Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: A New Friend

September, 1938

"Carrow, Corinne."

Whispers drifted about the Great Hall at the mention of yet another Carrow attending Hogwarts. The notorious Pureblood family that had been thriving for generations was almost a household name throughout the wizarding community, their talented offspring being the very reason for their fame. Now, the youngest and last child of Cornelius and Cressida Carrow was about to be Sorted, and all eyes were eagerly on her.

Eleven year old Corinne Carrow, a very small and wide-eyed blonde girl, slowly weaved through the group of upcoming first years and made her way up to the front, fully aware that if she managed to trip or do something else horrifically humiliating, she could very well taint her family's reputation. She then proceeded to lower herself onto the stool, making sure it was steady, before she took a deep breath and relaxed, waiting patiently as Headmaster Armando Dippet set the old and frayed Sorting Hat on top of her head, her head so small that the brim of the hat nearly covered her eyes . It immediately began muttering to Corinne, make her jump slightly.

"Ah, another Carrow," the Sorting Hat began in a scratchy voice. "And the final one at that. Where to put you, where to put you...?"

The hat paused in thought, giving Corinne enough time to glance over at the Slytherin table, where all five of her older siblings were sitting together. Her oldest brother and sister, Caspian, who was in his seventh year, and Celeste, who was in her sixth year, were each yawning, clearly bored by the event taking place. Sitting across from them was Cyrus, a fifth year, who gave her a small, reassuring smirk. Lastly, and certainly least, were twins Caine and Clarice, both in their third year, who were each sporting amused expressions, like they were expecting their youngest sister to mess up.

"Certainly not a Gryffindor..." the Sorting Hat continued, bringing Corinne's focus back. "And you're no Ravenclaw either. Hmm...this is a tough one. Possibly Hufflepuff?"

Please, I'm begging you, put me in Slytherin, Corinne pleaded in her head, her palms growing clammier by the second. My family will disown me if I'm not in Slytherin.

"Slytherin, eh?" the Sorting Hat retorted. It hummed at the idea. "Oh, alright. Seeming as you're a Carrow, anyway, I'd best put you in SLYTHERIN!"

The whole Great Hall responded with mannerly claps and cheers, and at the same time, Corinne let out a sigh of relief. One of her biggest fears- and there were quite many- that had been nagging at her all day was the possibility of her not being Sorted into Slytherin, like the rest of her family. Thank Merlin that didn't happen.

Corinne hadn't realized that she was still sitting on the stool until Headmaster Dippet cleared his throat and politely tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss Carrow, please go join your housemates at the Slytherin table."

"Oh!" Corinne squeaked, flushing in embarrassment. "Sorry."

She hurriedly made her way towards the Slytherin table, as if her walking quickly would get her out of the limelight faster, when in reality, it just drew more attention towards her. Fortunately, there was an empty seat next to Cyrus, who was patting it for her to sit down. Corinne gladly plopped down next to her favored brother.

"Congrats, sis," Cyrus told her, grinning. "Feels good to get the Sorting over with, doesn't it?"

Corinne nodded in agreement and returned a smile, then, out of habit, instantly corrected herself by covering her mouth with her hand. Her other siblings always rebuked her for her crooked teeth.

"Thank Merlin she didn't embarrass us too much," Caine commented, speaking obnoxiously loud, earning snickers from his twin sister.

"Yeah," Clarice chimed in. "Wouldn't want Corinne making a fool of herself, again."