Author's Note: I'll make this short here… if you want to read more about my story, visit my author's page. I just want to say that, as this takes place after the war, it does contain huge Deathly Hallows spoilers. Also, I've changed some things around (the title, for instance, some of the first chapter, and I've also added a prologue). Once again, you can hear more about this on my author's page.

Disclaimer: This disclaimer goes for the WHOLE story, which means it applies to every single chapter. (Yeah, yeah, I'm too lazy to actually keep writing it out). As I'm saying this only once, you better listen well: I am NOT JK Rowling. I don't own anything related to Harry Potter in any way, and I'm not trying to take credit for her work at all. JKR owns everything, and this is only written for amusement in my spare time.

Prologue

She stood at the other end of the hall, pacing, and looking about absentmindedly. Occasionally she would take her wand and, perhaps out of boredom, produce a stream of bubbles from its end. After watching them all drift off into the darkness, she would replace her wand and then continue walking back and forth.

It disgusted him.

Tom Riddle stood firmly against his end of the corridor, keeping watch – and only keeping watch – just as he was told. He surely wasn't conjuring bubbles for the fun of it. If some intruder happened to wander down his end of the floor, he wouldn't be caught off guard; he would be ready. Unlike someone he knew.

He had never met a more annoying person in his entire life. Sure, he disliked most people – well, all people, really – but she was beyond compare. He supposed she was even more infuriating than the saint-like Dumbledore, who he had abhorred for nearly seven years now. And that was really saying something.

There was just something about her that really got to him. Was it her bossy, sort of know-it-all voice? The way the professors seemed to fawn all over her? The way she gave him that all-knowing stare, as if she knew exactly what he was planning? Or was it the fact that no one – not a single person – seemed to seriously question the way she just randomly appeared at Hogwarts a few weeks back? Everything about her, right down to her ugly bushy-brown hair, annoyed the hell out of him. She got under his skin, and he hated it.

He wasn't sure if she knew it or not. Although she wasn't a complete idiot, (though this, Tom told himself repeatedly, was not a compliment), she often seemed aloof. From what he could see, she and her good-for-nothing brother kept to themselves. They were always wrapped up in their own insignificant business, talking or planning or doing whatever it is Gryffindors do. Whenever they came in close contact, though, she seemed too intent on hating him to actually notice that he detested her with more enthusiasm than he normally did others.

She caught him staring at her and stopped her bubbles. They were too far away to lock eyes, but Tom could tell she was staring right back, perhaps attempting to pry his gaze from hers. Tom smirked inwardly; he was not one to lose a battle of the wills. He picked a point on her face that he could actually see – that hideous, upturned nose of hers, perhaps, (yes, that was certainly large enough to see from where he was standing) – and stared impassively, as though his life depended on it.

Together, they continued staring, for upwards of a minute… two minutes…. Tom would not allow himself to turn away. He could picture her struggling, her eyes watering…. She wanted to blink, he knew it.

Three minutes had gone by, and Tom was still at ease. He was quite enjoying this, actually. She was starting to fidget… it would happen any minute now….

Yes!

She blinked and turned away. Tom's insides soared in triumph. Perhaps he was a bit more excited about this small victory than the situation warranted, but he didn't particularly care; that would show her to challenge Tom Riddle. She should have known that his strength, his patience, and his determination matched that of none other.

He continued staring, just to get his point across. After a moment or so she glanced back over her shoulder, and then quickly looked away again. Yes, that's right, he thought, you should feel humiliation for your actions.

When, at last, she finally decided to get back to her watch, Tom turned away. He tried to focus back on his end of the floor, but was now having difficulties. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking of that blasted girl….

Why was she here? The thought was slowly consuming him. Somehow her story just… didn't make sense. Students didn't go on the run, and then transfer to a completely different school. No, there was something she wasn't letting on about, and Tom desperately wanted to know what it was.

Normally he wouldn't care about such trivial nonsense. After all, he had more important business to attend to. His time at Hogwarts was almost over, and he had to finalize his plans for when he left for good. But somehow he felt that this girl knew something about him. Perhaps it was the way she talked to him, always in that same patronizing tone, though laced with a mixture of hatred and even… was it pity? He couldn't tell. Whatever it was, though, she made him nervous, and he had a feeling she would get in his way.

Tom would not let this happen. He had worked too long and hard to get where he was now, and Merlin help him if she ruined it all. For the past few years he had concentrated all his efforts on making connections with the right people, putting on a certain air for those he didn't trust, and studying, studying harder than anyone had ever guessed…. Everything was finally coming together, and if it all worked, he would be on his way to becoming the most powerful wizard in Europe. But for this to take place, the next few months must go exactly according to plan, or everything he worked for might all have been for naught. And this plan definitely did not include a meddlesome new girl and her irritating brother.

Standing there in the darkened corridor, Tom made up his mind. He swore to himself that he would find out as much as possible about these two strangers. He would discover why they were here, what they were up to, and most importantly, why they seemed to know him. Once he did, he would make sure they were stopped and, (this thought gave him great pleasure), disposed of entirely.

If he didn't, he would surely go mad.