UnExpected

Chapter 55

Second Year...

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side?"

Buffy tuned out the rest of the conversation, letting the sixteen-year-old Riddle prattle on. The younger you are the more boastful you can be apparently. She walked over to the little red-haired girl, the one who was having her essence being sucked away bit by bit because of a diary. They only had so much time left before the memory of Tom Riddle would become corporeal. Although now that she thought about it, he wasn't exactly necessary. Sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle was a backup plan, a precaution, a just in case scenario. Things were different now – much, much different.

"...I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

"You're not," Harry said, his quiet voice full of hatred.

"Not what?" snapped Riddle.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days —"

The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.

"Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true.

"She is very sweet, isn't she?" Buffy said abruptly, causally. She grew tired of hearing the boys argue, she wanted action.

Harry and Tom immediately turned to her. Buffy was looming over Ginny's sleeping form. Her eyes focused on the girl.

"What are you doing? Get away from her!" Harry ordered, leaving Tom Riddle's side and coming to stand in between Ginny and someone he had the sneaky suspicion wasn't all Buffy Summers.

"Are you afraid I might hurt the little girl?" Buffy taunted backing away slowly.

"Didn't you know? Harry Potter is the savior of the innocent," said Tom, standing beside her. "Albus Dumbledore's pet guard."

Buffy snickered. "More like pet rat. Having a child do his bidding while old Dumbledore waits for the smoke to clear."

"Don't you talk that way about Dumbledore," Harry sneered.

"And also, he's defender I see," Buffy smirked. "Pathetic old man. Having little Harry...Harry..."

All at once everything was becoming blurry and anguish split through her brain. Her eyes screwed shut and her hands shot up to cradle her head. Her expression became twisted in pain.

"Buffy?"

She had been acting strange since the start of it this. Buffy had always been mean, but this was a different kind of mean. It was cold and detached. The Buffy Harry knew made every cruel taunt and hurtful word personal. She made sure there was a connection. But this was different. She was different.