The Serpent's Eye (A Tom Riddle fanfic)

Chapter One: Returning to Hogwarts

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and for forget to live." -Albus Dumbledore

It was September the 1st, 1996, and year six had just begun for The Golden Trio at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All the students were stampeding like wild, untamed Buffalo to the nearest train entrance, and you could feel the excitement evident in the cool, damp air.

Azalea casually strolled to the nearest train entrance and quickly scanned to scene that unfolded before her, as little first years clinged on the their parents as if it were for dear life. Friends were once again united and enemies scowled at each other from across the platform.

Azalea's heart couldn't help but clench at the sigh of the little children in their parent's loving embrace. She could feel the tears start to build in her eyes.

Completely oblivious to the world around her she managed to collide with none other then Draco Malfoy. Immediately snapping her out of her unpleasantly somber thoughts. Draco Malfoy was a slender boy with sleek white-blond hair, cold, stormy, grey eyes, a pale complexion and rather sharp, pointed features.

Slightly behind him, to his left was Gregory Goyle. He was a bloke with large feet, small dull eyes, long gorilla arms, large by usual standards, bristly hair that hung low on his forehead and broad shoulders. To his right was Vincent Crabbe, he was a very large and fat bloke. He had gorilla like arms as well, a flat nose and wore a pudding bowl-style haircut, but both Goyle and Crabbe were more like Malfoy's body guards than friends.

"Watch where you're going, baby Potter," sneered Malfoy, while Crabbe and Goyle snickered in the background.

'Out of all people, why did I have to bump into him?' She mentally curse in her mind. There was no denying Draco Malfoy was incredibly captivating, but his arrogant and insolent qualities were extremely grotesque and uninviting.

"Maybe I just decided to grace you with my presence, Malfoy." She sarcastically bit out, venom laced in her voice. Malfoy defiantly rolled his stormy grey eyes before shooting her a dark look and swaggering off with Crabbe and Goyle scrambling after him.

Azalea couldn't help but feel smug knowing she out-snarked Draco Malfoy. Feeling victorious, she continued her pathway to the train entrance, getting settled in an empty compartment, ten minutes before the train's departure.

Azalea was an incredibly enchanting girl. She had fair, smooth skin, large greenish-blue doe eyes that always seemed to be gleaming with mischief and ambition. She had long, thick jet-black hair that flowed down to her waist in natural, soft curls. Occasionally, she would catch other girls giving her envious glances, but Azalea, being the modest person she was, never understood why.

It was 11:00 a.m. and the train started to abandon the station. Azalea pulled out The History of Magic book for some "light" reading when the compartment door slammed open with an echoing BAM! Two sixteen
year old boys nonchalantly emerged in the room. One of them had fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. He had deep blue eyes, a long nose and a lanky but well built stature. He was known as Ron Weasley.

The boy beside Ron was a boy with untidy jet-black hair, like her own, startling green, almond shaped eyes. He also wore round-rimmed glasses. Upon his forehead covered by unruly black hair was a lighting bolt shaped scar. This was Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, also known as her brother.

Azalea slipped The History of Magic book back in her bag and looked back at Ron and her brother. Harry and Ron took the seat directly across from her and immediately conversed in a conversation about quidditch. Azalea tuned out quicker than Ron in Herbology class and absentmindedly stared out the window at the figures passing by. As you could tell she wasn't one for quidditch.

About an hour later, when the train reached its destination. The trio quickly grabbed their trunks and exited outside to a carriage that was waiting patiently in the centre of a pathway to escort them to Hogwarts.

They silently entered the carriage. Soon after as the thestrals started to gently pulled the carriage forward, Harry and Ron slipped into a quick little slumber. A small smile tugged at Azalea's lips as she glanced at the sleeping figure of her brother and best friend.

Minutes later, Azalea's attention was on the horse like creatures pulling the carriage. A thestral was some kind of breed of winged horse with a skeletal body, face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resembled a bat's. Yet again, she gazed at the onyx-black night sky and the stars that seemed to shine brighter than diamonds, she loved the way they glistened in the pale moonlight.

She kept gazing at the night sky, as the thestrals steadily navigated the carriage through a pathway of evergreen trees that seemed to go on for miles. Pulled out of her awe-struck gaze she saw a silhouette of an enormous castle looming in the distance. The carriage seemed to be slowing down until coming to an abrupt stop.

Azalea looked up to see a very large stone walled castle, before getting out she turned back around and lightly shooke Harry and Ron awake.

"Bloody hell, what was that for?" Ron shouted in a some what annoyed voice, waking Harry in the process.

"We're here, Ronald." Said Azalea, while playing rolling her eyes at his childish antics.