Taking Over Me

Chapter 8 - Year 3 - 1940

Halloween

In my second year, Professor Slughorn had found out who my parents were. It was the worst mistake I'd ever let slip.

My mother was the Senior Under Secretary to the Minister of Magic, meaning she was second in command of the wizarding world after the Minister. She'd been born into an aristocratic wizarding family as well, so Professor Slughorn hit the jackpot with my lineage from her.

My father was the Head of the Auror Office, the youngest person ever to hold that position. He'd gotten the best marks in all of his classes during his N.E.W.T. exams and he still held several records for them.

Take my parents' successes, add in my own academic success as third highest ranking student on tests and such, and Professor Slughorn was bound to recruit me to his high society parties. Somehow I accidentally mentioned one to my mother and she all but told me she'd disown me if I didn't go.

That's how on All Hallow's Eve, I ended up in a nice dress, knocking on the room  Professor Slughorn had invited me to. I readjusted my dress, unsure of what I'd find at this party.

The door opened and Professor Slughorn himself ushered me into the room. It was larger than I'd been expecting, with a dining table set for twelve, and a seating area that could seat around ten.

"Welcome Miss Shay. I'm delighted you could make it. Everyone, may I introduce Miss Marianne Shay, the daughter of Rose and David Shay."

I froze when I realized there were nine other students standing around. They spared a second to glance at me, nodded, before turning back to their own conversations. I breathed easier once they went back to their own conversations.

Professor Slughorn looked at his watch. "That's odd. He's never late. I wonder what could be keeping him?"

I moved away from Professor Slughorn and sat at one of the unoccupied chairs at the table. I recognized a few of the other students here, but most were strangers. I spotted the son of one of the Quidditch World Cup players, the daughter of a foreign bureaucrat, the twins of a king and queen.

Professor Slughorn tottered over to the door. "Ah welcome my boy, glad you could make it." He stepped aside and I saw Tom Riddle standing in the doorway.

Riddle smiled charmingly at Professor Slughorn and waltzed into the room. When he caught sight of me, his friendly smile changed to a sneer for a second. He replaced it so quickly I might have missed it if I wasn't staring at him like a rabbit and a fox.

We hadn't had any further issues since our first year, but I'd always managed to steer clear of him as well as I could. Now, here I was forced to spend an evening in the same room as him. Even though he'd done nothing else to me, I couldn't help but remember Myrtle's warnings about him and the skin crawling feeling he gave me whenever I was around him.   

Professor Slughorn clapped his chubby hands together. "Well, now that everyone is here, shall we eat?"

The twelve of us walked over to the table, talking quietly in small groups. We found a seat at the table and pulled out our chairs. We sat down and I ended up sandwiched between Riddle and a boy who claimed to be a direct descendent of Salazar Slytherin, and the second cousin twice removed of the brother of the Minister of Magic. Whether or not he was telling the truth, Professor Slughorn had invited him. I didn't believe the boy.

House elves appeared from a side doorway, carrying trays of food. They set them down on the table, bowed to us and backed out.

Professor Slughorn lifted a goblet. "I propose a toast. To new friends and a wonderful rest of the school year."