Something different this time – as in, Not A Wedding. Also, this was a brilliant idea, until I recalled that the ring was one of the Hallows, and therefore wasn't Slytherin's at all. But, because I like the idea, let's all play pretend and believe it's actually one of Slytherin's random finger jewels. Pretty please. Ta ^_^

Riddle played with the ostentatious ring that sat on the index finger of his right hand. He was not one to fiddle under normal circumstances but the ring was hardly something what one would define as normal, so he was a little more lenient with himself.

When one lived in an orphanage, the concept of 'mine' was nearly non-existent. The children were all required to share their toys, and share their material, because in the end it was cheaper that way, and while the orphanage owners didn't particularly enjoy the tantrums some of the children had as a result, they would rather the hullaballoo of a screaming child than any more money disappearing out of their already thin pockets.

Tom had spent his whole life in the orphanage where his mother had, sequentially, given birth and then died. He would never forgive her for that misdeed (and indeed, in his mind, it was a crime of the very worst degree), even though it was her family line that had connected him to the first owner of the ring that now rested comfortably on his right hand, as if it belonged there; as if it had been designed for him, and him only, since the beginning of time.

Salazar Slytherin had been a great man and an even better wizard, and Tom Marvolo Riddle was the sole remaining heir. The fact that he could speak parseltongue – the language of snakes – was indication enough, but it was the ring that made it real for the seventh year Slytherin. He was no longer alone in the world; he was the Heir of Slytherin, joined with a bloodline not even those with the purest blood would dare to scorn.

The handsome student glanced at the ring one last time before dropping his hands to his sides and stalking in silence across the dank expanse of ground, deftly avoiding the skeletons of rats. He hissed an unintelligible sentence, and large creature moved about in the darkness in response before falling silent once more.

The ring was heavy on his finger, making its presence known; a physical connection to a grand heritage, and an impressive history, and a promise of greatness to come.

Ho-kay. D'you like?

If so, please READ AND REVIEW LIKE A RESPONSIBLE REVIEWER. ^_^