Life and Limb

"…really annoying. Where's the loo? I've had to pee for the whole ride," Charlie was complaining as Marie slowly but surely woke up from her nap.

"Just hold it in. We're nearly there. I can see the castle from here," Siobhan answered as she scrambled to look out the window.

Outside, nighttime had already fallen. Indeed, Marie could make out the millions of candles and such that lit the inside of Hogwarts, making the huge castle glow like a beacon against the dark painting of the sky. Marie watched as it grew closer slowly before Victoria cried out, "We haven't even changed into our robes yet!"

The mad scramble to change clothes began. After realizing that Marie was awake, Siobhan threw her the luggage that she had brought on board. Charlie left the compartment to change in the hall while the girls swapped clothes inside. Tripping, banged elbows, and mumbles of "owch!" filled the compartment before the three girls were dressed properly. When Charlie reentered, he too was all spiffed up in his Hogwarts robes.

Marie noticed that Victoria and Siobhan were both in Gryffindor robes while Charlie donned the garb of a Hufflepuff student. Marie smiled at them all and looked down at her generic robes. It was already a given that she'd be Sorted into Gryffindor again, so she was quite surprised when Professor Dippet wrote to her over the summer and asked her to buy the plain, uncolored black robes.

Siobhan seemed to notice too because she asked, "Marie, where's your Gryffindor robes?"

Marie shrugged. "Dippet told me to buy plain robes."

Victoria's mouth fell open in surprise. "B-But you're not going to be re-Sorted, are you? You were already a Gryffindor!"

"I know I was. I guess…I dunno. Dippet's a mystery," Marie admitted.

"I'll say," Charlie commented as he sat back down heavily.

The four of them waited in silence for the train to meet the station.



"Have you got your things?" Victoria asked Marie as they all stood, the train now fully stopped at the Hogwarts station.

Marie double checked the rack above her head. "I think so. I just had this one piece of luggage as far as I can recall."

"Good. Let's get a move on, then," Victoria said.

The two girls left the compartment side by side, with Siobhan and Charlie following close behind. Marie made sure to walk as close to Victoria as possible, seeing as everyone was still a strange face to her. They passed by the compartment where Marie had 'met' Malloy and he was there again, leaning against the wall next to the sliding door. He smirked when he saw the two girls.

"Going so fast, ladies?" he drawled.

"Choke on a muffin," Victoria muttered as they tried to sidestep him.

Malloy threw himself into their path, effectively blocking their way off the train. "What was that you said, Ronan?"

Before either of the girls could come up with a halfway decent retort, another boy in Slytherin robes appeared next to Malloy and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back towards the compartment. Malloy had a look of surprise written on his face as he allowed himself to be towed. He twisted his head around to see who grabbed him.

"R-Riddle," Malloy gasped. "What're you doing, mate?"

"Keeping you from making an even bigger ass of yourself, if at all possible," the new boy muttered with a hint of an amused smile on his face. He pushed Malloy back into his compartment before turning to the two bemused girls. "Sorry about that, ladies. He doesn't know when to stop being an ape and to start being a human."

To her surprise, Marie heard Victoria giggle slightly. "That's okay, Tom. No worries."

The boy – Tom – glanced over at Marie with a curious expression on his face. He had dark hair, very dark, and pale skin that accented the brown, almost black eyes. He had a sharp jaw and strong cheekbones, overall making his face quite handsome. No wonder Victoria was suddenly so anxious.

"Who's your friend?" Tom asked Victoria.

"Oh. This is Marie Fugazi. Maybe you remember her? She used to be a student here in our first year."

Instantly Tom's eyes widened at the sound of her name. In fact, Tom's face seemed oddly familiar…

"What's your name?" Marie asked, trying to be casual.

Tom flushed for just an instant. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

FLASH.

White hot. Liquid? No. Pain. Burning. Fire. On her skin? Inside her? In her head. Twisting. Contorting. No way out. Far too long. What's this? Voices. Speaking. Whispering. Stop? Please? Testing. Testing. One, two, three.

"…Marie! Marie, are you all right?" Victoria's voice pulled her back to earth.

Marie blinked, and her trance was gone. Victoria, Siobhan, Charlie, and Tom were all looking at her worriedly. Well, Tom really wasn't. He was staring at her as though she were an Acromantula. Fear was written across his face. Why was that so?

Tom Marvolo Riddle. That's his name.

"Marie, seriously, you're starting to scare me," Siobhan added from behind her.

Marie shook her head to clear it. What the hell was going on? She decided to excuse herself. "Sorry. Must've been…a dizzy spell. I get them all the time."

Lies.

At that moment, Tom Riddle stepped aside to let them pass on by. Marie caught his eye for an instant and a shiver ran down her spine. Why did he make her feel this way? His name, his face, everything about him sent warning signals ripping through her brain.

"My apologies for holding you up," Tom said smoothly, trying to avoid Marie's eyes.

Even his voice was so recognizable. Perhaps they had known each other in Marie's first year. Though it was true she might not remember; she tried to forget most unpleasant things in her first year at Hogwarts.

Victoria once again caught Marie's attention. "Seriously Marie. I think we should take you to the hospital wing. You look ill."

"I'm fine," Marie told her firmly.

She finally locked gazed with Tom, who stood frozen as if trapped in a sheet of ice.

I'm going to figure out who you are, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Marie promised herself silently. Why you make me feel this way. Who you were in my past, if you did anything against me like the other kids…maybe that's why I don't remember you. Maybe I never wanted to.

Whoever he was, Tom Riddle wasn't getting away from Marie's attention so easily now.