Chapter One: Winter

It was still dark when Professor Riddle woke up. He felt warmth move into his bare feet as he stepped onto the stone floor, heated from beneath. The ageing professor wore black pyjamas with green serpents, and his dark hair was highlighted with no small amount of grey. Hidden behind a wooden screen was a toilet and small sink for him to get ready. The rest of his room was simple, containing a bed and a wardrobe (he had an office for work and other projects).

Before leaving his room, Tom made one last check of his hair and admired the jade robes he wore, hiding two more layers beneath them. These cold Scottish winters were the worst part of this job, he thought to himself. The corridors outside his room were empty; most students would not return until tomorrow. Some of the other teachers had also gone home to visit family and loved ones. These quiet times of the year were Tom's favourite.

His first stop for the day was the school kitchens. "Good morning professor" the head chef smiled at him. A plump woman of middle years, her coffee coloured hair was hidden beneath a grey chef's hat. Her uniform was grey and matched that of the two students who were helping her that morning.

"Good morning" he replied cheerfully "what's on the menu for today?"

She laughed at his question "you know what day it is" she gestured towards a nearby bench where a tray of apple danishes were cooling. She then turned to one of the students "Callum, can you pack three danishes into a bag for Professor Riddle?"

The boy took a paper bag from a shelf and started quietly moving the pastries with a pair of tongs. Tom accepted his breakfast from the student, nodded politely towards the woman, and left the kitchens.

His office was similar to his bedroom, small and tidy. An L shaped desk sat in a corner and a floor to ceiling bookshelf took up one wall. The bookshelf looked like a large bee hive, with square shelves organised by house and year levels. He had finished marking papers last week and was currently working on an essay that he hoped to get published. Ignoring the parchment covered in notes, he took out a danish and started eating.

Several hours later, tired and with some new ink stains on his fingers, Professor Riddle made his way down for lunch. The dark, stone walls of the dungeons lacked any kind of decoration. He stopped in front of a wooden door, painted black with an emerald coloured snake decorating the top right quadrant. An engraved sign hung in the centre: DEFENCE. Tom turned the handle and pushed the door inwards.

"Good morning" a monotone greeted him from behind a stack of papers.

"Afternoon" Tom replied "are you still marking those papers Severus?"

"Some of us take time off" the voice replied, only slightly annoyed.

"And how was your solstice? Did you see anyone interesting?" The soft sound of a quill hitting the table, followed by an impatient sigh.

"Really Tom? Must you live vicariously through me" he sounded bored, but he wouldn't crack. Severus was clearly dating someone, but he refused to talk about it. Tom was about to respond when he heard a soft tapping on the door. "Enter" Severus instructed.

The Defence classroom was arranged so that all the desks were along the side walls, leaving a large space in the middle for practical lessons. It was through this space that a fifth year witch in grey robes wheeled a small trolley. Tom pointed towards a desk at the front of the class and she began unloading their lunch, before leaving quietly.

Taking a seat opposite Severus, Professor Riddle made a start on his noodles. Several minutes went by as they enjoyed their meals. "How's your research coming?" Severus asked.

"Slowly" Tom managed between slurps.

"Must you?"

"It's pho" Tom had discovered it last year when Hogwarts hosted some witches and wizards from Vietnam. "Not all of us can survive on just ham and cheese."

"Can't take you lads anywhere" a third voice interrupted. Tom turned in his chair to see Professor Slughorn arrive, a paper bag of chips tucked under his arm, slightly obscured by his large belly.

Patiently trailing behind was Professor Black, a small container of salad in her petite hands. All of the Slytherin professors ate lunch together, it was tradition. "Last day of peace and quiet" she joked. They spent the next hour eating and sharing stories from winter break and the previous term.

The next evening Professor Riddle sat patiently in the great hall as everyone waited for the headmistress to arrive. It was tradition for her to arrive late and start each term with a short speech, followed by dinner. Looking ahead he saw four long tables, each varnished with the colour of their respective house.

Behind them was a fifth table, at a right angle to the others. At that table were the hess (short for house-less) students who always wore grey robes. The other students wore black robes, complete with coloured trim and crest representing their house.

A door behind the teachers' table opened and Tom could hear the headmistress walking toward the stone lectern in front. A cute, round woman, she seemed to begin every conversation with an awkward "hem-hem".

"Hem-hem" everyone went quiet "good evening, witches and wizards" her soft, high pitch voice was projected by her dark pink wand, held up to her throat.

"Welcome back, I hope you all enjoyed your winter break and had good, sensible fun celebrating the winter solstice with your families. Even I went a little wild, enjoying a nice glass of sherry as our local druid paid tribute to the undying sun."

She paused for a moment, letting everyone reminisce about their own holidays.

"And now, a new term begins. I needn't remind you all of the high standards I expect from our students. It may seem early in the year, but exam week will come around sooner than expected..."

She was interrupted by a 'pop' sound and a flash of blue in front of her lectern. Out of that flash, a grown man appeared for a second, before dropping to the floor. Gasps were heard amongst the students, and even some of the teachers. Tom stood up to get a better view. The man wore tattered clothing and had long black hair. He wasn't sure, but he looked vaguely like the minister for magic.