The Seven {tom riddle}

Chapter Four

Evelyn didn't have to fake the awe she felt, looking up at the castle. The last time she'd seen it was in the reflection of the train window as the Hogwarts Express carried her away, for what she thought would be forever. She had dropped out before her final year, devoting herself entirely to the Order and its efforts, but Hogwarts had always been her home.

'Isn't it beautiful,' Zara whispered to her, as they walked up the entrance steps with the rest of the cohort. It truly was, standing tall and imperious among the dark trees, light pouring invitingly from every door and window.

She was to be sorted with the first years, but she'd promised to sneak over to Zara's table if she wasn't in Hufflepuff. Of course, she was expecting to be in Ravenclaw— that was her house, after all.

Lost in thought, Zara had to pull Evelyn to the side as the great doors banged open behind them. In walked six latecomers.

The boy at the front, though not the tallest or the biggest was clearly the leader. His face was carefully neutral, expression completely blank as he swept across the entrance hall. Everything about him seemed poised, from his painstakingly tucked tie to his perfectly arranged brown waves, curling down over his emerald eyes. He looked at Evelyn. His lip curled. He looked away.

'Who is that?' She whispered to Zara.
'Tom Riddle. Him and his little gang,'

His gang, as she called them, did not seem little at all. The 5 others, and Tom himself, were among the nicest looking people Evelyn had ever seen. They all carried the same air of superiority, they comported themselves like they knew they were important.

The two flanking Riddle were taller than he, the two Evelyn had met at the train station. Orion Black gave her a wink, and the Malfoy boy shot a glare as they walked past. She didn't fail to notice Zara's blush.

Two more boys brought up the rear, brushing 6'0 where the others towered above it. One held a permanent sneer, green eyes blazing with some emotion totally at odds with his dignified manner. His hair was a mess of curls, and he, like the others, wore a carefully pressed Slytherin uniform, though he had thrown a jacket of purple velvet over one shoulder.

'That's Atlas Lestrange, creepy lad,' Zara hissed, noticing her gaze. 'And the other is Elias Rosier. Don't know why he sticks with them, he's far too nice.'

Rosier indeed had a kinder face— equally sharp and structured but with a softer quirk to his mouth, and a light in his bright blue eyes that was almost reminiscent of Dumbledore. He was the only one, of the 5 that had passed so far, to turn a smile towards the two girls.

What surprised Evelyn the most was that the 6th member of their little sextet was a girl. She was as tall as the others, at least 6'0 and she walked in their midst without a quiver of fear, a clear sense of belonging. Golden hair ran smoothly down her back like a waterfall, and her eyes were alive, dancing pools of crystal. She held her head high, proudly, and her heeled boots clicked sharply on the stone as she strode by. She looked neither left or right, but directed her gaze straight ahead.

Beside her, Zara sighed. 'They love to make an entrance. Late to every dinner.' She glanced down at her watch. 'Merlin, Evelyn, that means we're late too!' She grabbed the other girls' hand, dragging her down the hallway. They burst through the double doors, as the seated masses, the quivering first years, and every teacher at the high table turned to look.

△⃒⃘

Zara immediately turned red, muttering an apology and slinking away to the Hufflepuff table. She shot a remorseful look over her shoulder.