extended periods of time, and Tom was forced to return to his bleak existence in the diary. All of his creations had ceased to exist during his leave of absence, yet Tom had no desire to recreate them. Now that he had Lily Potter, he had no use for ephemeral items.

Instead, he spent his time inside the diary to write to Lily and to theorize. At the age of six, a human brain is designed to absorb information at an accelerated rate; this makes it easy to learn languages when you are young. Of course, most six year olds aren't learning much due to lack of focus, but when Tom organized the memories in Lily Potter's mind, she was able to retain information effectively. This, combined with writing to the gifted Tom Riddle, brought about a very bright Lily Potter.

The girl continued to talk to Tom through the notebook; every so often she'd find him inside of her mind. Since the day she had blacked out, she no longer received strange memories of things that never happened and Lily Potter forgot about such knowledge. They talked about Tom's past, they talked of Hogwarts, of magical theory, of controlling one's magic, of philosophy. If Tom had at first found the young girl lacking in contriving an intelligent, stimulating conversation, he soon shaped her to (almost) match his intellect.

By the time Poppy Lily Potter had turned eleven, she had more knowledge than a first year had need of, and she was frustrated.

Tom. I'm eleven, I'm going to Hogwarts this autumn. I think I'm ready to know now.

Lily, if you've retained any of my information regarding arguments, you would know that in order to strengthen a claim you must refrain from phrases such as "I think" or "sort of" or "almost." Its unprofessional.

I understand, Tom! I added the clause to provide a sense of casualty to my suggestion: I'm not trying to win an argument, but to have an agreement with a friend.

Friend?

I've known you for five years, Tom. We are past the level of acquaintance.

I knew every child in the forsaken orphanage I "lived" in for 11 years; later I knew every child in my year at Hogwarts for 6 years, and I never made a single friend.

Is that supposed to be an accomplishment? Honestly, Tom, that's pathetic.

My existence is pathetic. I was simply disproving your argument that we are friends for having known each other for a relatively long period of time. If you count all the years I've existed, I've known you for less than 12% of my life.

The years stuck in the notebook don't count.

Please tell me you see the flaw in that statement.

I do.

Good.

Tom? I deserve to know.

Hmmm? And, what is it that you request the knowledge of?

Tom! Tell me how you got into the diary! Brilliant sixteen year olds don't just find themselves inside books for no reason!

Was that a compliment, Miss Potter?

No!

Tom and Lily argued the same argument they had had hundreds of times: Tom pointing out flaws in her logic and Lily implementing flaws out of spite. Yet Tom would not tell Lily what happened to him 50 years ago. Mostly because of the questionability of both the ethics and the existence of his actions.

He had planned to create a Horcrux. He had researched on how to make a Horcrux. He had prepared for the event of making a Horcrux. And, for all those years spent alone in the diary, he had believed that he had succeeded. Until a certain six year old girl disrupted that belief with her nonexistent knowledge of either of his personas.

Not that one of them was his name any more. Lord Voldemort had ceased to exist as but a childish dream.

(The only mention of Voldemort was through the anachronisms in Lily's mind, but Tom could not shake the feeling of wrongness that crept up on him while even thinking of the strange man he found all those years ago. He had sealed those memories and they were gone.)

Tom decided to use Lily's attendance at Hogwarts to investigate the event on April 16, 1943. Perhaps Hogwarts had information on the whereabouts of a certain Tom Marvolo Riddle.

When the time for school shopping arrived, Lily Potter managed to convince her parents that she was independent enough to go by herself. Keeping the diary close by, Tom Riddle entered her mind and insisted that she first buy a wand.

Lily entered Ollivander's and the musty old man started creepily talking about her family and such. He finally pulled out some wands and, after a whole unnecessary ordeal, he pulled out a dusty box that he had all along.

"11 inches, Holly, Phoenix feather. Give it a wave."

Lily waved the wand and magic surged through her, reminding her of a different wand...

"Oh, shoot," she had left the yew wand under her bed for five years. Tom stirred in her mind.

Ollivander laughed, "A perfect match, once again! That'll be 7 galleons, Miss Potter. In fact, perhaps you will meet the phoenix that gave the feather for your wand at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's familiar, Fawkes. That phoenix gave two feathers but the owner of that wand mysteriously died 50 years ago."

"Er, okay Mister Ollivander. Thanks for my wand," Lily payed for her wand and left the store.

She went through Diagon Alley and bought all her supplies, taking advantage of the unlimited bag of money her mother gave her to shop. At Flourish and Blotts she bought piles of books, which were all able to fit in her top-notch trunk. Only one store gave her pause.

Tom, I want a pet.

No.

Yes!

You already have a family owl, toads are useless, and you don't have the patience to care for a cat.

Did you have an animal at Hogwarts?

Tom paused.

...Yes.

Oh, what type? Why did you never tell me before?

Tom hadn't told her, for the Potter family was notoriously light, and he didn't know how Lily would feel about his Parseltongue abilities. However, after five years he supposed the girl trusted him.

He wasn't allowed at Hogwarts, but I brought him anyway. He was a snake. I didn't buy him, I found him.

I want a snake!

And Lily ran into the magical menagerie, only stopping at the reptile section.

"Oh, you all are so beautiful!" she crooned. Every snake turned to her.

"A ssspeaker?" hissed one. Lily gasped and spoke to Tom.

I can speak Parseltongue.

What.

"Hello, beastiesss. Which of you will come home with me today?" Lily hissed to the snakes.

A black snake with a bright red head and tail looked at Lily sleepily, "The question isss, which of usss is ssstupid enough to wake up at thisss time of day."

Lily chastised herself. Weren't most snakes nocturnal?

She questioned a store clerk if there were any potions to adjust the sleep schedule of animals.

"Oh yes," said the store clerk, "It's a common one used on owls. Each drop will adjust their schedule by one hour."

Lily gave the snake a few drops of the potion and it awoke immediately.

"Greetingsss ssspeaker," hissed the snake, "Have you come to free me from my cage or to imprison me further?"

"I come to offer you a choice: You may ssstay here in your pitiful containment, or you can come with me, eat my food, and roam free until sssummoned."

"An agreeable compromise. Release me."

Lily bought the snake, a red headed krait. She was two feet long and was to grow four feet longer. The snake had been called Ngu in her homeland, but decided to choose a different name (which she would decide on later).

When Lily floo'd back home, Ngu ate some food and slithered off.

Lily sat down on her bed and thought.

Tom. Why am I a parseltongue.

Let me return to the book and I'll explain some things. Also, can you explain to me why you've left my wand underneath your mattress for five years?

So Lily found out about Tom's heritage and the basilisk and Tom's theory of how he had somehow given her parseltongue by being in her mind.

However, Tom's theory was wrong.

When Lily found herself on Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station with her parents nearby talking to family friends, she didn't know what to do.

Form alliances with those who have the most power.

That's what you would do! I don't care about that.

Well stop talking to me or you'll get pegged as the strange girl who has no friends.

Lily Potter gave her mother and father a kiss on the cheek and left to board the train. Her trunk had been shrunk and placed in her pocket, and both her wands were placed on separate wand holsters on her wrists. Having heard tales of Hogwarts from her parents, "uncles", and Tom, she knew that chaos would begin shortly.

And it did.

Lily found an empty compartment, sat down, and started reading a book on Potion creation and hoped no one would come in.

It started with a young girl with bushy brown hair. The girl slammed open the door on the compartment and started screaming.

"Neville! Where? Toad! Lost! Is that a book?"

Just then, Neville Longbottom flew into the room. Lily had met him briefly at primary school when she was seven. She then left primary school after learning that most pureblooded wizards did not learn to read until age seven. Honestly, she was glad her mum was a muggleborn.

Neville looked panicked, "Have you seen my toad?"

Then a blonde-haired boy glided in, "Are you the Potter girl?"

They all started talking at once.

"The name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

"Trevor!"

"—parents are dentists."

"Mum said—"

"—read all the books , of course."

"I've never met a muggleborn."

"Scared—"

"—all worked."

Lily had never had to go through such torture before. Being bombarded by a gaggle of eleven year olds was worse than she could have ever imagined.

"Are you wealthy?"

"My toad!"

"Excuse me?"

"Money—"

"—house you'll be in."

"Not sure."

"Gryffindor, like my parents."

"Read every book, really."

Lily could not stand it any longer:

"Could you all, please, SHUT UP! Honestly, please, just follow a single conversation or leave this compartment."

"But," squeaked out Neville, "Trevor, my toad—"

"Accio Trevor."

A second year Hufflepuff came flying through the train and landed outside the compartment.

"Erm, hello?"

"Damn," muttered Lily, "wrong Trevor."

"Accio Trevor the Toad."

The toad came flying in, slapping Trevor-the-second-year-Hufflepuff in the face, knocking him out. Lily left him on the ground.

"Here's your toad, Neville. Stop freaking out."

"Was that magic?" squeaked the bushy haired girl.

"No," deadpanned Lily.

"That was so cool! I've never done magic before. My parents thought I was a squib until..."

Get them out get them out get them out get them out get them out.

Tom! I told you to stay in the diary!

Lily, I can't take this torture anymore. This is the stuff of nightmares. Please, Lily, get them out of here.

You're the one who told me to make alliances. And look, Draco Malfoy is here, he's like the richest person in my year. Besides me, of course. Speaking of, he's talking.

"Potter! Why have you never gone to one of the Malfoy parties? Think you're too good for us?"

Lily sighed, "No, I just don't like parties where I don't know anyone. Besides, my parents went, didn't they?"

"You could've met people at the parties, Potter. Besides, what's your name, anyway?"

"Lily. Lily Potter. Pleased to meet you."

The brown-haired-bush butted in, "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Oh! The muggleborn! Did you ever say if you were wealthy or not? With the... Den...tists?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "Why do you want to know?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "To see if I should talk to you, of course!"

Hermione shrugged, figuring it was just a wizard custom, "Well, my parents are significantly wealthier than the average muggle, being doctors and all."

Draco decided he could be seen with Hermione.

"That was an impressive piece of magic you performed there, Potter," complimented Draco, "what was that, a third year spell?"

Lily couldn't let anyone know she had any extra abilities, "It's a common spell, I've seen my mum cast it a lot. She has a mastery in charms."

Hermione Granger was gasping, "Third...year? I have to go right now immediately."

Neville looked at the two left in the room, "I'll go to, I should study before school begins."

Draco and Lily Potter were left alone.

Lily stared at him, "You shouldn't blatantly ask someone if they are rich or not, you know?"

Draco looked confused, "Yes, but how was I supposed to know how rich she was? Her family isn't known or anything!"

Lily sighed, "Become friends with her. Good friends. Wait for an important holiday or birthday and see what gift she gives you. You can judge her wealth by the price of the gift."

Draco scowled, "That takes too long! What if I did that and someone was poor?"

Lily scowled, "Well, it's the Slytherin way of doing it, and you want to be in Slytherin, right?"

Draco looked down, "Well, yes, I want to work in a Ministry position, obviously. What house do you want to be in?"

"Anything, really."

Draco's eyes widened, "Even Hufflepuff?"

Lily smiled, "No one suspects Hufflepuffs of anything. It's the perfect house to remain inconspicuous if you want to implement the element of surprise."

"I doubt any Hufflepuffs are Slytherins in disguise, and if you end up in that house your surprise would be useless, since I'd know. That's a fourth year spell you did there, and a difficult one at that. Don't think you can remain so inconspicuous, Lily Potter," Draco laughed, "Now, I should go through the rest of the compartments to see any potential. Which you should be doing as well. I've got my eye on you, Potter. You've hidden for eleven years, refusing to go to a single event. But I've seen what you can do now, so don't think you can escape."

Lily's face remained blank.

"See you in Slytherin, Potter," Draco laughed, "Or Hufflepuff, of course." Draco left.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. I shouldn't have done that spell.

Stick with Malfoy. Remain his equal or subordinate in public, but never let him think he is better than you. You are the stronger wizard, and he knows it.

Tom, this wasn't supposed to happen. Slytherin is too stressful, I'm not you.

What, did you honestly want to be a Hufflepuff?

Well, no, but maybe Ravenclaw.

It's too late, if you don't go through with it, Draco will become your enemy. Earn his trust, perhaps he can become a "friend."

This is stupid. Why do there have to be all these stupid political games?

But Lily Potter had already gotten up to meet the future Slytherins.

AN: Done with chapter four! I recommend all of you to search up what a red headed krait looks like, they really are quite vibrant. 'Ngu' is Thai for 'snake' which is why the snake would rather not be called that name. Any name suggestions? Any other suggestions? Reviews keep me going, guys. How long will it be until Lily Potter figures out the riddle that is Tom Riddle, and how long will it be until the readers figure out the riddle that is Lily's mind?