The Secret of Tom Riddle's Diary

Chapter Six - New Outlook

The very being of Victoria was shook with the revelations she had read in that book. Even after sneaking out of the Chamber of Secrets and climbing back into bed she had not been able to sleep. The anger and betrayal that the book inspired inside of her kept her tossing and turning all night.

Godric Gryffindor was a scoundrel of the worst kind. Yes, he had been a famous warrior wizard who had stood up to Muggle lynch mobs and Dark Wizards across Europe. But he was a womanizer. He was a user. He had used his skills of persuasion on Salazar Slytherin who was a Dark Wizard. He had asked him to be the architect. He had asked him to put the heavy enchantments and wards on the castle. But soon after starting, the war had started because Gryffindor wanted the mastery and did not want to share it with the other three founders. He had seduced Helga Hufflepuff to his side. Rowena Ravenclaw had started defending Slytherin, but even she had betrayed him in the end.

The Chamber of Secrets had been Slytherin's solitary place that he built unknown to his betrayers. The basilisk was placed there to cleanse the school of students and teachers alike should the need ever arise.

Perhaps Victoria's thoughts might have been more circumspective over these revelations. She now had heard both sides, but she had been abandoned. She remembered how she begged Dumbledore to not return to the Dursleys year after year, but he had insisted she return. Then, this last year, the Weasleys had abandoned her as well – Ron had blamed Harry for Ginny's death. Harry was now Victoria. And Victoria was now in Slytherin where she saw firsthand the bigotry and hatred for the purebloods. She saw the dismantling of very powerful rituals and traditions by the establishment. But the Professors now who should have been the adults seemed to encourage the problems.

It was in Transfiguration where Professor Rosier, an older cousin to Ethan Rosier, a classmate and housemate of Victoria's where the Slytherins found themselves safest. When Victoria immediately turned a matchstick into a needle and back again – fifty points to Slytherin. There were no questions about cheating.

It was not the same anywhere else. In Potions, she saw the other perspective for the first time. Professor Snape had not coddled the Slytherins, he had compensated for the way they were treated.

Potions wasn't too bad. Even though Professor Haywood insisted on teaming Slytherins up with Gryffindors, it actually worked in her favor. She was teamed with Romilda Vane. They both wanted to do well. With skills that she had learned from Tom and since Romilda had at least a decent head on her shoulders, they were getting consistent O's on the potions handed in.

The Essays were graded very harshly. Professor Haywood looked for any mistake and magnified it. It forced many of the Slytherins to work separately and hard.

Then, the next Defense against the Dark Arts class came along.

Victoria was walking up with Astoria, Taylor, and Adriana when they ran into third year Gryffindors coming out of Defense for the first time. There was awe and excitement on their faces as they talked about what they had just done in the class. The group led by Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnegan suddenly ran into Victoria and Astoria.

"Watch where you're going, you dirty snakes –" Weasley growled at them.

The four girls glared at them without response. Ethan and Michael jumped up to defend the ladies when Lupin came out of the classroom.

"Rosier and McCarthey –" he said. "That's fifty points from Slytherin –"

The six Slytherins who watched the exchange were shocked. Michael and Ethan defended themselves,

"They were about to push the ladies!" they said.

Ron led his Gryffindor gang away with a laugh, saying.