Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

I slowly spread jam over my slice of toast, blocking out the sound of Will and Peter's rowdy conversation about plans for a dueling club.

Riddle is growing bolder. The 'small talk' during Potions is starting to become an actual problem. I'm just worried about him finding out my secret. He hasn't tried to use Legilimency on me, but I can't help feeling that it's just a matter of time. The more I continue to resist him, the more curious he gets. Nothing's really happened since that day in the library, but…

I snuck a peek at Riddle from under my eyelashes. He was currently in a conversation with Malfoy, who was scowling into his plate. I doubt he understands the term 'friend'. Those Slytherins are just his followers, and he's the leader of them. Those Slytherins are the bullies of the school. I saw what Goyle did to that first year yesterday in the hallway. I smirked. He didn't exactly have long to gloat before I made leeks sprout from his ears. Of course, he didn't know it was me, so I was able to get away with it.

"Miss Linden?"

I suppose Will is really rubbing off on me. I have very little qualms about jinxing Slytherins if they deserve it. I won't go looking for trouble, like Will and Peter do, but if the situation calls for it, I'm more than happy to rise to the occasion.

"Miss Linden."

I wonder what will happen if we do end up getting a dueling club? I'm definitely joining if they do. I know I said at the beginning of the school year that it wasn't going to be a good idea, but I take that back now. With everything going on outside of school… It's better that everyone knows how to defend themselves.

Besides. I'd love to be able to wipe the smirk off of Malfoy's face.

...Okay, I guess I may look for a little bit of trouble.

"Ella!"

Blinking, I came to. I tilted my head up to see Dumbledore looking down at me with twinkling blue eyes, holding a piece of parchment and a quill. "So sorry to disturb your thoughts, Miss Linden, but I need to know whether you are staying for the holidays or not."

"Yes, sir," I said immediately. I had no desire to return to the orphanage during the holidays. It wasn't as bad as some in previous times that I could vaguely remember, but it was still less than desirable to stay. I preferred to remain at Hogwarts as much as I could before I was forced to be there during the summer.

Dumbledore wrote my name down on the parchment. "This means that you two are returning to your families?" He looked over his half-moon glasses towards Margaret and Will, who looked away guiltily. "Very well." Smiling cheerfully, he moved down the table, collecting a name here and there of a student who was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays.

It was silent for a moment between the three of us. Margaret fidgeted beside me before she blurted out, "I want you to come with me, but we don't have enough room."

"My mother would never let you come," Will admitted shamefully. "It's nothing against you, I promise! It's just that it would be improper for a girl to stay for the holidays…"

"It's fine," I assured them, smiling gently. "Go on and enjoy Christmas with your families. I'll be perfectly fine at Hogwarts."

Margaret still looked guilty. "I'd stay here with you, Ella, honest! It's just that my mother wants me home, with the threat of Grindelwald and everything…" She trailed off, wincing slightly. No one really mentioned Grindelwald here. No one wanted to taint the atmosphere of Hogwarts with the thought of him.

"Please don't worry about it." I put a hand on her arm. "I promise I'll be okay staying here."

"Alright," Margaret mumbled dubiously. Will simply hid behind a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Deciding a change of subject was needed, I struck up a conversation about Charms class, which prompted an argument between Will and Margaret about the proper wand movement for the charm Defodio. I quietly finished my breakfast, relieved that we had steered away from the conversation about going home for the holidays. I didn't want my friends to feel bad about going home and seeing their families. I would admit that the thought brought pinpricks of jealousy to me, but I would never let that show.

The day passed languidly. With the holidays coming up in the next week, the teachers were reluctant to do much in class, leaving everyone to be able to chat. Elizabeth was talking about how she would have all of her aunts, uncles, and grandparents come and stay at her house. Margaret was asking her questions, interested about how Muggles celebrated the holidays. Will and Austin were planning on getting together to play Quidditch, and Will even mentioned trying to get Anna to join in. Margaret was simply glad to be able to see her older sister.

After lunch, I regretfully left Margaret and Will and descended with the rest of the Gryffindor sixth years into the dungeons. As I sat down in my assigned seat next to Riddle, I noticed that Riddle had a charming smile on his face. "Good afternoon, Miss Linden."

"Hello," I said, rather taken aback by his pleasant expression and tone. Usually at the beginning of Potions, we would ignore each other until we were forced to work together on a potion.

"You must be excited for the holidays to begin. I'm sure you're looking forward to seeing your family again." His friendly expression stayed on his face, making his assumption seemingly innocent.

"I'm staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, actually," I said, my heart slightly aching at the thought of my family, or rather just the thought of family. It had been too long… I had no idea how long I had been under this curse, and I had no memories of my true life and family. Every time I appeared somewhere new, the memories from previous times grew dimmer and almost dream-like.

Riddle raised an eyebrow slightly, the picture of innocent surprise. "Oh?"

I chose not to elaborate and decided to try to turn the tables a little bit. "You, however, must be happy to spend the holidays at home with your family." I couldn't remember if Riddle was an orphan or not. I felt like I remember hearing that he was, but I didn't know for sure.

His seemingly friendly demeanor turned slightly cold. "I am staying at Hogwarts as well."

Ah. So he is an orphan. "Oh?" I said in mild surprise.

Riddle narrowed his eyes, but luckily Slughorn decided to start the lesson. "Since it is only a couple days till you all leave for home, and our last Potions class till after the holidays, I thought we could do something fun today!" Slughorn beamed at all of us. "Today we are going to be creating an Elixir to Induce Euphoria, and if made correctly, one person from each group is going to test it! Do not drink any until I say so. We don't want any accidents." His eyes strayed to Jasper and Austin, and I hid a grin.

One person from each group is going to test it? I glanced up at Riddle. I hope that Riddle drinks it. That would be a sight worth seeing. The thought of the Slytherin prefect acting giddy brought a small smirk to my face. As Slughorn waved at us to begin creating our potions, I rifled through the book until I came to the correct page. I started the cauldron while Riddle went to get the supplies that we needed.

Words were barely exchanged during the creation of the potion. Riddle was silent beside me and I was too wrapped up in my thoughts of Riddle in a euphoric mood to supply conversation. It didn't take long for our potion to be a bright yellow and bubbling cheerfully in the cauldron. Tiny rainbows shot out from it, as well as a sweet smell.

I looked up to scan the room and saw that Slughorn was observing two Slytherin girls' potion. My eyes traveled to the Gryffindor side of the room. Jasper and Austin were shooting furtive looks towards Slughorn. Suspicious, I kept watching them to see Jasper grab a ladle and dip it into his dark yellow potion, which bubbled sluggishly, before gulping the liquid down. My mouth opened to stop them, but it was too late.

Jasper jerked to his feet, holding his side. Hysteric laughter burst out from him, causing everyone to look at him in alarm. Tears sprouted from his eyes, and he began to dance around the room, laughing wildly while flapping his arms. Austin fell out of his chair, cracking up, while I buried my face in my hands, shaking with my own laughter.

Slughorn was less than amused. "Five points from Gryffindor for not following directions. Mr. Cooper, would you please escort Mr. Davies to the Hospital Wing?" Austin picked himself up off the ground, grinning wildly, and went to go collect Jasper, who was currently meowing at the ingredients cabinet.

Once they had left the room, Slughorn appeared in front of us. "Ah, Mr. Riddle, Miss Linden." He peered into the cauldron. "Perfectly made! One of you may go ahead and test it."

I opened my mouth to volunteer Riddle, but he beat me to it. "Miss Linden was going to try it," Riddle said smoothly. I froze and shot a glare at him, but he simply stared back at me with a slight smirk on his face.

"Well then, Miss Linden, go ahead and try some!" Slughorn beamed at me expectantly.

Reluctantly I reached out for the ladle and scooped some of the potion up. Unwillingly, I brought it to my lips to take a sip. The potion was very sweet, and I could immediately feel myself starting to warm up. A smile stretched across my face as my spirits lifted, and the dungeon suddenly didn't seem so dreary and bleak.

"Perfect!" Slughorn chortled. "Five points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin!" He left to go examine someone elses potion, leaving Riddle and I sitting there. I was feeling irrationally happy, and everything seemed to shine in that moment.

"How are you feeling?" Riddle asked me. I looked up into his face, seeing a handsome smile. It fits, I thought absentmindedly.

"Amazing," I said cheerfully. All thoughts of disliking Riddle were banished. Why would I ever dislike him? He seems like a really nice person. He's really handsome, too…

Riddle chuckled at this, and I decided I liked hearing him chuckle. "I suppose you're excited for Christmas."

I nodded, beaming at him. "It's such a happy time of year, isn't it? Everything's so beautifully decorated and that Christmas cheer is everywhere… I suppose I'll be rather lonely, but I don't blame my friends for going home to their families. Families are important, aren't they? I only know from seeing other families."

"Where is your family?" my companion inquired.

My tongue felt strangely loose, but it didn't matter because Riddle was really nice and a good listener. "I don't know. I presume that they're dead. It's been a very, very long time since I've seen them. I don't remember them anymore."

Riddle looked sympathetic. "I am very sorry to hear that."

I waved it away. "It's okay. I always get to meet a lot of interesting people and make good memories." Distantly in my mind, alarms were going off, and I couldn't help but feel like I maybe shouldn't be talking about this. But it was okay, right? It's just Riddle and he's sincere and nice and a good listener and handsome…

"Perhaps, to cure your loneliness over the holidays, you and I might see each other?" Riddle dark eyes held mine. "I assure you that you will not be...bored… with me."

"That sounds nice!" I beamed at him. A nagging thought at the corner of my mind chimed in at that moment. Don't agree to anything that Riddle suggests. Don't. My smile faded slightly as confusion started to roll in. Why couldn't I? He's really nice. The urge to laugh bubbled inside me, but I subdued it and turned my attention back to Riddle, who was in the middle of talking.

"-Slughorn's party really is a memorable occasion. Though, I find myself without an escort. Would you perhaps like to accompany me?" His eyes burned into me.

The word 'yes' was on the tip of my tongue, but I hesitated. My feelings of euphoria were fading, leaving me feeling confused in its wake. What happened? ...Was that all from that potion? I looked up at Riddle, who was frowning in frustration. "No, thank you," I said, my mind scrambling to recover from the effects of the potion. Was I seriously thinking all those things about him? I feel incredibly lucky that he didn't use Legilimency. If he had, I doubt I could have fended him off.

Riddle stared piercingly at me, but I didn't back down. I met his gaze evenly, replaying the conversation we had. I didn't really give anything away… Nothing too obvious, anyway. I can't let myself be in this situation again with him. I can't.

The bell rang. Breaking Riddle's gaze, I immediately grabbed my stuff and walked out of the dungeon without looking back.

Well, vacation will certainly be interesting.

A/N

It's been a while, huh? First semester of college is over! Now I shall retreat back to Maine to play Skyrim and read Harry Potter for a month until next semester...

Tom Riddle's a real charmer, huh? Next chapter will be interesting!

Thank you to CountOnIllusions and Dresupi for reviewing! This one is for you!

Until next time.

-Eva Sirico