Chapter 3

I groaned. My head was killing me. I couldn't even open my eyes. I felt like my body had just been dragged over shards of fire. I hadn't felt this terrible since… I couldn't even remember when… Just then I heard a little scuff of shoes against a linoleum floor and suddenly there was a cooling sensation on my forehead.

"Ahhh," I sighed. It felt remarkable.

"Are you alright, my dear? You had a terrible fall out there. Good thing that young man was with you! He's so brave. And so handsome!" a feminine voice was saying. I groaned. Who on earth was this woman? Where was I? I found the strength to open up my eyes and saw an older woman, maybe mid-forties, with king brown eyes and salt and pepper hair pulled back into a soft bun staring down at me. She smiled down kindly at me.

"Where am I?" I asked weakly. I knew I'd taken a beating. Or maybe it's just been a while since I'd had to deal with any pain. Either way, I was definitely feeling worse than I had in a while.

"Oh, my dear. You're in the Hogwarts infirmary. Mr. Porter brought you up here after the attack. It's terrifying to think that they got so close to Hogwarts. They almost got you, but Mr. Porter grabbed you out of the way just in time. After that Professor Dippins and the other teachers drove the ruffians away. Mr. Porter then brought you up here." She sounded very taken with Potter. Sheesh. Women these days had no taste.

"How long have I been up here?" I asked as she started checking me for any signs of bodily harm.

"Just a little while," she answered. "Three days to be exact."

Three days! I've never taken that long to recuperate. That was unacceptable! When I got my hands on those "ruffians" I was gonna….

"Oh, Ms. Reynolds! Glad to see that you're awake again, my dear." I turned to see Dippins smiling at me from the doorway. Potter wasn't with him. As if reading my mind, which would be impossible of course since I was well trained in the art of keeping people the hell out of my head, he said, "Mr. Porter is in class. We have enrolled him and you. But don't worry. We have already sent for him. He should be up here soon. In the meantime, how are you feeling?"

I groaned and shrugged in response. He let out a small chuckle. "I would assume so. Grindenwauld's men aren't known for handling females the way that they should be handled."

Handling? What? Are we made of glass? But then it struck me. We've come back 50 years. A time when women were treated as fragile creatures that must be taken care of with the upmost delicacy. Inwardly I rolled my eyes. Outwardly I offered a charming smile. "Well I'm touched that some men still know how to treat a lady." He flustered at my comment. Yeah, I could play men like a fiddle. They were so easy. A small compliment here. A gentle touch there. Add in a pretty face and you've got yourself a sucker. Puh-lease!

"Well I hope Mrs. Redwood has been taking very good care of you. If you'll excuse me, I'll go get your guide. He'll be showing you where my office is when you're feeling well enough to come be sorted."

I nodded and he left. I sighed and leaned back against my pillow. Sorted my ass. I wasn't going through that process again. Last time, the damn hat didn't get within one foot of me before bellowing that I was a Slytherin. I don't even know why they had bothered. I guess just to test and make sure that the hat was still working. I closed my eyes as Mrs. Redwood was finishing looking me over. I knew I was fine. A few bumps and bruises were the least of my problems.

"Alright, dear, you seem fine. Let me just go get you a potion for the bruises and I'll be all done."

I gave her a small smile and a nod and then laid back and closed my eyes once more. I was just starting to get cozy when an annoying voice came from my right side.

"See you're doing better, then." I did not even glance up at him.

"See you're still a twat," I replied in my most pleasant of annoyed tones.

"Very lady like, Ri-" He cut off as he realized what he was saying. "Reynolds," he finished lamely. I almost smiled.

"Very professional, Mr. Porter. Very much so indeed. Now. Have you done anything useful while I've been out or have you sat around twiddling your thumbs until I woke up because you're too pathetic to do anything on your own?" I opened one eye and smirked at him.

"As a matter of fact, I've found Hermione. Except now she's going by Melody Slants."

I guess she was smart and figured out that eventually down the road, someone would hear her name and recognize it. Well, for all intense purposes she was the brightest witch of our age. The stupidest, but also clever. Shame that brain was wasted on a nobody like her.

"Well that's good Porter. Now, let's go home. I'm sick of being here already and if I have to go through another Sorting, we may not have a Sorting Hat when we get back." I finally looked up at him and smirked. "Now where the hell is she?"

He rolled his eyes. "Where do you think she is? She's in class. We can't make this obvious. We're going to have to wait until tonight when everyone is asleep." I groaned and sat up. He was right but I was just ready to be done with this mission. Already I'd been attacked by a werewolf and some thugs that thought they were hot shit. Suddenly a knock came at the infirmary door and then a boy about our age came in. I almost gasped when I saw him. Dark hair, black eyes, flawless skin, and beautiful features. I knew instantly who I was staring at and it was a face I could go another 50 years without seeing.

"Hello," the boy said. "My name is Tom Riddle." He held his hand out to Potter who had the most dumb-founded look on his face. Potter looked at him intently and then looked at me and back up to Riddle. When his gaze connected my head I inclined my head a fraction of an inch signaling he needed to play this cool. He stiffly took Riddle's hand and gave it a short but firm shake. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Riddle said pleasantly. Pleasant my ass, evil little git. Who did he think he was fooling? Everyone in this time period. I hated it when I got sarcastic with myself. It made me want to ring my neck. Suddenly there was a hand in my face.

I looked up and saw Riddle holding out his hand to me with a charming smile. "Nice to meet you, Ms…?" I gave him my hand and he kissed it softly.

"Reynolds. Clarissa Reynolds. And this is Harry Porter," I said gesturing to Potter.

Just then Mrs. Redwood came back in with the potion and instructed me to take it at my next meal and the bruises would be gone five hours later. "Wouldn't want to ruin such a pretty girl's complexion with those ugly marks," she finished. I just smiled and thanked her and she walked back into her office.

"Well," Riddle said, smiling at us. "Shall we?"

I nodded and got off the bed, struggling a little to get my balance. Once I was had control, Riddle offered me his arm. I was confused before I remembered, yet again, the time period. I smiled nicely and hooked my arm through his. "You guys will love Hogwarts," Riddle said as we started walking. "It will become your home. And there's always something new in store." I smiled secretly to myself. Don't I know it? I thought as my teenage father walked me down the halls that he would one day plan to destroy.