The Secret of Tom Riddle's Diary

Chapter Twenty-Six - The Reign of Slytherin

Victoria’s first day of school was different than any other day she had while she had schooled at Hogwarts.  It was missing Albus Dumbledore – something she was extremely thankful for.  The man was always asking her questions about the circumstances of her arrival into the Wizarding World.  It was missing many of the long standby Professors at Hogwarts as well.  Most importantly, it was missing the Gryffindors that had continually annoyed her since she had become Victoria. 

Victoria’s first day was Dark Arts with Amycus Carrow.  It was strange that they studied the Dark Arts in a class.  It started small with hexes and jinxes that were borderline illegal.  The last fifteen minutes was spent explaining the various branches of Dark Arts: curses, blood magic, potions, and creatures.  Each one of them was to research those branches and begin to see if they had an affinity for any.

In the afternoon, Victoria had Arithmancy with Taylor.  The spellwork and the calculations were becoming more and more complicated.  With another long essay assigned, Victoria and Taylor made their way out.  Victoria grabbed Taylor and led her along a secret passageway.

“So?” Taylor asked fearfully wondering what it was the Dark Lord would want of her. 

“I have noticed two things about you, Taylor.  First, your ability as a duelist is the best in our year –“

“Except for you,” she said. 

Victoria smirked.  “I think you would become better, but I just have had a little more tutoring in certain things than you.”

“What is the second?”  She asked. 

“Your beauty continues to shine.  The Dark Lord wants you trained to become an assassin.”

Taylor gasped.  “But how?  What?”

Victoria said, “Right now it simply means that you carry on with the course work you are carrying.  You are in Charms, Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures.  Each of these will serve you well.  You aren’t in Transfiguration, so you will need to start learning ways to hide in plain sight.  One of your assignments is that every Saturday night that I am on duty as Prefect, you are to sneak out and attempt not to be found by me.”

Taylor gulped.  “I will do my best.  But I don’t know how to find out how to hide yet.”

Victoria smiled grimly.  “You have a few days to begin to work it out.  I think you’ll get it.  If you want some advice, look up Gray man in the Muggle world.  I think there is information about it in the library.”

Victoria led Taylor through the hidden passageway out the other side and led her back down to the Common room where they met up with the rest of their friends.  Then, it was back to classes.

As time began, Taylor had a difficult time hiding from Victoria very long.  Victoria didn’t use the Marauder’s Map.  She rarely had a use for it anymore.  Her extra sense of taste in the air could feel Taylor in the air.  Taylor was able to learn how to hide herself from sight, but soon Victoria wanted her to learn how to hide herself from sound, then smell, and so on.

One of the new classes for everyone was a class called Muggle Studies.  It was a requirement for everyone – even purebloods.  Victoria had informed her friends what the true nature of the class had been before they left for the class.  “Professor Carrow will be showing us the evils of Muggles and why Mudbloods are dangerous and not to be mixed with.”

When everyone was seated in Professor Alecto Carrow’s class, he took roll call.

“Welcome to Muggle Studies.  This is a class to discuss Muggles.  Now in the past, you might have been told that they are not so different from us.  But they are nothing in comparison to us.  We can easily hide ourselves from them.  We can manipulate their minds.  We can kill them –“