Who's that casting
Devious stares
in my direction
Mama this surely
Is a dream
~Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground
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THE SUN SHONE ACROSS the lands surrounding Hogwarts, radiating a warm gleam onto the ancient castle. It was the first day of lessons at the Wizarding school, a day which was thrilling to most students.
Rosalind had woken up early, separating from her warm, inviting bed. Around an hour had passed, and most of Ravenclaw house was still getting ready.
The french blonde exited her dormitory, knowing that if she were to wait for Willow to finish getting ready, she would definitely lose what was left of her mind.
She went into the common room, finding Oliver seated in one of the armchairs, reading a book. "Good morning, Oliver," she greeted, her voice a sweet tone as she regarded him.
Willow and Oliver had both shown her a little bit around the castle the previous night, and led her to the Ravenclaw common room, which she was very grateful for. They were both very nice and welcoming, showing her that true and sincere love still existed. Rosalind knew, her uncle once loved her a lot, when he was still a living soul on this earth and not a mere memory engraved in her heart. Her mother did too, but her current state still made Rosalind feel slightly depressed.
"'Morning Rosalind. Did you sleep well?" Oliver glanced up from his book to give her a warm smile, and then resumed reading.
"All was good." She was relieved when Willow made her way down the dormitories' steps and motioned for them to come over. Oliver packed his book into his school satchel, swinging it over his shoulder. Rosalind followed, and the three of them left the Ravenclaw common room.
***
Rosalind sat between her two friends, adding some scrambled eggs to her plate of bacon. Oliver was simply reading the Daily Prophet, while Willow formed a hill of food onto her plate that no possible girl her age could be able to digest. She wondered how the girl sitting next to her managed to stay very thin.
Rosalind was distracted from her breakfast when a certain boy caught her attention. The same guy she'd seen on the train, the one that with only a single glance had made her wish to be an advanced Seer and know every single secret and memory of his, maybe even his future.
He walked into the Great Hall with poise and confidence. Rosalind noticed how he was casting charming smiles at anyone who greeted him. He must've been well-known and respected among the students.
The charming young man took a seat at the Slytherin table, taking a green apple and biting into it. Rosalind hadn't noticed that she was staring, until Willow nudged her in the ribs.
"Ow!" Rosalind exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "What was that for?"
"Tom Riddle, huh?" Willow winked at her, raising her eyebrows mockingly.
"Come again?" She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. Was that his name? She couldn't help but think it's a pretty mundane name for someone like that handsome boy. She would've expected him to be named after a Greek god or something, considering he looked like one. She shook her head inwardly, dismissing her ridiculous thoughts.
"I thought he would catch your attention, honestly. He is quite admired by a lot of girls at school," Willow spoke casually, sipping on her tea.
"I really don't know what you're talking about, Willow," she pursed her lips, looking at Oliver hopelessly for support, who just smirked. He did not even lift his gaze from his newspaper.
"The handsome guy over there, at the Slytherin table," Willow nodded her head towards the guy Rosalind had been staring at before.
"Tom Riddle. One of the most charming, clever and handsome students at school," Her friend smirked at her, and continued eating without a second glance her way.
Rosalind looked at the Slytherin table again, only to find Tom Riddle staring at her in return. Rosalind's stomach sank. Had he noticed that they were talking about him?
Tom Riddle gave her an icy glare, his electrifying blue eyes narrowing in her direction. She felt a strong force attempting to break the powerful barrier she had learnt to cast around her mind and thoughts, but she managed to block it.
So he was a Legilimens.
Rosalind didn't know whether to feel offended or amused; he'd underestimated her and tried to read her thoughts, but he had found her intriguing.
Her nostrils were flared, her lips pursed, and her gaze didn't falter in the slightest. She kept staring at Tom Riddle, and he kept glaring back. She knew he was slightly shocked, students their age weren't supposed to be very skilled at Occlumency and Legilimency.
But Rosalind didn't need Legilimency to penetrate into his mind. She only needed to practice and strengthen her powers. Being a Seer comes with the Clairvoyance ability. She would also be able to see his past.
And she was determined to take control of her powers, even if she was going to spend her year in the library looking for a way to do so.
***
Classes so far had gone well with Rosalind, for she had managed to survive half of her first day. She still had double Defence against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins.
She entered the classroom, smiling at the Professor and choosing to sit in the very corner of the spacious room. She recieved a disapproving look from Oliver who chose to sit in the front, a few seats away from Tom Riddle. Willow, on the other hand, had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. The three of them only had a few classes together.
As soon as the class was full and all the students had arrived, the Professor got up and stood in the centre, preparing to start her lecture.
"Welcome students, to your Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. I am Professor Merrythought, and I'll be teaching you this subject throughout this year and the next one. I do hope that you all cooperate with me and work hard in your lessons." The class was silent while the kind-looking Professor continued giving instructions to her class.
"And now, we'll be starting off with duels. I would like to examine your abilities and skills and take notes of the level of each student. I have picked partners of my own choice," The class erupted in a buzz of murmurs, everyone surely excited and nervous for a duel. Rosalind felt strangely composed and under control. She was certain that she could overpower any of these students.
She had been training since she was eleven. Her uncle and her mother had both been preparing her for this world's darkness. They had taught her some of the most powerful dark spells, as well as Legilimency and Occlumency. It was as if they'd known that one of them would be murdered and the other would be tortured into madness. As if they'd known that at some point of her teenage life, she would have to face the world completely alone. They were both very powerful, and they rubbed that off on her too; they weren't descendants of Merlin for nothing, after all.
Her mother must have seen this coming, more or less, she had once been a skilled Seer.
Professor Merrythought started announcing the paired students, who would also be partners for the rest of the year.
"Druella Rosier and Ernest Avery," A dark haired girl smirked deviously and walked over to a Slytherin guy, who Rosalind had noticed was one of Tom Riddle's friends. She seriously needed to stop stalking that boy.
"Lucretia Black and Roderick Lestrange," This girl on the contrary, stared blankly at whom Rosalind assumed was Lestrange, and waited for him to come join her.
"Tom Riddle and Oliver Dennington," she noticed the scowl on Oliver's face as he made his way over to Tom Riddle, who was in turn glaring heatedly at the smart Ravenclaw.
"Rosalind Bonaccord and Abraxas Malfoy," Rosalind searched the room for her partner, until someone tapped on her shoulder twice.
She turned around, her eyes meeting with brilliant grey ones. Abraxas Malfoy stood in front of her, his lips pulled upwards into an arrogant smirk. He had slick blonde hair, an ashen face and a tall, lanky figure.
"You must be the new girl, my partner for the year, much to my disappointment," Malfoy paused a moment for a dramatic effect, "I would've liked someone of the same level at least," He drawled, a scowl etched on his face.
"I know Malfoy, you must've wanted someone who's as low as your standards," Rosalind mumbled back, her piercing eyes glaring at the Slytherin prick.
She noticed from the corner of her eye Tom Riddle watching them intently. He probably found all of this amusing.
After all the students were paired, the Professor announced the last few instructions. "No dark magic or curses are allowed, only jinxes and defensive spells. Now bow to your partners."
Abraxas Malfoy stood across from Rosalind, bowing his head slightly at her. Rosalind bowed back mockingly, a small smile tugging at her lips. This was going to be fun.
She caught Malfoy off gaurd sending a few hexes swiftly in his direction. He struggled to avoid them but still managed to do so.
"Stupefy!" Malfoy aimed his wand at her, which only increased her disappointment. She wanted a duel worthy of her energy, something satisfactory. She dodged the spell smoothly, this was a child's game for her.
They kept on sending hexes in eachother's direction and dodging them for a few minutes.
"Expelliarmus!" Rosalind shot towards him, wanting this to end already. Abraxas Malfoy was too slow, and his wand was in Rosalind's hand in two seconds.
"Excellent work Miss Bonaccord, five points for Ravenclaw. You may leave when you wish." Professor Merrythought sent a disapproving look at Malfoy and went to examine the next pair.
Rosalind walked towards Malfoy, who was scowling at her like his life depended on it.
"You didn't quite meet my standards, Abraxas. I was hoping for a more.. challenging partner, you know." And with that, Rosalind tossed him his wand before turning on her heel and leaving the classroom with her bag on her shoulder. She didn't miss the amused gaze on Tom Riddle's face.