A/N: The title comes from a song called "Not Ready to Die" by Avenged Sevenfold. I chose it because Tom is afraid of death and it also fits with his female counterpart in the story. So check it out if you havent heard it! :D
Also, I do not own Harry Potter nor it's characters. They belong to JK Rowling. The only one that belongs to me is Veronique. The view on vampires were inspired by Anne Rice. The term 'The Admiral's Arms' belongs to Anne Rice as well. (I wanted my character to take Tom somewhere where he can get a better understanding as to where she's from and what she partially is.) The name Dracul belongs to Vlad the Impaler. Okay, I think I'm done rambling. :P
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She was different. She had amethyst eyes and black hair. He just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She has this essence that seemed to draw him in. As a boy of eleven, he was not fully aware of the opposite sex but she just caught his eye. She was a slender girl with striking features. She didn’t seem to notice him or even deign to recognize him. His attention from her was interrupted by a bearded man.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor Dumbledore.” The man said, “As it’s your first year here you will need to be sorted into your houses. The houses are Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor.” The group of students followed the bearded man into a room filled with students. They gathered at the front of the hall and awaited more instructions. The man pulled out an old hat which began singing a silly little song. When the song was finished, he began to speak.
“I will place the sorting hat on your head and it will decide where to put you.” Dumbledore said, “Let’s start with Princess Veronique Dracul.” The amethyst eyed girl walked up and sat on the stool.
“She has the cleverness of a Ravenclaw, Bravery of a Gryffindor, Humility of a Hufflepuff, and the Darkness of a Slytherin.” The hat pondered, “I know you are to be a SYLTHERIN.” She hopped off the stool and brushed passed the black haired boy without a glance. He stared after her.
“Tom Riddle” Professor Dumbledore called. The dark haired boy made his way to the stool.
“SYLTHERIN” the hat announced. The boy smirked to himself and proceeded to sit near her. She still didn’t notice him. She had her eyes focused on the table.
“I’m Tom” the boy eventually said.
“Veronique” The girl replied. She didn’t say more nor did he. She looked up at the boy and examined him. He was handsome for his age and quite tall. He had eyes the color of sapphires and hair black as night. He was a mystery so far. She was intrigued and wanted to know more but refrained because she did not deign to associate herself with someone who was not of royal blood. She ignored his dark eyes watching every move she made.
“Good evening to you all” a booming voice said.
“To all the first years, I am Headmaster Dippet.” He said, “I would just like to welcome you all and I hope you enjoy the feast.”
A vast array of food magically appeared before the students. It ranged from creatures of the sea to the beasts of the land. She did not eat much as he could see. He kept an eye on her and watched as she picked at her food. He thought the food was much better than that of the orphanage. It was far tastier too. He watched as she grimaced at piece of cooked flesh and forced it into her mouth and chew. He pondered her reasons for grimacing.
She felt his eyes pierce into the side of her face. Why was he so intrigued with her? What made her so interesting? Why couldn’t he just mind his own damn business?
