Love is Void

Chapter One: Unfamiliar

                Reluctantly, she sat herself down upon the cold, hard stool that stood at the foot of the great hall. Students and staff stared alike as she, like the first-years before her, was to be sorted into one of the four houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unlike the fidgety first-years however, she was a sixth-year transfer, something which, until now, had been completely unheard of at Hogwarts.

                An air of silence and discomfort filled the room as her eyes made their way across the great hall and its inquiring students. They were all thinking the same thing: who is she, and why is she here.

                After a yearning pause, an elderly woman, seemingly frail, placed the school sorting hat on the head of Eve Sinclaire. The withered old hat came to life, assuming the ceremony had previously concluded. Students began to murmur and staff members craned their heads; minutes passed, and still the sorting hat had not placed her. 

                A look of frustration crossed Eve’s face as the sorting hat had yet to put her in her house. No one knew why; no one could even guess, but eventually, the sorting hat could be heard throughout the great hall, snapping its occupants out of the trance that had consumed the room.

“Better be, SLYTHERIN!”

                After a brief pause, the familiar round of applause and cheers could be heard from the Slytherin table. Hogwarts had regained a sense of normality.

                His gaze never left Eve Sinclaire as she made her way down the great hall, observing her every move. There was something about her, whether it be her unwavering composure, her emotionless gaze, or the confident look of utmost disdain that she gave those in other houses which made her almost frightening. Subconsciously, the rooms other occupants knew it too; they returned her looks of contempt with a quick glance in the other direction, often gluing their eyes to the plates that lie in front of them. It was more than just peculiar circumstances that surrounded Eve; it was the uncharacteristic vibe she projected.

                Tom Riddle became consumed in his thoughts, and as the others lost their curiosity, he just couldn’t shake it. He glanced back at her side of the table, but she wasn’t there. The space between Lestrange and Avery that she had occupied was vacant.

                In a dark corridor just beyond the great hall, Eve sat in the corner of a large windowsill. She looked up, her eyes scanning the broad hallway, the high vaulted ceilings, and the immense columns that made her seem so minuscule a comparison.

                Her thoughts became engulfed in the book she was reading, carefully hiding it behind long and ashy brown tassels of hair to carefully obscure its content. Although she would never reveal it, Eve’s parents had dabbled quite extensively in the dark arts, leaving behind a collection of books containing topics that those here at Hogwarts could never even dream of seeing. Her intentions weren’t entirely malicious, only practical.

                Footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway; a wand illuminating an eerie glow. Eve sighed, putting the book away just in case the intruder happened to see her. She rested her head against the glass, looking coldly at the horizon beyond the lake.

“Excuse me, but curfew is strictly eleven. What are you doing out this late?” Said a smooth voice that, although it didn’t show, Eve hadn’t been expecting.

                Eve looked up quietly, staring without emotion into the face of a handsome sixth-year with wavy jet-black hair. She didn’t realize it was this late and apparently lost track of time.

“I was only reading; I’m new here and didn’t realize the corridors were off limits in the evenings.” Eve said quietly, hoping the prefect wouldn’t realize she was lying. She knew the rules and regulations; the Headmaster had listed them so blatantly only a few hours earlier.

                The prefect raised his brow knowingly as a perfect Slytherin student would before saying, “I’m aware, but it may be in your best interest to pay closer attention to what Headmaster Dippet has to say.”

                As if Eve really cared what Dippet had to say, the old muggle-loving fool.

                Although surprised to see her, there Eve Sinclaire sat in front of him, the girl he had been so anxious to meet. She appeared like any other would; she was ambitious, completely engulfed in her studies, and polite, yet something about her caused him discomfort. The way she looked up at him was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Most girls looked at him longingly, in admiration of his handsome features and effortless charm, but Eve stared up at him with nothing but coldness, her gaze completely void of emotion.

“I know; I’m sorry. I guess I’m just a little distraught, this being an entirely new experience for me.” Eve said in a monotone, quiet voice that made him shiver.

“Come, I’ll show you to the Slytherin common room, your things will already be there,” said the prefect.

“Thank you.” Eve said taking the hand he had offered her before standing up off the windowsill.

“I’m Eve Sinclaire, by the way.”

“Tom Riddle.” The prefect said in the same cold tone.